Have you ever ended a busy day feeling like you got nothing important done? I know I have. Long to-do lists, constant notifications, and endless responsibilities can leave us exhausted but still wondering if we actually made progress.
I recently read a book called The One Thing by Gary Keller. My 75 Hard program has me reading at least 10 pages every day of a non-fiction book which has been very good for me to prioritize reading the many books I’ve purchased. I love to read but making the time has eluded me until I began this new practice. I plan to keep going with it after 75 days is over.
The book has helped me become more productive and I want to share the key takeaways with you here. However, I highly encourage you to read the book for yourself.
What Is The One Thing?
Core idea:
Ask yourself, “What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
- Success comes from narrowing your efforts to the one thing that matters most right now.
- Keller says that extraordinary success is sequential, not simultaneous—it’s about doing the right thing, not everything.
- The power of narrowing focus to the most important task at any given time.
Why It Matters
Multitasking is a myth—switching tasks drains energy and focus. I used to think of myself as a multitasking pro. My work required it and I excelled at it, or so I thought. Since my autoimmune condition appeared on the scene, my brain is no longer able to multitask in the way I used to. My neurologist told me, I would be better off by focusing on one thing at a time. In the book, Keller says, diluted focus = diluted results. Instead, focusing on your One Thing gives you momentum, energy, and tangible progress. I have found this to be true in my life!
How to Find Your One Thing
Ask yourself the focusing question: “What’s the ONE Thing I can do today for [insert goal]?”
Break it down by life categories: work, health, faith, relationships, personal growth.
Real-Life Application
Last year I wrote my book, Faithful Autoimmune Remission which is my memoir from disease onset to remission. Writing it was only the first step of many and I needed to self-edit before sending to my beta readers. It’s been on my to-do list for a long time but has gotten crowded out by other things vying for my attention or that sounded like more fun to me. What made the difference for me to finish it last week, was focus. I decided that for 30 days, it would be my priority – in other words, my One Thing. I blocked time for it every day and created a schedule to track my progress to complete in the allotted 30 days. Blocking time required me to say no to other things because, let’s face it, we can’t do it all.
As I progressed through the 30-days, I made progress that made me happy and fueled my passion to continue and see the project through to completion and publication. I had renewed enthusiasm which also led to greater focus!
Another Example
Another area of One Thing focus for me is physical. As I mentioned, I’m well over halfway through 75 Hard. Two workouts per day, seven days/week leaves me tired and sore. Since I have no intention of breaking the program, and also don’t want to injure myself, I began making yoga stretching a priority at night. Before bed, 30 minutes or so of full body stretching allows my body to recover and feels so good. I intend to continue this practice as well.
It’s not always easy but even small wins build confidence and momentum.
Call to Action
As Keller says in the book, extraordinary results are built on a foundation of focusing on the right thing.
Challenge: What’s YOUR One Thing today? You can apply this question to any area of your life:
- Work: What’s the one task that will move your project forward?
- Health: What’s the one thing I can do today to feel stronger or healthier?
- Faith: What’s the one step I can take to grow closer to God today?
- Relationships: What’s one way I can show love to someone in my life?
Sometimes the One Thing is obvious. Other times, it takes quiet reflection to identify it. But the habit of asking — and answering — this question sharpens our focus like nothing else.
In love and health,
Terri
