Find the one thing

The word “priority” existed in the singular form for 500 years, before having a plural version added during the 20th century. It meant “the very first thing”. Not “the several things that I may, or may not, have time to get to”. Nowadays I often hear people listing their top 5 or 10 priorities, which is almost an oxymoron. I come across so many people who have endless to-do lists which inevitably drift and slide, along with their thousands of email inboxes that clearly can’t be under control.

It is hard to imagine that this lack of focus is optimally productive!

Now, there are plenty of time management tips and techniques, as well as various productivity tools, that can help you to improve the situation. Many of them are very good and I encourage everyone to find the combination that works best for them.

However, in the interest of absolute focus, and knowing the power of applying that focus to the most valuable thing, I am going to suggest that you start by identifying the one thing that is most important.

Technically, I’m going to suggest you identify two things; however, you’ll see that they are at different levels and should not create confusion, distraction or conflict. They are likely to work very well together. If you go into any period of time (12-month planning, 90-day planning, one-week planning or just planning tomorrow) with absolute clarity about these two things, you will make remarkable progress and achieve a great deal:

Your single most important goal

What is the one goal for this period of time that is more important than all the others? This is the one goal that you will plan for first, prioritise above all others and absolutely ensure gets done. Asked differently, what is the one goal that you would discard all of your other goals for this period in order to achieve?

When identifying this goal, you may simply endeavour to define the goal that is the most valuable in its own right. Sometimes, on the other hand, you will identify a goal that has significant subsequent value in enabling you to pursue other goals. Both versions are valid. The benefit stems simply from knowing the one goal that you will do anything reasonably possible to achieve, including letting other goals slide if necessary.

If you achieve your number 1 goal in every period of time, you will make remarkable progress overall!

Your single greatest point of leverage

What is the one thing you can direct your time, energy and focus towards that will have the greatest impact in this period of time?

For example, what is one person you could recruit or develop whose success would have the greatest positive impact on your business? Or what is the one project, completion of which would have the greatest impact on the wider business? Or the one change you could make? To your business? To your own practices? Perhaps to a system or process?

The answer to this question is usually something that enables other things or other people to do more. It is typically not one of your goals, as it is not usually an end result. It is an activity, or person, which can have a significant effect on other people, other projects, or on some future outcome or activity.

Conclusion

Once you have these two things clear, it usually becomes quite straightforward to plan your time accordingly. Simply knowing what these two things are should give your subconscious, and you’re conscious, mind a very effective level of focus. If you then direct your energies such as to ensure you commit maximum effort to that single point of leverage, and such as to ensure that, at minimum, you achieve that single most important goal, I guarantee that you’ll make incredible progress in the direction of your choice.