Have you read The One Thing by Gary Keller and want to know what the most important lessons are? I will share some important lessons from the book that will help you focus on one thing at a time.
In this book, Gary Keller talks about how we need to focus on one thing at a time to get everything done because there’s too much going on. But he goes into detail about things that can make it easier for us as well as some excellent tips like “focus only on your top three priorities.”
So if you’re struggling with getting stuff done or have been using the wrong system, check out my favourite lessons from the book below. This will help you focus on one thing at a time and get things done much more effectively!
1. The One Thing is about focusing only on the top three priorities
Gary explains that most people have too many responsibilities, tasks to do, meetings… But they never manage to do all of them. That’s because they’re trying to focus on multiple things simultaneously, which is only making them overwhelmed, stressed out, and feel like they’re not getting anything done.
That’s why he says The One Thing is about doing one thing at a time until you get it done – then move on to the next one. And when you have to do something that’s not part of your top three priorities, skip it completely or delegate it to someone else.
This is an excellent lesson for those of us who have been attempting to multitask and getting overwhelmed. I also highly recommend you check out this post about getting more done by focusing on the top three priorities.
2. You can’t do it all, not even most of it!
Some people think that if they work hard, they’ll eventually get to the point where they can do it all – be there for their family and friends, have fun with them, work out regularly, cook healthy meals every day and still get their work done.
Well, that’s not going to happen! It’s physically impossible – we can’t do it all, and we shouldn’t even try because we’ll only end up frustrated and stressed. I know because I’ve tried and failed… So if you’re like me and you’ve been trying to do too many things at the same time, make sure to read this lesson.
3. This is not a time management problem. It’s a priority problem
When you try to do everything at the same time, you end up doing nothing well. And that’s because when you say yes to too many things, it also means saying no to even more opportunities and tasks in life! So you end up feeling like you don’t have enough time to do anything properly.
This is because instead of prioritizing your top three priorities, you’re trying to focus on everything at once. That’s why it’s not a time management problem – it’s a priority problem!
So how can we solve that? Well, Gary explains that having too many priorities means that you’re trying to do too much, so you need to ask yourself what the most important things are. Then your top three will become your One Thing, and everything else will become secondary stuff – something you should either delegate or maybe not even bother doing at all.
4. You can’t focus on two or more goals at once
In the book, he talks about how when you’re trying to lose weight and focus on your career, at the same time, you end up focused on both of them half-heartedly. So instead, he recommends merging these goals into one thing. So if you want to be fit for a specific event or promotion at work, turn it into something that can motivate you – “I want to be fit by this date so that I feel great and confident at the event.”
This way, you’ll create a powerful, motivating focus and feel full of energy because your goals will support each other. That’s why those seemingly separate things like fitness and career merge into one thing – getting yourself in the best possible shape.
5. You can’t focus on more than one thing at a time!
Gary also talks about how we’re always multitasking and thinking of many things at once on the podcast. This means that we aren’t focused on anything properly, and if we do manage to make some progress on something, it’s only half-hearted.
That’s why having One Thing means focusing on one thing at a time so you can do it to the best of your ability and achieve the best possible results. And when you start living and working like that, everything else will fall into place automatically. And in due time, team members will support each other more. Customers will keep coming back because you can meet all their expectations, etc.
6. Focus on what’s urgent and important
And last but not least, here’s another good lesson from Gary – when there are so many things to do, it might be better for us to focus only on the urgent ones and let everything else wait until later. I like that when you start focusing on what’s truly urgent, it gets a lot easier to say no to things that aren’t.
So next time somebody in your company asks you to take on something new, think whether it’s important and urgent or just interesting. If not, tell them you’re too busy with other stuff, but you’ll get back to them when you can.
As Gary explains: “If they want something, and it’s not urgent, tell them you’ll do it later.”
7. Drop the unimportant stuff
And finally, you probably already know this one – “drop something today and see how everything else becomes easier.” If you’re trying to do too many things at once and it’s stressing you out, you need to stop worrying about those small things that aren’t important. Instead of struggling with everything around you, pick one significant thing and focus on that.
When you’re doing this, all the other tasks will get done without any effort! It doesn’t matter whether it’s an important business project or just getting some things done around the house. So stop worrying about what you don’t have time for and say no to everything else so you can focus on what’s truly important.
8. Set your priorities up properly
When you’re trying to prioritize the work that needs doing, another common mistake is assuming everyone understands why certain things are more urgent than others. But have you noticed how sometimes people still don’t understand even though you explain it clearly?
Well, I know this can be frustrating, and it usually makes you want to drop everything and do whatever is most important. But that’s not always the best idea because if you focus on all of the tasks equally, you’ll get overwhelmed and start doing a mediocre job at everything!
So what should we do instead? First, make sure everyone understands why certain things need to be done first. And second, don’t drop everything else so you can do the higher priority tasks. Instead, delegate them to the right people and get started with higher priority things but be sure to keep track of all open loops so you know who’s doing what and when it needs to get done.
9. Only have three priorities!
And to give you an extra tip here’s a helpful formula that will help you prioritize the right things and not get overwhelmed:
Only have three priorities – your top 3 tasks/goals for the day. If something doesn’t fit in any of them, don’t do it at all! The whole idea behind this is that when you have limited time during the day, you should do a few essential things instead of many.
10. Keep track of everything on your list!
Now, this might sound like a simple tip, but if I’ve learned anything from Gary, it’s that simplicity is king. And what he means by this is that it’s better to do simpler things, even if they might take more time. So how can you do this? First, pick something important and break it down into smaller workable action steps.
Next, prioritize these action steps so each day you’re doing the right amount of them – just enough to keep your project moving forward but not too many that it overwhelms you. And finally, make sure you get all of these action steps done by keeping track of every single thing on your to-do list!
This will keep you from losing things and overloading yourself with unnecessary work. Prioritize properly and keep track of everything on your priority list to avoid slipping through the cracks.
Conclusion: The One Thing by Gary Keller
Gary Keller’s The One Thing is a book about simplifying your life by focusing on one thing at a time. It might sound simple, but it can be challenging to focus on just one thing when you have many obligations and responsibilities.
However, if we want to succeed in our lives or business, this single-mindedness will serve us well. We hope that reading this post has helped you understand how embracing the lessons of The One Thing can help make your goals more attainable.