The ONE Thing

This book was amazing for helping me when I felt stuck and wanted to make a change in my life. This book is all about the power of focus (and not just about avoiding distractions when you’re working). It gave me a focus for my life, and it gave me the tools, examples, and inspiration to break that big-picture focus into smaller pieces… so everything suddenly felt doable.

I loved using the book’s Focusing Question to identify the ONE thing that would make everything in my life easier.

I was introduced to The One Thing by being on their Podcast. What that experience led to was understanding the core concept of the book; understanding that one thing that will aid any individual in reaching their primary goals. What I learned when reading is that the concepts reinforced for me in a different but usable way the practices of goal setting, time blocking, and defining my purpose and vision through the seasons of my influence.

By focusing their energy on one thing at a time, people are living more rewarding lives by building their careers, strengthening their finances, losing… show more.

This book asks a simple question that drives you to knock over the key domino in your life. Keller asks, “What’s the one thing, that by doing it, you make everything else easier or unnecessary?” Then, when you have wrestled that answer to the ground, you execute it.

Do that as a leader, as a husband, father, mother, friend, son, daughter, employee, or employer, and watch productivity soar, progress get made, and growth happen. I can’t recommend this one enough!

If you struggle with productivity and want to achieve extraordinary results, The ONE Thing is a must-read.

This book emphasizes the importance of focus and teaches you how to identify the one thing that matters most each day. By choosing the one thing that makes everything else obsolete or unnecessary, you can accomplish more in less time.

The book’s central message is that by focusing on one thing at a time, you can achieve extraordinary results in productivity, achieve your goals, and live a more fulfilling life. 

Taught me the transformational power of focus and attacking one big task every day—I call it my command intent.

If I hit my command intent (e.g., contact X clients), I made progress on that day towards a bigger goal (e.g., a business revenue number).

The book focuses on the prioritization to achieve success in life and work. By identifying and focusing on the most important task or goal, known as the "one thing," you can maximize your productivity, achieve your goals, and experience greater fulfillment.

Focus is vital in business!

Focus is the central key to professional and private success.

Successful entrepreneurs, managers, and consultants know, however, that it is the implementation in practice and the details that matter. Only applied knowledge leads to success.

Those who want to achieve professional and private goals will find the way to reach their goals by applying the life principle "The ONE Thing".

Gary Keller and Jay Papasan have summarized the surprisingly simple truth about extraordinary success in a book.

I used to think I was Plymouth's answer to Richard Branson – running 12 different businesses – selling everything from mobile phone insurance to serviced office rental, private villas rentals to car breakdown cover, online betting to affiliate software tools – until I read The ONE Thing, and realised I wasn't a business owner: I was a juggler – and not a very good one at that!

After reading The ONE Thing, I stopped doing a dozen things for a dozen businesses, and started doing one thing for one business – and, as you'll read in my book,… show more.

In this wonderful book, Keller pushes back on the idea of a “balanced” life. To accomplish anything of true worth, to build an uncommon life requires an uncommon approach to living it.

He explains the benefits of narrowing the focus down to 1 thing and be determined to excel at it. Prior to reading this, I’d try to be good at so many things, spreading myself too thin. By focusing on my one thing over and over, I was able to overcome my challenges and get to the mountaintop sooner.

At first sight, the book talks about productivity. But in reality, its over-arching concept is self-discipline. The authors urge the reader to discover their one thing that will make everything else easier. I find this concept similar to the idea of “keystone habits,” that is habits that once implemented as a side effect help introduce other positive habits (for example, exercising often leads to a better diet, sleep, and more). If you want to develop more self-discipline through simplifying your life, this book will show you how.