What system has worked for you?
My recommendation is to block four hours a day, as early in the day as you possibly can, to devote to your ONE Thing. Then be fearless about protecting that time. This system only works when your mantra is “nothing and no one has permission to distract me from my ONE Thing.” We’re an always-on, distraction-prone society. How do we combat that? Unfortunately, your resolve won’t keep the world from trying, so we have to be creative when we can be and firm when we must. At the Keller Williams Realty International corporate headquarters, our employees have come up with some unique ideas to take themselves out of the path of disruption and interruption. They’ve hung “do not disturb” signs on their doors, gotten permission to put up folding screens in front of their cubicles, and will book conference rooms to have quiet writing time. The fact of the matter is that life doesn’t simplify itself the moment you simplify your focus. We shouldn’t fear the chaos of focusing on our ONE Thing. What we should fear is the chaos we’re already in.
There are three commitments you say we must make to our ONE Thing, one of which is to live the accountability cycle. Accountable people achieve the results others only dream of, and one of the fastest ways to bring accountability to your life is to find an accountability partner. Accountability can come from a mentor, a peer or, in its highest form, a coach. For me, a coach is the best choice for an accountability partner. That’s why we’re launching The ONE Thing Group Coaching Program. Accountability changes lives. If you’re serious about big results, you have to live for accountability.
There’s a surge in technology helping people achieve their goals. Can you use those too?
Of course you can – and we would encourage you to do so. We all have our methods. I’m a pen-and-paper guy myself, so every year I sit down and write out my entire year on a calendar and then review it every week. My co-author Jay, on the other hand, is tech-savvy, so he’s been working with a team of developers to launch the My ONE Thing Interactive Website, which is an awesome goal-setting, habit-tracking tool for a lot of people. The key is to use a system until it works for you.
Thank you for time blocking for this interview today, Gary. Are there any last thoughts you’d like to share?
I’d like to leave our readers with an action. Close your eyes and imagine your life as big as it can possibly be. As big as you ever dared to dream, and then some. Now open your eyes. Whatever you can see, you have the capacity to move toward. And when what you go for is as vast as you can possibly envision, you’ll be living the biggest life you can possibly live. Living large is that simple, and my hope is that you’ll use the concepts and tools in this book to achieve it.