Kick-starting Productivity with The One Thing

I subscribe to a few productivity blogs and one of them (don't ask me which one) recommended a book called The One Thing. It sounded interesting so I requested the book through the local public library (of course). When the book came in, I picked it up and couldn't put it down. I finished it in 4 hours and was inspired.

The author, Gary Keller, makes the telling point that we have become a culture that values "multi-tasking", a word that is actually an oxymoron. You can't concentrate on two things at once. Seriously. If you're concentrating on writing an email, you can't talk to your mother on the phone at the same time. One of the tasks will suffer. Plus, your mother will quickly figure out what you're doing.

The idea of multi-tasking originally came from computers - they worked so quickly and did so many things seemingly at once. But what computers actually do is shift rapidly between different tasks. Which is what we do as well. We shift attention between the email and Mom rapidly... but really, neither one is accomplished in a satisfying way. Keller says we would be far better to focus on one task.

His second point that stuck with me is this. We talk about prioritizing tasks... we have high priority tasks and low priority tasks. But the actual origins of the word "priority" mean "one thing". You can't have five top priorities. According to the definition of the word, you can only have one priority. Keller suggests that rather than juggling various tasks... we should step back and ask the question.

What is my 5-year goal for work/life/family/home (or whatever)?

He also encourages us to think big (or go home). So... let's say my 5 year goal for Wealth is Financial Independence. That's a big goal. Alright, so now for the next step. Knowing that my 5 year goal is Financial Independence...

What's the One Thing I can do THIS YEAR, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

Alright - so I need something concrete. I named my One Thing for this year as earning $5000 - (which is a big jump for a stay-at-home writer who hasn't published her book yet). But... as fate would have it, the non-profit that I previously worked for contacted me in mid-May and asked if I would do some contract work for them (database management & donor relations). Excellent.

So, the next step, having identified what I can do this year is...

What's the One Thing I can do THIS MONTH month, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

I figured the one thing I could do for June was to hammer out a contract and earn $500. And then you break that down even farther...

What's the One Thing I can do THIS WEEK, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

What's the One Thing I can do TODAY, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

Right down to...

What's the One Thing I can do RIGHT NOW, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

It's working. I nailed down a contract with the non-profit. I got set up with their online donor-management system. I crammed 15 hours of work into two days (we were away for a few days this past week). And... rather to my surprise... I find myself on-track to earn $1500+ in the month of June, well above my goal. There is also the possibility of doing some other work with the non-profit. On top of that, the local university has advertised a part-time instructor position for the winter semester that would be right up my alley. Hmmm... I may have to take my big Wealth "goal" for 2015 (earn $5000) and revise that upwards!

Finally... the third point that the author made was to set aside a block of 4 hours a day (he recommends the morning) to work on your One Thing. So at work, figure out what your One Thing is... and focus on that for four hours a day. Without interruptions. Turn off your email. Send your calls to voicemail. Put a sign on your closed door. And see what happens to your productivity.

I've tried a lot of productivity hacks and apps... this one is working for me. It gives me focus and intention. I have a goal. I have a direction. Now it's easy... just do it.

Oh, and I did the same thing for my manuscript... my goal for 2015 is to send the completed manuscript to 10 publishers. That really gives me a push in the behind!