The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results

“Find the lead domino, and whack away at it until it falls.”

Another of Keller’s key points is the idea that success is built incrementally and cumulatively through many small decisions. He likens this to a series of dominoes knocking down many pieces—even larger and larger pieces—in succession. This symbolizes what readers can achieve through focused actions aligned with their purpose: By maintaining focus across actions and time, they can make a great impact. 

“The ONE Thing sits at the heart of success and is the starting point for achieving extraordinary results.”

It is no surprise that Keller titles his book The ONE Thing because the ONE Thing is its leading concept. No matter how much work you accomplish, if your actions are not aligned with your purpose, then success will elude you. However, constantly returning to the most important thing you can do right now (or this week, this year, in the next five years, etc.) is a recipe for success. 

“Achievers always work from a clear sense of priority.”

Setting priorities effectively is absolutely essential. Keller explains that simply doing as much as possible does not equal real productivity. Instead, you must concentrate on doing the right things at the right time to work toward your purpose. Only by setting priorities in this way can you achieve real success. 

“The majority of what you want will come from the minority of what you do.”

Keller believes in the so-called 80/20 Principle, which states that 80% of results will come from 20% of your effort. Keller notes that the actual ratio may vary (e.g., 70/30 or 85/15). Regardless, the fundamental point remains: Only a few actions underpin the greatest results. This means that you must concentrate on choosing those tasks or actions that will comprise the minority in order to maximize the results of the majority. 

“Doing the most important thing is always the most important thing.”

Keller puts little stock in traditional markers of productivity such as multitasking. Instead, he urges readers to be more selective and focused in setting priorities. Individuals should not start from questions about how much they should get done. Instead, he recommends they begin by searching for the most important thing they can do to best advance toward their goals and make other tasks easier or unnecessary (a technique that he elsewhere calls the Focusing Question). 

“Why should we ever tolerate multitasking when we’re doing our most important work?”

Society and businesses often celebrate multitasking as a sign of great productivity and potential. Keller critiques this idea, citing research that shows people have limited ability to multitask and instead wind up rapidly switching between multiple tasks, which can cause them to lose focus and energy. Given the importance Keller places on prioritizing, he insists it is a better use of your time to focus on the highest priority in the moment rather than try to accomplish more than one thing at a time. 

“Success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.”

Keller admits that failures sometimes happen; when they do, he encourages people to return to thinking about their goals to make sure the tasks they are concentrating on align with their purpose. While mistakes might still happen, getting in the habit of continually thinking about purpose helps people realign when needed. In his critique of multitasking, Keller assures readers that this habit is a much more effective way of achieving success than simply trying to accomplish as much as possible. 

“You make doing what matters most a priority when your willpower is its highest.”

Making the best use of time means recognizing when energy levels are high and reserving that time for work related to your ONE Thing. Keller recommends that readers reserve time in the morning for focusing on their ONE Thing since that is typically when individuals are at their peak. Other tasks that need doing but have a lower priority can wait for later. Consistently setting aside time for the most important tasks enables you to most effectively work toward your purpose. 

“When you act on your priority, you’ll automatically go out of balance, giving more time to one thing over another.”

Keller critiques the concept of work-life balance as another widely accepted myth. He believes that seeking balance essentially means preserving the status quo rather than working to push yourself to excel and grow. He advises that readers instead become comfortable with being out of balance so that they can give different tasks more attention when required, ultimately ensuring that all things get the attention they deserve while also setting themselves on the path to success. 

“No one knows their ultimate ceiling for achievement, so worrying about it it’s a waste of time.”

Worrying about plateauing can be a very real fear, Keller acknowledges. Some people will preemptively limit their goals not only because they seem too far out of reach but also because they worry about being unable to top an achievement. Keller advises readers not to sell themselves short and to believe that they can always improve, achieve more, and realize their purpose more fully. 

“The quality of any answer is directly determined by the quality of the question.”

It is tempting to want to spring into action in order to work toward goals. However, Keller advises readers to do serious reflection and careful contemplation beforehand. Clearly thinking through the Focusing Question in order to identify priorities is the best way to ensure that the results—the “answer(s)” defining what you should focus on—are as effective as possible.  

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

This passage is the most direct statement of one of Keller’s key concepts: the Focusing Question. Keller divides the question into three parts to help readers understand the idea’s key components. First he prompts them to reflect on their purpose by identifying their ONE Thing. Then he prompts them to think about priorities by considering if accomplishing that task will most effectively advance them toward their goals. 

“Extraordinary results require a Great Answer.”

The Focusing Question is a heuristic to help readers identify the tasks and goals that will move them toward their purpose. This effort does not stop at identifying the question, however. Readers must develop a Great Answer—a way of working that will move them toward their priorities in an extraordinary way. In this way, the Focusing Question can help pinpoint goals and habits that will push individuals to grow and excel. 

“Who we are and where we want to go determine what we do and what we accomplish.”

Throughout The ONE Thing, Keller makes clear that he views purpose in a holistic sense—as encompassing the entire person, not simply their professional goals. He stresses the need to reflect on personal purpose (“[w]ho we are”) and goals (“where we want to go”) in all realms of life, including business, family, spirituality, health, and more. Clearly and consistently reflecting in this way is the tool that leads to success, which is not just a matter of wealth or professional advancement. 

“Sticking with something long enough for success to show up is a fundamental requirement for achieving extra-ordinary results.”

Keller implies that get-rich-quick approaches to business are not sustainable and are unlikely to truly align with purpose. He instead values commitment and persistence alongside thinking in the long term as well as the short term. For this reason, he recommends that readers think about their goals in terms of time frames ranging all the way from today and this week up to five years and the distant future. It’s also notable that Keller hyphenates “extra-ordinary” as he does (something he does not do throughout the text): The punctuation emphasizes the need to push boundaries and think outside the box in order to achieve “extraordinary” results.

“Purpose without priority is powerless.”

The key elements of Keller’s approach are purpose and priority, but they are interdependent. Keller thinks that too often people focus on actions (priorities) and doing as much as possible to be productive, all while lacking a real sense of purpose; thus, their work is ineffective. Alternatively, some people have a good grasp of their purpose but are unable to effectively set priorities and achievable goals. Readers must sharply define both purpose and priorities to be truly successful. 

“In the end, putting together a life of extraordinary results simply comes down to getting the most out of what you do, when what you do matters.”

The ONE Thing encourages thinking in terms of what must be done, not what can be done. This distinction is the heart of how Keller thinks about priorities. To achieve success, you must think carefully and constantly about what you should be doing to make progress and achieve your purpose. Grasping the right thing to do at the right moment (“when what you do matters”) is the recipe for success. 

“If disproportionate results come from one activity, then you must give that one activity disproportionate time.”

Keller critiques widely accepted ideas in the world of business, including work-life balance. His alternative model of counterbalancing suggests that we should be comfortable with aspects of work or life being out of balance on a temporary and conscious basis. When we realize the impactfulness of a certain task or activity, we should devote more attention to that activity even if it means making other activities a lower priority. If we constantly think about priorities and purpose, it will eventually become clear when it is time to counterbalance and shift priorities to something else. 

“Be a maker in the morning and a manager in the afternoon.”

The ONE Thing offers many practical points of advice, including Keller’s recommendations for how to structure time. He remarks that people’s energy and willpower are typically highest in the morning, so he recommends devoting time early in the day to the highest priority (the ONE Thing). Later parts of the workday can center on administrative/managerial tasks that require less energy and focus. 

“Your own need to do other things instead of your ONE Thing may be your biggest challenge to overcome.”

Keller is well aware of the unceasing stream of distractions that modern individuals face and acknowledges what a challenge it can be to focus. There is no easy fix to this problem. Instead, Keller admits that focusing is a habit that we must build over time through commitment and hard work. 

“Accountable people achieve results that others only dream of.”

Much of Keller’s book focuses on the individual’s quest to discover purpose and set goals to work toward that purpose. However, he never neglects the importance of other people, both as mentors/teachers and as support when working toward goals. Indeed, he recommends that anyone who wants to be successful find partners, coaches, or other figures whom they can check in with regarding their progress; this will encourage them to strive even harder. 

“When you strive for greatness, chaos is guaranteed to show up.”

One myth that Keller busts is the idea that success is streamlined and effortless. He consistently implies that success requires hard work, regularly shifting priorities, and an openness to reflection and change. He cites a fear of chaos as one of the “thieves” that can sap productivity. As a solution, he urges readers to get comfortable with things not always being neat, organized, and clear, encouraging them to have faith that if they consistently reflect on their purpose, they will ultimately find themselves on the path to success. 

“No one succeeds alone and no one fails alone. Pay attention to the people around you.”

A healthy appreciation for those around you is both respectful and good practice, according to Keller. Acknowledging that others are helpful and influential allows you to better identify your own purpose and accept it with humility and resolve. Keller also believes that paying attention to those around you is important because true purpose will inevitably involve other people; neglecting those people would mean neglecting purpose.