4 Lessons Learned from Gary Keller’s Book: The One Thing

 4 Lessons Learned from Gary Keller’s Book: The One Thing

1) Lesson Number One:

One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned from this book is the importance of focus. To create a balanced life, you need to decide what’s most important. What do you value? Once you’ve decided what you most value, you must give yourself time to accomplish your goals. Then, you must narrow down your focus and have a clear sense of priority.

2) Lesson Number Two:

According to Gary Keller, you should time block at least four hours per day to work on that specific goal. Use these four hours to work on things that propel you forward: things that you must do for the day to get you to your stated goal. He suggests that you block out time at the very beginning of your day when you have the most energy. Basically, give importance to the most important thing and do the most important thing first.

Personally, I’ve spent many days doing the easiest thing first and postponed the most important thing to the end of the day. At that point, I felt tired or unmotivated and just let the most important thing be scribbled into my day planner for the next day. Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, the main thing to remember is to block out time when you have the most energy to accomplish your top priorities

3) Lesson Number Three:

Another strategy he suggests to stay focused is to say “no” to people, places, and things until you’ve completed your most important thing for the day. It might be tempting to distract yourself with other errands or more enjoyable tasks like going to the coffee shop or catching up with friends. However, once you’ve focused on your one thing for the day, the most important thing, you’ll then be free to attend to whatever else you’ve planned for the day.

4) Lesson Number Four:

We all get distracted: someone calls you, you get a text, or you’ve just received an email notification. So, how should you address these distractions? According to Keller, you should start creating habits. So, after you’ve blocked out 4 hours for your most important thing for the day, do this again tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that for 2 months and 1 week. Once you’ve created this habit, stick with it, so you’re less likely to let distractions get in the way of doing the most important thing.

Don’t let time pass you by…take Keller’s advice and start working on the most important thing for the day and create a habit of blocking out time for completing this task. Over time, things will become easier as you become more seasoned in focusing only on matters of most importance.