The ONE Thing

You can only do one thing at a time.  First ask yourself “What one thing could I do that when accomplished, will make everything else easier or unnecessary?”  Once that one thing is accomplished, ask yourself the question again and repeat the process. 

Our lives are full of priorities.  In its plural form, it’s almost a word that shouldn’t exist.  Yes, we have things that rank with more or less relative importance, but contrary to common misconceptions humans cannot multitask.  Our brains are only capable of giving cognitive attention to one task at a time.  Less than 100% dedicated focus is less than 100% efficient.  That means longer execution time and perhaps a lesser result in the end. 

In this book, Gary Keller and Jay Papasan challenge the modern practice of filling our plates with a multitude of to do’s and leveraging gadgets and apps to combine tasks, thinking that busy = valuable.  Peter Drucker is quoted with stating “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”  The ONE Thing practically unpacks how this can be practically applied to your daily work.  It’s about freeing your conscience and rightfully saying “no” to everything lower in impact so that you can actually achieve the most effective results in the shortest amount of time. 

This is a highly recommended read for anyone who routinely finds themselves juggling multiple priorities and less than fully satisfied with the results.