The ONE Thing

The One Thing - Gary connects result and approach - From 14 to 7 to 3 to doing the one thing this week - one which makes everything else seem useless - and the results went over the roof. Key to success is not in all the things we do but in the handful of things we do well. I have covered a few key concepts :

The Domino effect - Getting extraordinary result is all about creating that domino in your life. Extraordinary success is sequential not simultaneous. It is done overtime.

Success leave clues - Gary take up the examples from corporate world - Apple, Google, Disney, Intel and their ONE THING One Passion One Skill.
"We are bombarded with more life choices than our ancestors would face in their lifetime."

Part 1
THE LIES -That mislead and derail us.

Gary busts some common myths popular in the business world. Success has its own lies too and here Garry tells about the 6 lies - Everything matters equally, Multitasking, A disciplined life, Willpower is always on will call, A Balanced life, Big is bad. These lies are discussed in detail in chapter wise format. Gary provides some research and analogies to prove the lies.

Everything matters equally-Business rarely takes care of business. To do list to Success list - using Eurian and Pareto’s principle - How handful of mistakes leads to majority of blunders. A small amount of causes cause most of the results. Be it in stock market, business or life.

Multitasking drives towards decreased productivity. Multitasking trains the monkey mind. Multitasking is a myth - jack of all trades but master of non.

A disciplined life- To be disciplined you have to form habits. HARNESS THE SELECTED DISCIPLINE to develop a few significant habits. Doing the most important thing regularly matters the most.

Willpower Is Always on Will Call is a lie - This chapter starts with "Kids and marshmallow test" - ONE TREAT NOW OR TWO LATER - 3/10 managed to delay their gratification till the instructor returned. Willpower was in short supply. Will power has limited battery life but can be renewed. Will power is like fast twitch muscle, it requires rest and fuel. When willpower runs out we revert to our default settings. PRESERVE IT FOR THE THINGS WHICH MATTER MOST, RESPECT YOUR WILLPOWER GIVE IT THE TIME TO DAY IT DESERVES.

A balanced life - A myth and misleading concept. Gary gives evolutionary iteration. Magic never happens in middle but on extremes. Awareness of you matters the most. Go long on what matters most. Question of balance is question of priority.

Counterbalancing analogy - The things we assume cause balance are just act of counterbalancing. Counterbalancing done well gives the illusion of balancing. You cannot leave everything undone and here comes counterbalancing acts. Extraordinary life is counterbalancing life.

Big is Bad - One of the prominent lies big is bad but thinking big guides you to bigger action. Gary gives example of Sabeer Bhatia, JK Rolling and himself and the role of thinking big. Fear mediocrity - not big ideas and bold thoughts. Being appropriate in the moments of your life matters the most.

Part 2

THE TRUTH -The simple path to productivity.

The focusing question - It is easy to carry and watch one basket. Break your big task into small manageable task. Ask one question - the focusing question - that uncommon approach - WHATS THE ONE THING I CAN DO SO THAT EVERYTHING ELSE WOULD BE EASIER OR UNNECESSARY? It takes you to first domino. Map for big picture and compass for the next turn you need.

THE SUCCESS HABIT - Hard to break and hard to create. What is the one thing I can do to achieve my goals - be it your job, relationships, spirituality, personal life, finances- everything can be done by asking that question- WHAT IS THE ONE THING?

Path to great answers is simple just ask great questions, big and specific. Gary gives small big specific broad divided into 4 quadrants. The research and experience of others is the best place to look for your answers and to get extraordinary results Gary takes up 3 P approach - Purpose, priority and productivity. He uses iceberg analogy to explain the approach in detail.

Part 3

EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS - Unlocking the possibilities within you.

Live with purpose - Life isn't about finding but CREATING yourself. Three ghost stories describing present, past and future. Purpose- where we are hoping and what is important to us. Purpose describes who we are. Purpose and happiness goes hand in hand. Gary uses "Beggars bowl story" to explain the vanity of desires. Happiness happens on the way of fulfillment.

Live by priority - What you do to get that purpose. Purpose without priority is priceless. How to connect one goal to next- think big and do small ONE THING today, to all tomorrows. Goal setting to the now glides you through. Writing down your goals and priority.

Live for productivity - Gary suggests time management idea by using Time Blocking technique - What has to be done gets done in that time - eventually it becomes habit. Productive action transforms life. Disproportionate time to the ONE THING. TIME BLOCK YOUR TIME OFF (rest is as important as working), TIME BLOCK YOUR ONE THING and TIME BLOCK YOUR PLANNING TIME. Break the next domino and protect your time block.

The Three Commitments - Follow the path of Mastery - Block the time and practice regularly, Moving from E to P i.e. Entrepreneurial to Perfection - A ceiling and resignation may come but be prepared and purposeful.
Live the accountability cycle - Take ownership of failures and accept the things as they are. 

The four thieves of productivity - Inability to say no, fear of chaos- get used to it, poor health habits and the environment that doesn't support your goals. Each of the thieves are discussed and the remedy is provided by author.
"To get what you want first give up what you don't." Eg Steve jobs saying no to 390 products to work on top 10 best ones.
"If a cluttered desk resembles cluttered mind what does an empty desk does."
"Body is the place where you live. Take care of it."
"Surround yourself with the people who are going to lift you higher."

Gary uses a lot of data and figures, stories and analogies to establish the concepts given in each chapter. The ONE THING works in every sphere of life as Gary illustrates. It gets a bit repetitive at some instances and hence ought to be read slowly to let those concepts sink in. Overall a good read for all who aspires for extraordinary results using practical ways.

Concepts - Time block, The focusing question, domino effect, six lies, four thieves and three commitments