Gözde Yeşiltaş's Key Ideas from The ONE Thing
by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan

Extraordinary results come from doing fewer things but doing them with more intensity and purpose.

⚡ Concentrate your energy. Focus on fewer things with full dedication for greater impact.

🚀 Set intentional goals. Set your “One Thing” for the long-term.

🚫 Don’t fall into the trap of busy work. Avoid being busy just to feel productive.

❌ Don’t expect immediate results. Understand that big achievements take time.

Prioritize what is most important and learn how to say no to things that aren’t aligned with your one thing.

✅ Create a to-do list based on your priorities. Focus on the “One Thing” that will move you closer to your goal.

💪 Learn to say no. Saying yes to everything dilutes your focus and energy.

🚫 Don’t let distractions pull you off course. Stay focused on what truly matters.

❌ Avoid overcommitting. Saying yes to too many tasks leads to burnout and lack of progress.

Achieving more requires consistently productive actions towards your one thing.

📅 Time block your work. Dedicate specific hours each day to your “One Thing” without interruptions.

🧘‍♀️ Create routines. Consistency and habit lead to productivity.

🚫 Don’t let other people’s priorities override yours. Set boundaries and protect your focus time.

❌ Avoid procrastination. Tackle your “One Thing” first thing in the day.

Success is about aligning your actions, energy, and time around the one thing that truly moves the needle.

📝 Make small daily commitments. Every small step leads to big results over time.

💥 Break down your one thing into actionable steps. Make your goals clear and achievable.

🚫 Don’t get stuck in perfectionism. Progress is better than perfection.

❌ Don’t ignore your health. Balance work with self-care for long-term success.

Success happens when you focus on one thing at a time and build on the momentum of small wins.

🔄 Focus on one thing until it’s done. Don’t switch to another task mid-way.

🏆 Celebrate milestones. Each completed task adds to your success momentum.

🚫 Don’t overwhelm yourself with multiple tasks. Finish one before moving on to the next.

❌ Don’t undervalue the power of consistency. Small actions compound over time.

Balance isn’t about giving equal time to everything but about investing time where it matters most.

⚖️ Balance work with self-care. Make time for family, health, and personal growth.

🧘‍♀️ Align your personal and professional lives. Focus on what supports your “One Thing” both at work and home.

🚫 Don’t let work consume you. Overwork leads to burnout and poor results.

❌ Avoid spreading yourself too thin. Balance is about quality time, not quantity.

Focus is the key to transforming ordinary actions into extraordinary results.

👁️ Avoid distractions. Limit multitasking and focus deeply on one thing.

🔎 Eliminate non-essential tasks. Use the 80/20 rule: Focus on the 20% of tasks that yield 80% of the results.

🚫 Don’t lose sight of your main goal. Constantly refocus when distractions arise.

❌ Avoid trying to do everything at once. Master one thing at a time.

Taking consistent action towards your one thing is the secret to making it happen.

💥 Take decisive action. Break your goals into actionable steps and tackle them consistently.

🚀 Push through inertia. Don’t wait for motivation—build momentum through action.

🚫 Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Action is more important than perfect timing.

❌ Avoid letting fear hold you back. Courage is essential for progress.

The book emphasizes the power of focusing on one priority at a time, rather than multitasking or dividing your energy across several tasks. Keller argues that the key to extraordinary success lies in narrowing your focus to the one thing that will have the most significant impact on your goals.

“What’s the one thing I can do right now that will make everything else easier or unnecessary?”

The idea of the domino effect in productivity is central to Keller’s approach. By identifying the one thing that has the power to make other tasks easier or unnecessary, you can set off a chain reaction that propels you toward success.

Small, consistent actions, when focused on the right priority, can lead to massive results. Think of the first domino you push as the one that makes other obstacles fall easily.

Keller recommends time blocking—dedicating specific blocks of time to your most important task and guarding that time as sacred.

By blocking out uninterrupted time for your most critical tasks, you can ensure that you give your full focus to the right priorities and minimize distractions.

Keller introduces a powerful tool for determining priorities: the focusing question. It is a simple yet profound question:

“What’s the ONE thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

This question forces clarity, guiding you to identify and prioritize what matters most. It challenges you to eliminate non-essential tasks that only serve as distractions.