What’s Your ONE Thing?

Let’s face it. Today’s business world is more difficult than ever.

Now, I’m sure many of you are probably thinking, “what are you talking about? Modern technology has made staying connected easier than ever!”

Allow me to explain.

The daily bombardment of phone calls, texts, emails, status updates, and other messages flying across our screens has really made us more detached and out of focus. We’re constantly being pulled in a thousand different directions. Spreading ourselves too thin.

As a result, our stress levels have risen and our productivity has suffered.

However, there are those who, despite the available distractions, seem to be productive no matter what.

What’s their secret?

In his book, “THE ONE THING”, legendary real estate entrepreneur Gary Keller discusses how the secret to success is to realize that it’s sequential. It requires a series of carefully laid-out steps, like setting up a row of dominoes.

The idea is to focus on the ONE thing that you can do, and by doing ONLY that one thing, it will make everything that follows easier.

Each and every business has so many different components to its operations. It’s impossible – repeat, impossible – to give each and every detail the full attention it deserves.

Instead, you have to drill down to discover that one thing, or that one move, that will make everything else run smoothly. This can mean hiring that key employee. Reshuffling team members. Tweaking your sales funnel.

Fact is, this is the secret to all successful people and companies. They have all taken the time to focus on that first domino, that ONE thing they needed for the rest of the sequence to run efficiently.

With this in mind, here are a few Ptex Practical Pointers to help you determine your one thing:

• The 80/20 rule – The 80/20 rule says that the minority (the “20%”) of your effort leads to the majority of your results (the “80%”). Only a small percentage of your customers account for the majority of your profits. A small percentage of your habits translate into the majority of your success. Take your to-do list, and whittle it down to the 20% that will result in the most benefit. Then whittle it down even further, until you’ve reached the most important thing.

• The Focusing Question – Change can be very confusing. There are so many elements to consider and analyze. When determining your one thing, ask yourself a Focusing Question. This will be your guide throughout the process. For example, ask yourself, “what’s the ONE thing I can do to hit my goals for this year?” A little broad? Yes, but this is the starting point for digging even further.

• Your Full Attention – Once you’ve determined what’s most important at that particular time, give it your full, undivided attention. Often – way too often – we allow ourselves to be pulled away from what we know is important. Just because you hear the ping of a text, or the buzz of an email alert doesn’t mean you have to check it. Just because someone requested a meeting doesn’t mean you have to grant it. Power up your productivity by powering down and focusing.

The key to giving your full attention is time-blocking. Set aside significant chunks of time to really dig deep and arrive at that one thing.

Above all, it’s imperative to take complete ownership of your own outcomes. No one else but you is responsible for what happens. This is critical for overcoming the inevitable hurdles that will be encountered. Accountable people don’t play the blame game. They focus on solutions, achieving results.

Keep in mind that setting up the dominoes takes time. Once the first one falls into place, though, the path to success is that much easier.

Onward and Upward,

Meny Hoffman

P.S. Figured out your ONE thing? Please feel free to share by commenting below.