The book “The One Thing” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan is a guide to achieving extraordinary results by focusing on one thing at a time. Here are seven key points from the book and seven inspirational quotes.
1. The ONE Thing is the best approach to getting what you want. Success is a result of narrowing your concentration to one thing. You need to go small and ignore everything else that doesn’t matter.
> “Be like a postage stamp — stick to one thing until you get there.” — Josh Billings
2. The Domino Effect is the power of sequential action. By doing one thing, you can set off a chain reaction of events that lead to your ultimate goal. You need to find your first domino and keep pushing until you reach the last one.
> “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
3. Success Leaves Clues is the principle of learning from others who have achieved what you want. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel or figure out everything by yourself. You can follow the models and systems that have proven to work for others.
> “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” — Isaac Newton
4. Everything Matters Equally is a lie that leads to inefficiency and distraction. Not all tasks and activities have the same impact on your results. You need to prioritize your actions based on the 80/20 rule: 20% of your efforts produce 80% of your outcomes.
> “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” — Stephen Covey
5. Multitasking is a lie that reduces your productivity and quality of work. When you try to do two or more things at once, you end up doing none of them well. You need to focus on one thing at a time and give it your full attention.
> “You can do two things at once, but you can’t focus effectively on two things at once.” — Gary Keller
6. A Disciplined Life is a result of habit, not willpower. Willpower is a finite resource that depletes throughout the day. You can’t rely on it to achieve your goals. You need to develop habits that make doing the right thing automatic and effortless.
> “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle
7. A Balanced Life is a myth that leads to frustration and guilt. You can’t have it all or do it all at the same time. You need to counterbalance your life by giving more attention to the areas that matter most at any given time.
> “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” — Oprah Winfrey
I’ve always wanted to read the book, but it’s one of those books that is on my bookshelf but never in my hands. So before diving into the book, I wanted to see if it was actually worth my time. Asking Bing to summarize the book into 7 key points was a teaser for me to see if I would be interested in reading further. So far the summary has done a great job. Maybe I’ll get myself to read the book…one day.
