The One Thing by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan
“The prescription for extraordinary results is knowing what matters to you and taking daily doses of actions in alignment with it.”
3 Main Messages:
When we try to do everything and please everyone we miss the chance of doing the most important thing to ensure success
By prioritising your purpose you will achieve productivity and profitability
We can create environments and habits to ensure success
I am writing this book review at 8am on a cloudy Sunday morning because I woke up today and decided to start completing the one task that would start my day off correctly. If you, like I, have a tendency to procrastinate, then this book could be a game-changer for you, as it has been for me. The front cover promises that this is “the surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results” and, after reading it and implementing the guidance, I have to agree!
It opens with the Russian proverb: “If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one,” and then explains why we need to prioritise and how to focus on the most important task in hand; one which will impact every aspect of your life. Keller then proceeds to set out the time management lies which “mislead and derail us” before explaining the “simple path to productivity” to unlock “possibilities within you.”
The simple advice is to “allow what matters most to drive your day.” Ask yourself: “what’s the one thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?”
Keller explains the downfalls of list-writing and multitasking by explaining how we are spreading our energy across too many inconsequential activities. By prioritising ‘the one thing’ that is the most important to drive your success, you will allocate your energy to what matters most. As he explains, we have a limited amount of will-power and this decreases during the day.
Like a computer which runs slower when downloading multiple programmes, our brain works faster and better when we focus on one thing at a time. Similarly, when a camera focuses on one specific part of an image and blurs the rest, we are able to see it in much more detail and without distraction; Keller uses this metaphor to explain the importance of identifying our ‘one thing’ and then removing all distractions.
He explains the fallacy of multitasking, our misunderstandings around the concept of living a ‘balanced life' ,and the mistakes we often make when trying to be disciplined. Because “achievers always work from a clear sense of priority” Keller explains Pareto’s 80/20 Principle and shows us how to convert a to-do list into a success list. As an avid list writer myself, (I have even been known to write a list of lists) this was a particularly useful exercise for me.
Put simply, by combining our purpose and priorities we can build towards productivity and profit. By identifying the one thing that is most important in each area of our lives and then clearing the decks to complete that when our willpower is strong and distractions are few, we can convert our busyness into productivity.
Keller shows us how to goal set effectively, how to time block and how to defend against distractions on a day to day basis. He also advises everyone to find or employ an ‘accountability partner’ as he argues that “you’d be hard-pressed to find elite achievers who don’t have coaches helping them.”
If you find that your days and weeks are incredibly busy but feel like they’re lacking forward momentum and that you’re stuck in a perpetual hamster wheel of tasks, I recommend following the advice here to prioritise and organise your time more efficiently and effectively. As for me: having completed my most important task early this morning, I can report that I feel a great sense of accomplishment and can now relax and enjoy the rest of my day!
Perhaps the one thing you need to do is read this book.
