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The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results Hardcover – April 1, 2013
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What's your ONE thing?
People are using this simple, powerful concept to focus on what matters most in their personal and work lives. Companies are helping their employees be more productive with study groups, training, and coaching. Sales teams are boosting sales. Churches are conducting classes and recommending for their members.
By focusing their energy on one thing at a time people are living more rewarding lives by building their careers, strengthening their finances, losing weight and getting in shape, deepening their faith, and nurturing stronger marriages and personal relationships.
YOU WANT LESS. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what's the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller paychecks, fewer promotions--and lots of stress.
AND YOU WANT MORE. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends.
NOW YOU CAN HAVE BOTH ― LESS AND MORE. In The ONE Thing, you'll learn to:
- cut through the clutter
- achieve better results in less time
- build momentum toward your goal
- dial down the stress
- overcome that overwhelmed feeling
- revive your energy
- stay on track
- master what matters to you
The book has:
- Made on more than 575 appearances on national bestseller lists
- Been #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, New York Times bestseller, and USA Today bestseller
- Been translated into 40 languages
- Won 12 book awards
- Voted Top 100 Business Book of All Time on Goodreads
The ONE Thing delivers extraordinary results in every area of your life--work, personal, family, and spiritual. WHAT'S YOUR ONE THING?
- Print length240 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBard Press
- Publication dateApril 1, 2013
- Dimensions6.03 x 0.8 x 8.54 inches
- ISBN-109781885167774
- ISBN-13978-1885167774
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Encouraging bones of advice worth gnawing on, but absent substantial meat to sink your teeth into.” ― Kirkus Reviews
“It kind of hit home for me […] that when you wake up in the morning, you put your focus on this one thing of what you want to accomplish during the day, which seems like a no-brainer.” ― Maria Sharapova, World #1 Womens Tennis Association
“The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan is an easy to read but profound book that helped me to focus on keeping the main thing the main thing in all areas of my life.” ― Brandon Turner, Author and Podcast Co-Host
About the Author
Gary Keller is executive chairman of both kwx, a holding company that represents the collection of all Keller Williams affiliates and subsidiaries, and of Keller Williams Realty, Inc. Several of his books have been bestsellers, and held positions on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal lists. Collectively his titles have sold more than 5.4 million copies worldwide.
Before Jay Papasan co-authored the bestselling Millionaire Real Estate series with Gary Keller, he worked as an editor at Harper Collins Publishers. There he worked on such best-selling books as Body-for-Life by Bill Phillips and Go for the Goal by Mia Hamm. Jay is a keynote speaker, and co-owns a successful real estate team affiliated with Keller Williams Realty with his wife Wendy in Austin, TX.
Product details
- ASIN : 1885167776
- Publisher : Bard Press; First Edition (April 1, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9781885167774
- ISBN-13 : 978-1885167774
- Item Weight : 1.08 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.03 x 0.8 x 8.54 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11 in Time Management (Books)
- #103 in Personal Transformation Self-Help
- #106 in Success Self-Help
- Customer Reviews:
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About the authors
Gary Keller is executive chairman of both kwx, a holding company that represents the collection of all Keller Williams affiliates and subsidiaries, and of Keller Williams Realty. Several of his books have been bestsellers and held positions on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal lists. Collectively, his titles have sold more than 5.4 million copies worldwide.
Jay Papasan [Pap-uh-zan] is a bestselling author who serves as the Vice President of Strategic Content for Keller Williams Realty International, the world’s largest real estate company. He is also Vice President of KellerINK and Co-Owner, alongside his wife Wendy, of Papasan Properties Group with Keller Williams Realty in Austin, Texas.
Jay was born and raised in Memphis, TN. After attending the University of Memphis, he spent several years working in Paris. He later graduated from New York University’s graduate writing program and began his publishing career at HarperCollins Publishers. There, he helped piece together bestselling books such as Body-for-Life by Bill Phillips and Go for the Goal by Mia Hamm.
After moving to Austin, Jay joined Keller Williams Realty International, and in 2003 he co-authored The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, a million-copy bestseller, alongside Gary Keller and Dave Jenks.
His most recent work with Gary Keller on The ONE Thing has sold nearly 2.5 million copies worldwide and garnered more than 500 appearances on national bestseller lists, including #1 on The Wall Street Journal’s hardcover business list. It has been translated into 41 different languages.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read and understand. It provides actionable insights and practical strategies that help them stay focused on one thing. They find it useful for achieving greater success and reducing stress through simplifying their lives. The book helps readers identify daily distractions and refocus priorities.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book concise and practical. They appreciate its well-researched and well-written content, with excellent examples that make the author's points clear. Readers also enjoy the use of acronyms like E.P.
"...a large library of books over the years is because books are a great go-to resource...." Read more
"...Overall, “The ONE Thing” is an insightful and practical book that encourages readers to prioritize their efforts and focus on what truly matters to..." Read more
"...I enjoyed reading the book and strongly agree with most of what the author proposes. You can use the framework “as-is” or adapt it to suit your needs" Read more
"...The authors use a domino metaphor and illustrate quite well that from research proven in 1983 that a smaller domino is capable of knocking down a..." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and practical. It helps them prioritize tasks and avoid multitasking. They say it helps them overcome multitasking and do one thing at a time, which is more successful. The book provides actionable insights and practical strategies to help readers understand better. Readers praise the book as well-researched and well-written.
"...just read a powerful book, The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan...." Read more
"...Overall, “The ONE Thing” is an insightful and practical book that encourages readers to prioritize their efforts and focus on what truly matters to..." Read more
"...This is the useful part - and it is actually very useful. So I changed my rating...." Read more
"...Growth-minded students, as she calls them, employ better learning strategies, experience less helplessness, exhibit more positive effort, and..." Read more
Customers find the book useful for improving productivity and efficiency. They say it simplifies their lives, helps them achieve greater success, and reduces stress. The principles of prioritization, doing work they love, and taking complete action are mentioned. Readers appreciate the practical way of working that can be easily applied. It helps them narrow down daily tasks and figure out what they need for focus.
"...I’ve just read a powerful book, The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan...." Read more
"...The central premise of the book is the idea that by concentrating on one single task—the most important one—you can achieve more significant results..." Read more
"...better learning strategies, experience less helplessness, exhibit more positive effort, and achieve more in the classroom than their fixed-minded..." Read more
"...on the most important goal, you can simplify your life, achieve greater success, and reduce stress...." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for focusing on one thing. They appreciate the practical advice and system for executing proven, simple strategies. The book provides a clear orientation and mindset to guide you in the right direction.
"...for overcoming distractions, building productive habits, and maintaining focus...." Read more
"...opened me up to better understanding and the importance of focusing on the most important thing...." Read more
"...It really does work if you can commit to identify, focus and then implement what you need to to get that "One Thing" completed." Read more
"...This is a great time of year (New Year) to get started on planning the rest of your life. Be inspired...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's simplicity. They find it easy to incorporate the One Thing into their lives and achieve greater success. The book whittles everything down to the essentials and forces you to think big and create a list.
"...The book’s clear, concise writing and actionable steps make it an accessible and valuable read for anyone looking to boost their productivity and..." Read more
"...from big picture to small detail it feels easy to remember and to adopt straight away. For me, it's very reminiscent of the Toyota way of asking Why?..." Read more
"...The writing is accessible, the explanations are clear, and the book is well organized - we can tell that Keller has extensive teaching, coaching..." Read more
"...Reading this very accessible book will ensure the message is internalized. And you will be very pleased you did...." Read more
Customers find the book helpful for refocusing their priorities. They say it helps them identify daily distractions and organize their day better. The book helps narrow down their chaotic world by determining what will help them achieve their goals.
"...They provide practical strategies for overcoming distractions, building productive habits, and maintaining focus...." Read more
"...it is well researched and well written and makes a unique contribution to a crowded field...." Read more
"...This book reveals how prioritizing one crucial task can lead to extraordinary results...." Read more
"...aided in my retention of important concepts like the victim vs author on accountability in life, the "Entrepreneurial" vs "Purposeful" comparison,..." Read more
Customers find the book provides practical advice and strategies to help them focus. They appreciate the clear strategies and tactics, as well as the habit of thinking and acting in order of priority. The book teaches how to manage time effectively and create movement.
"...The book’s clear, concise writing and actionable steps make it an accessible and valuable read for anyone looking to boost their productivity and..." Read more
"...this book, I am developing the habit of thinking and acting in order of priority...." Read more
"...This book presented me with the Mother of All Questions and teaches how to create movement. This book has come at the appropriate time in my life...." Read more
"...--that we sharpen our focus (our intent and direction) and take more purposeful action...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's pacing. Some find it engaging and compelling, with interesting exercises like Goal Setting to the Now. Others feel the content is repetitive and lacks substance.
"...It covers a lot of really basic things, and gets a little repetitive sometimes. For example: X was famous. X's story is blah blah blah...." Read more
"...on focus, several of which the authors quote, but this is the most compelling and practical discussion of the topic that I have seen...." Read more
"...Upon a closer examination, the book is sorely disappointing. The author tries to fit everything in the context of "The One Thing"...." Read more
"...I also like his focus on free time and family...." Read more
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This book can help you evolve into the fully optimized person you are meant to become!!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2016Never done this before! Right there—on page 117—was a stunner-of-a-statement that went immediately from the book to my brain, to my laptop, to my printer, and now it’s big and bold on my office door:
"Until my ONE Thing is done—everything everything else is a distraction."
I’ve just read a powerful book, The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan. This bestseller will certainly be on my Top-10 book list for 2016, and is already a contender for my 2016 book-of-the-year.
But first—an apology. The ONE Thing waited patiently on my overflowing “books-to-read” shelves for three years. Then recently, it popped back onto The Wall Street Journal business bestsellers list. (OK. OK. I’ll read it!) But I apologize because you (and I) could have been much more productive over these last three years. So sorry—but better late than never.
Gary Keller, chairman of the board and cofounder of Keller Williams Realty, Inc., the largest real estate company in the U.S., has seen his share of failures and successes—and that’s how he discovered The ONE Thing.
He writes, “Where I’d had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing, and where my success varied, my focus had too.” Here’s Keller’s big idea:
"What's the ONE Thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?"
Read his chapter titles and you’re hooked. The first section highlights six lies that mislead and derail us:
• Lie #1: Everything Matters Equally
• Lie #2: Multitasking
• Lie #3: A Disciplined Life
• Lie #4: Willpower Is Always on Will-Call
• Lie #5: A Balanced Life
• Lie #6: Big Is Bad
The second section addresses the focusing question, the success habit (66 days), and the path to great answers. The final section motivates with unusual clarity on the four thieves of productivity:
• Thief #1: Inability to Say “No”
• Thief #2: Fear of Chaos
• Thief #3: Poor Health Habits
• Thief #4: Environment Doesn’t Support Your Goals
Well…I promised you 10 tweetable quotations. (I know—somewhat ironic that I have over 20 quotations in a book review about The ONE Thing.) On a short plane ride, I winnowed hundreds of PowerPoint-worthy insights down to just 35—just before I landed. I’ve given you three already—and here are 20 more (but who’s counting?). Tweet your 10 favorite!
On rabbits, to-do lists, and irrelevancy:
• "If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one." (Russian proverb)
• "Instead of a to-do list, you need a success list—a list that is purposefully created around extraordinary results."
• "...it turns out that high multitaskers are suckers for irrelevancy."
On a “balanced life” and productivity:
• "A 'balanced life' is a myth—a misleading concept most accept as a worthy and attainable goal without ever stopping to truly consider it."
• "'Don't put all your eggs in one basket is all wrong.' I tell you ‘put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.'" (Dale Carnegie)
• "Productivity isn’t about being a workhorse, keeping busy or burning the midnight oil. ... It's more about priorities, planning, and fiercely protecting your time." (Margarita Tartakovsky)
On goal-setting, accountability, and coaching:
• "Accountable people receive results only others dream of."
• "When Arthur Guinness set up his first brewery, he signed a 9,000-year lease."
• "Earlier I discussed Dr. Gail Matthew's research that individuals with written goals were 39.5 percent more likely to succeed. But there's more to the story. Individuals who wrote their goals and sent progress reports to friends were 76.7 percent more likely to achieve them."
• “Ericsson’s research on expert performance confirms the same relationship between elite performance and coaching. He observed that ‘the single most important difference between these amateurs and the three groups of elite performers is that the future elite performers seek out teachers and coaches and engage in supervised training, whereas the amateurs rarely engage in similar types of practice.’”
On saying no:
• “Someone once told me that one ‘yes’ must be defended over time by 1,000 no’s.”
• In the two years after Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, “he took the company from 350 products to ten. That’s 340 no’s, not counting anything else proposed during that period.”
On time-blocking and buckets to focus on The ONE Thing:
• "Build a bunker. Turn off your phone, shut down your email, and exit your Internet browser. Your most important work deserves 100 percent of your attention."
• "My recommendation is to block four hours a day. This isn't a typo. I repeat: four hours a day. Honestly, that’s the minimum. If you can do more, then do it."
• "If your time-blocking were on trial, would your calendar contain enough evidence to convict you?"
• "The people who achieve extraordinary results don't achieve them by working more hours. They achieve them by getting more done in the hours they work."
• "Paul Graham's 2009 essay, 'Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule,' underscores the need for large time blocks."
• "Graham divides all work into two buckets: maker (do or create) and manager (oversee or direct)."
•"To experience extraordinary results, be a maker in the morning and a manager in the afternoon. Your goal is 'ONE and done.’ But if you don't block each day to do your ONE Thing, your ONE Thing won't become a done thing."
On books:
"One of the reasons I've amassed a large library of books over the years is because books are a great go-to resource. Short of having a conversation with someone who has accomplished what you hope to achieve, in my experience books and published works offer the most in terms of documented research and role models for success."
Warning!
Keller: “After my wife, Mary, read this book, I asked her to do something. She turned to me and you know what she said? ‘Gary, that’s not my ONE Thing right now!’ We laughed, high-fived, and I got to do it myself!”
Ready, set, TWEET!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2024The ONE Thing” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan is a transformative guide to achieving extraordinary results through focused effort and prioritization. The central premise of the book is the idea that by concentrating on one single task—the most important one—you can achieve more significant results than by spreading your effort across multiple tasks.
The authors emphasize the power of simplicity and the importance of identifying the one thing that will make everything else easier or unnecessary. They provide practical strategies for overcoming distractions, building productive habits, and maintaining focus.
Through a combination of research, anecdotes, and practical advice, Keller and Papasan guide readers on how to apply this principle in various aspects of life, including work, personal goals, and relationships. The book’s clear, concise writing and actionable steps make it an accessible and valuable read for anyone looking to boost their productivity and achieve their goals.
Overall, “The ONE Thing” is an insightful and practical book that encourages readers to prioritize their efforts and focus on what truly matters to achieve extraordinary results.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016This REVIEW HAS BEEN UPDATED. I'm leaving my original review because it was truth for me. The book made me very angry on first reading (hearing - I used the audio addition). If you look in the comments you can see that:
1st) one of the authors responded to my 1 star review
2nd) I responded to him a number of times and while doing that I realized that I had come to the book with very high expectations and these were disappointed. But I respected the fact that the author got back to me so I decided to give the book another try - but this time I did not relisten to the part that lit my hair on fire. Instead I listened to the last third of the book again. This is the useful part - and it is actually very useful. So I changed my rating. It would be a better book if there was less of the eye roll inducing introduction of the concepts and more of the "how to." I hope the book will be edited to be less of a drag and more of a tool. (More on the eye rolls in my response comment.)
Here's my original review - it came with 1 star
___________________________________________________
Amazon sells this as a business book which is appropriate. But I kept seeing quotes from the book in places where I go for help organizing and prioritizing all aspects of my home, work and personal life. The quotes looked good and I kept reading that the book taught a great method that could be used in all those areas of life. Well don’t you believe it!
Do not buy this book if you are a mom, or even a pet owner. Do not buy this book unless you have someone else to clean your home, do your laundry, shop for food, prepare your meals, or even answer the damned phone. In other words, do not buy this book, unless you have a um... unit. Well you can buy it, but certainly don’t *read* it because it will make you mad as hell. All of those things I listed above are ignored as parts of real life.
This book is about how to set priorities in your business life and NOTHING else. Nothing. That’s the one thing. That’s it.
One of the things I did before buying the book was purchase one of those little book summaries that people have begun publishing for kindle and I listened to the audio of it. That was a much better purchase. It got the idea across in a few minutes – and it’s not actually a new idea: Find the gating task and focus on that. Do the most important thing first.
There, I saved you $15 or whatever and some high blood pressure medication.
(I realize that what I've said here is sexist... My husband does the shopping and cooks, but he would also be totally fine with no housework ever getting done and wading through dirty underwear and accidental dog puddles to go to work and focus on "one thing" all day so... Look, this book really pissed me off, ok!?!)
Top reviews from other countries
- Abhishek DwivediReviewed in Canada on April 20, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Expected
Raise your expectations and read this book. You still won’t be disappointed. This is a fast read despite its depth because it’s interesting, useful and very well written.
-
LuisReviewed in Mexico on April 17, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente Libro
Me gusto que es un libro que de una manera sencilla te ayuda a enfocarte en tus prioridades
- Dr. NikhilReviewed in India on November 13, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book
It's a must read. It offers a great perspective compared to what we routinely hear. It's very different than other motivational books but totally worth it.
-
GloryReviewed in Spain on August 15, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro interesante, para mantener tu capacidad de comprensión del inglés.
Libro entretenido y agradable a la vez que te ayuda a mantener lo aprendido del idioma de inglés.
- Hayat EssakkatiReviewed in the Netherlands on August 4, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Motivating!
Amazing book! I read it in one go - focused on one thing ;)