Do The One Thing

I recently finished reading The One Thing by Gary Keller and he suggested asking yourself the following question:

What is the ONE THING I can do so that everything else will be easier or unnecessary?

What an awesome question! It asks you to focus on the one thing you can work on to create leverage to make everything else easier or unnecessary.

The problem is, as entrepreneurs, we rarely focus on one thing at a time. Instead we are juggling 10-12 things, mostly in a reactive state. We find ourselves displacing energy and dabbling across a lot of tasks instead of focusing on one.

Society celebrates multitasking, having a disciplined life, exercising willpower, and trying to make everything matter equally. All of these are the lies of success, as Keller suggests.

A great place to start when deciding what should be your first ONE THING is to identify your #1 challenge. Here are some examples:
• Lack of cash flow
• Lack of a system in part of your business
• Production payroll too high
• Sluggish route growth
• Need an Operations / General Manager
• No personal vision for next five years
• High Accounts Receivable balances
• Open a new store
Once you identify your ONE THING, it is important to work on that each day for three-four hours until it is completed. Yes, you read that right. Three-four hours per day on that ONE THING until it is done.

That means you are going to have to let some things go that you are currently doing so you can reallocate the time to focus on the ONE THING. That is where most people fail. They are unwilling to let go and delegate the things that hold them back from doing the ONE THING that will make the greatest difference in their business and life.

I know you can do it. Once you do, productivity will reign, and you will make so much progress on the things that actually matter.

Have a great week!
Dave