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The Moonshots Podcast goes behind the scenes of the world's greatest superstars, thinkers and entrepreneurs to discover the secrets to their success. We deconstruct their success from mindset to daily habits so that we can apply it to our lives. Join us as we 'learn out loud' from Elon Musk, Brene Brown to emerging talents like David Goggins.
hello and welcome to the moonshots
podcast it's episode
267 I'm your co-host Mike Parsons and as
always I'm joined by the man himself Mr
Mark Pon Freeland good morning
Mark hey good morning Mike good morning
members good morning subscribers good
morning viewers good morning listeners
and good morning everybody else who
wants to join us today to dive into a
brand new topic on the moonshot show and
Mike
maybe I'm overcooking it a little bit
but I think there's one thing on my mind
today that we could dive into and I
think it's going to be the topic of this
fantastic book yes I think it's the
classic onew punch we did essentialism
last episode and
today we are digging into another
classic another one that you might say
what the hell have Mark and Mike been
doing it's taken them 10 years to get to
this book but I assure you the weight
has been worth it if you want to go from
being productive to a productive God if
you really want to make exponential
Returns on your effort this show is for
you wow I tell you what Mike the idea of
becoming a productivity God speaks
volumes so without further Ado for our
listeners viewers as well as members
today guys we are diving into Gary
Keller's the one thing and like Mike was
just breaking down for us this is not
only a fantastic breakdown into
productivity and efficiency but we're
also going to learn today how we can
focus on a single most crucial task to
go out and Achieve extraordinary success
because at the end of the day we all
know that there's one thing that we
could do that by doing it probably opens
up a little bit more time a little bit
more flexibility maybe even a little bit
more of a calm relaxed mindset and that
today folks is what we're going to be
really diving into on show number
267 all right Mark you've got got us
armed with some Great Clips why don't
you let it
rip look guys I want to kick off by
really introducing this concept of the
one thing so one don't we hear from the
author himself Gary Keller telling us a
bit of a story about writing the book
and how we all should focus on one
thing the the issue was when we went to
write the book it wasn't originally
going to be called this it was it we
were going down a different path and
finally what happened was Jay asked me
the question he goes well Gary what's
the one thing interestingly enough that
you want people to get from this
book Well's the focusing question and he
said okay then first let's call it the
one thing and number two let's make that
the issue in the book and so that's what
happened so all of a sudden it became
called the one thing and the focus in
question became now the only reason why
you don't get to it to chapter 10 is
because I thoroughly convinced that if
your head is full of the wrong stuff
there's no room for the right stuff got
get rid all the junk first yeah so I
traditionally if if you're ever in a
class with me or being coached by me I'm
traditionally going to say first thing
we need to do is we need to get we need
to get out the myths of or whatever
you're thinking now that's incorrect so
the it's really two books the first half
of the book is really about the myths
the challenges the lies yeah yeah that
that people buy into that keep them from
being willing to do one
thing o it's almost like you got to
clear clear the space before you can
truly answer the question of one thing
and what I'm hearing there Mark is a
story of
distraction the story of
multitasking or something that we
discovered in the last show is people
simply not saying no and when they are a
victim of one or all of these
things then what happens is you're
spreading yourself Way Too Thin and uh
you're you're just in a frenzy to tick
things off as opposed to be ticking off
the right things
and it's so
interesting that the challenge
that I think all of us face is the sense
that everybody else is being so
productive except us everybody else is
doing so many things apart from us but
really that is the lie that is the myth
and in fact we have seen continuously on
the show Mark that those are the ones
the ones that win are those that do
focus on one thing for an extended
consistent amount of
time and so I truly believe this is a
secret because you see so few people
talking about it I think this is why
deep work was so powerful why our most
recent show
essentialism focusing on less but better
it truly does work it's the antithesis
to distraction Nation um mark this is
why I think we need it why do you think
we need to ask this question what's the
one thing well like you say Mike I think
there's a a a productivity myth where by
as long as you have a grasp of every
single thing that you need to get done
it's going to get done so I'm talking
about myself I've got a to-do uh to-do
list app I've got paper versions of
things that I need to get done there'll
be subtasks there'll be comments all
sorts of ways of making me feel as
though I'm getting stuff done but
realistically when I take a step back or
let's say I pass it over to you Mike and
I'd say hey Mike look how productive I
am look at all the sort of planning I've
done around my my task list none of it's
really getting done because at this
point there's paralysis from too much
analysis yeah and I think that's a coin
or a phrase that maybe we heard from
last week with Greg maau and
essentialism but the concept for me at
least uh kicks in and becomes very very
difficult when you are starting to
scrutinize all the things you're trying
to get done but you're don't know where
to start you know there's so much that
you need to get done maybe that's life
admin maybe it's planning your legacy
for your children or maybe it's starting
a new business where do I go do I lean
into the legal stuff do I build the
website do I need to do social media
what about content creation and what
about hiring suddenly it feels very very
challenging because your spread as you
say so thin but really I think the core
unlock that we're going to find out
today is trying to prioritize and I
think that's the myth that we have maybe
missed out on when it comes to to-do
lists in the past as We Know your brain
isn't a fantastic supercomputer so when
you're looking a big to-do list it's not
very easy to prioritize is it because
there so much they all seem equally
important yeah it's like um you know the
Paradox of choice there's just so many
things and eliminating them saying no to
things saying yes to one thing really is
powerful it's almost like if you have
your base level if you choose for a life
of productivity you've probably got a
list so that's the that's the next level
up then the the step after that is
saying what's urgent what's important
doing you know the eyes inhow Matrix so
you kind of go up another level right so
you're getting pretty Elite here like
let's be
honest
but the alltime mega question is not
just what am I going to do next what
should I do but it's the one thing I can
do such that by doing it everything else
will become easier or unnecessary and
we're going to get really into this um
during the show but this is why I want
you to visualize like a pyramid and at
the top is this question because
actually as we'll see it does take work
to figure out how to use this um it
doesn't uh necessarily come easy because
part of it means saying no to some
addictions distraction
multitasking saying yes to everything
these are all addictions in some
fashion but what I can tell you about
like personal experience big fan of the
book big fan of this technique and I
truly think it puts you in the path
andon of of productivity but Mark I
wonder if we were to ask this question
what's the one thing I can do such that
by doing it I could go to the moon what
what would be that action what would be
that priority I wonder you're you're
you're right Mike that's a that's a good
question and I think for all of our
viewers listeners and I know for a fact
our members are already doing it if
you're wanting to maybe go to the Moon
maybe unlock some secrets and some
productivity hacks and the uh areas of
influence that a lot of superstars out
in the world are really doing day by day
I think Mike there's one destination
that they could all go to to unlock
those hacks and that is moonshots
Doo that is is the website of the
moonshop podcast that contains a huge
archive mic 266 shows as well as links
to our Master Series where we've got
well over 30 episodes now as well as
transcriptions upcoming shows and all
sorts of goodies that can help all of us
unlock a little bit more around how we
could perhaps improve our productivity
how we could better our focus and there
is a big button they could PR press
there and if they do so they could get
the official Mark pier and feeling
trumpets
MK well yes that's right Mark we haven't
added the sound effect to the website
yet so for those who want to hear it
you've got to listen in to the moonshots
weekly as well as the Master Series each
week
because we have a number of members who
are joining us every single week and as
always we're going to give them a
wonderful shout out including Bob Niles
I tripon dietar Maran Connor Lisa and
Sid Mr bonju Paul Berg and cman Joe
Christian samala and Barbara Deborah
lass Steven Craig Ravi Iver R and
niikada Ingram Durk Vata Marco jet Roger
Stefan raw Nim Diana Kristoff and Denise
Laura Smitty Corey and Daniela Mike
Antonio Zachary and Austin Fred Ola Andy
Diana Margie Ron Jasper Fabian guhong
and Edward guys thank you so much I know
that all of those individuals have
joined us on the moonshot rocket ship we
are diving up into through the world of
reflection of improvement and we're all
trying to find the way to be the best
version of ourselves thank you guys for
joining us yep we're super grateful um
helping us pay some bills so um thank
you thank you for your support we really
do appreciate it and in return We would
like to set you up now for the Deep
dive sorry Mark I I did steal your
trumpers but it thought only appropriate
to go into the heart of this book by
Gary Keller the one thing uh so why
don't you let it
rip that's right Mike so now we're going
to lean into the core element of the
book we're going to dive into the real
essence of the one thing and Clark
Kegley junior is going to be the one to
take us on that Journey so let's hear
from Clark talking to us about the idea
of the one
thing key concept of the book that if
you look at anybody who's achieved
success at any level they all you can
trace it back to focusing on one thing
examples Google what's their one thing
search Starbucks what's their one thing
coffee KFC what's their one thing
chicken apple what's their one thing it
changes it goes from iPhone to iPod to
iMac but it still centers around one
thing Star Wars this is cool what's
their one thing it's not movies it's
merchandise I think they made 10 billion
from merchandise or 30 billion and uh
one or 10 billion from the movies I mean
Michael Phelps swimming Tiger Woods Golf
you know Tiger Woods didn't say I'm
going to be a swimmer golfer and
basketball player he said all I'm going
to do from day one is focus on Golf and
he's number one in the world so how do
you apply this to your life well I think
the take-home message from that is don't
feel bad if you're spending all your
time focusing on one aspect maybe you
love soccer right maybe you're 16 you
love soccer and you want to do that
fulltime time well don't feel bad that
you're not good at any of the other
sports because your one thing is soccer
yeah some of them are going to translate
over to basketball because you can run
better don't try and focus on basketball
as well that's time you're taking away
from that you could be practicing on
soccer the quote in the book that goes
if you try and catch two rabbits you
won't catch either so the biggest
concept of this book Focus your energy
on one thing don't try and Chase two
rabbits um much easier said than done I
mean you guys who watch this channel
know that I spread myself really thin I
do these kind of Lifestyle videos I do
kegle Co in the back there I do drums um
I I do
podcasting and so this book was Bitter
Sweet for me much like yourself I'm sure
because you have so many different
interests right and we we hear that
success is when you narrow it down and
focus on one thing well now you got to
choose and that means saying no to other
things and so it can be a little
stressful I understand I mean I'm you're
preaching to the choir here and there's
the other side that says okay well if
you look at um millionaires in the US an
average majority of them have multiple
streams of income so they're not putting
their one thing in income they're
getting it from five or six different
places so there's always you know pros
and cons to anything so don't take the
one thing as gospel but the takeaway
message is that success leaves Clues
look at the most successful people the
most successful companies and they had a
focus around one thing
so now interesting thing for me I really
relate to this
like I love coaching rugby but I don't
coach it because I'm committed to the
work that I'm doing in my company and I
can't do both I've been dejing for 30
years but currently I've paused on the
DJ button because I'm focused on my
company so this is Bittersweet as Clark
said like it's very easy like you know I
get a call
pre-season great Rugby Club is like oh
Mike we'd love you to come and
Coach oh I just want to do this right
but at what cost right um I got the
turntables over here I can look at them
and I'm like oh my gosh there are the
turntables I listen into a a fresh mix
from one of my favorite DJs and I'm like
oh boy I just want to hit the turntables
and let go right but actually this is
like this it's really hard to do but it
matters because we see from the examples
Clark gave and we've mentioned many of
them Einstein being one of them that you
have to grind and focus four years if
you truly want to see what you can do
with
something four years is
focused and I believe that very rarely
do we hear anybody saying to us Mark
give up lots of things you love focus on
the one thing for five years and then
maybe you'll achieve some level of
Mastery nobody is talking like that
we're seeing like in 30 days six pack
abs in 30 days make 10 million bucks
Drop Shipping whatever right
you see the the the war we're at is with
false expectations of you can do
everything and if you truly just look at
what successful people have done is a
lifetime of focus and obsessing about
this one thing right and I think that
there are lots of examples we're going
to get
into but this is not a common message
even after the success of this book even
after the success of this author in
other parts of his life you still don't
hear this story very much do you no you
really really don't and I think that's
because we as you've already pointed out
we are grown up so to speak in
businesses and business tasks that
require multitasking and plate spinning
and having balls in the air because we
think that moving the the the chess
piece forward requires lots and lots of
different focal points different areas
of of um effort you know I'm reminded of
musicians nowadays not only do they have
to create you know banging Tunes but
they also need to create content on all
the social media channels so suddenly
this equation or this balance this
weight comes back to what you said
earlier at what cost yes so if I'm
spending time creating content how much
time am I sacrificing actually creating
the artistic work that I want to go
ahead and do like we heard from Rick
Ruben you know you just need to grind
have absolute focus it doesn't need to
take eight 9 10 12 hours a day instead
it just needs to be really really
focused work on the single thing yeah
and you're right mik we don't really get
uh taught this and I think once we
delved into this book as we were putting
the show together and I know the book is
one of your firm favorites as well for
me it was a real a hard moment because I
was whe whether it's a project
management work account director work or
just working with entrepreneurs trying
to build businesses it always always
comes down to trying to wear many many
hats yes but the problem with that is
when you become a jack of all trades you
are not necessarily building those
skills are you to then be able to go
deep and you do become like a cracker
you know you've got a little bit of
butter on but you're not that tasty yeah
and um oh that's that's that's a great
metaphor
but if but truly if you want to be like
a great cook in the kitchen
right the key thing is it's not only FOC
making a choice for one
thing but there is a qualifier on this
so I'm going to read to you the one
thing question that you can ask and then
you and I have prepared a couple of
examples that we can talk through and I
think this is at the heart for all of
our listeners viewers and members if you
want to understand what this book can do
for you and what this idea can do for
you here is what it is it's not just
about saying I'm going to do deep work
and just write an
article it's really asking yourself what
would be the smartest one thing to do
and let so let me set it up Mark and
then we can play this game and go
through the five examples so the
question the focusing question which is
at the heart of this book this is how
you battle against distraction
multitasking
this is how you would battle against
saying yes to everything and start
saying no to most things
right here's the question what's the one
thing I can do such that by doing it
everything else will be easier or even
unnecessary now it's those bits at the
end where we're really getting down to
business so I'll give you guys all an
example of what we're talking about in
business someone might say what's the
one thing I can do to increase sales
this quarter such by doing it everything
else will be easier or unnecessary so
you're in business and you want to
increase sales now Mark why don't you
read out for the listeners what an
example would be of
applying this thinking to that
question I think Mike as we were talking
about a PRI show it's really around
maybe focusing specifically on one
single task so maybe in this instance
it's nurturing relationships with maybe
the top clients that you have within
your business so really focusing on
referrals focusing on maybe upselling
some of the work that you're doing with
them and leaning into that valuable Word
of Mouth um references and referrals
because that's going to not only maybe
increase the revenue that you're
generating but also it's going to
simplify yes that sales process that you
have so what what this example does is
helps you not just jump in and send out
a 100 cold emails and hoping someone
answers right what you can see is the
thoughtfulness here as well hey asking
yourself like well who would be the
highest value clients to get well those
that get referred to us will be the
easiest will be the best because the
trust has already been built through the
referral okay well how do we go get
those well let's go spend some time with
our best clients and ask them for that
referral so you're not only nurturing
the existing customer relation but
you're also asking them to be almost
part of your sales team that is the one
thing thinking in action so notice it
wasn't just send out a gazillion emails
it was to be much smarter okay but this
applies in so many areas Mark I'll read
out this next one about Career
Development again you can hit us with
the answer and we can break it down so
imagine you're thinking about developing
your career here's how you'd use the
question
what's the one thing I can do to advance
in my career such that by doing it
everything else will be easier or
unnecessary what's the example Mark well
an example here would be to acquire a
high impact skill that is in demand in
your specific field making you more
valuable to your employer and then
advancing your career naturally right
now what are we fighting against here
everybody's like they're in their job
they want to develop their career and
someone comes along offers them the same
job for a little bit more money so they
go okay I'm leaving I'm going to that
while they might perceive it as going up
I'm getting paid more did you upskill
anymore no you didn't did you personally
grow
anymore
maybe but here's the thing if you go get
this new skill this new course this new
certification maybe your existing sees
even more value in you and invest more
in you and that you don't have to go
through the big bed of leaving somewhere
you know maybe you love the people right
and that you can naturally grow within
that environment and maybe you can get
into a habit and this is very kind of
James Clear Atomic habits perhaps you
get one of those certifications once a
year once every two years or maybe you
do a little mini course on the summer
Break um that could be a way that you're
continually adding value to yourself
you're growing as a human whilst also
increasing your skill making it more
likely you get promoted and then when
people do come to you they're not just
offering you 5 10% more salary they're
offering you five steps up 10 10 like in
a market 10 times bigger because you've
shown this consistent path of self
discipline self-growth
that's kind of one thing thinking all
right hit us with the next one Mark what
are you yeah well I topic that I know
all of our listeners and members love
and that's health and fitness something
you and I really lean into with a lot of
our different tools and and different
tasks so the question here would be
what's the one thing I can do to improve
my health such that by doing it
everything else will be easier or
unnecessary so Mike hit us with an
example here all right commit to a daily
30 minute exercise routine which could
lead to better energy levels mental
Clarity and overall health and what
would be crazy is spice it up do it
earlier in the morning so then you feel
good and energized for the day awake for
the day maybe you need less coffee in
the day who knows maybe you've got so
productive you have more time to go for
a walk at the end of the day which I
quite like to do so here's the thing
Mike isn't it interesting this is more
than just you know Dave Allen getting
things done this is more than just
having like to-do lists this is about
asking yourself if I was to do one thing
how does this create advantages for me
in the long term right and so sometimes
you are postponing immediate
gratification and playing the long game
right it's a classic thing of every
month putting 100 bucks in your saving
account every month putting a grand in
your investment account right these
things just keep doing
them religiously automatically if is
even better and then at some point you
wake up and go oh geez I've got a lot of
money in my stock
account how did that
happen I I I think you're right betting
on yourself I suppose is is one way of
putting it isn't it and you know my one
tip that I've got that I can share is
having a a mantra or my todoist every
day that says do something today that
you'll thank yourself in the future for
right so whether that's you know basic
upskilling maybe that's nurturing the
relationships that I have with existing
clients whatever it might be something
small start to make it a little bit of a
habit each day because as we know as you
just pointed out with James clear those
returns will get better and better each
day won't they yeah you know I don't
know this is a bit tangental so forgive
me for this but it reminds me of the
classic thing where when you speak to a
manager in a business and they've got a
team of people and you say well why
isn't someone in your team doing that
why are you doing that and their answer
will be it's faster if I do it yes okay
here we go so this is not one thing
thinking like if you were to say okay
what's the one thing I can do now that's
going to make the future easier better
or actually so I don't even have to do
it is to teach others in the
organization to do
it now you are deferring your your
immediate gratification because maybe
you have to invest more time up front to
train and educate that person but here's
the thing once they get a a a handle on
it they're Off to the Races but the
other benefit is they're really grateful
that you show trust and belief in them
to give them a new skill oh and by the
way number three you gave them a new
skill so they're more valuable right but
this is often contary how many times you
see people it's just quicker if I do it
but those people become bottlenecks
right because they go on and everyone's
like well only Jimmy can do it right
yeah y look Mike I've been in that
position before myself yeah I've been
the guy who defaults into no I'll just
do it myself it's quicker but you're
right through nurturing others helping
them up skill not only are you doing
yourself a favor because when you go on
holiday you no longer are the guilty
party that sort of leaves everything up
in the air you're also helping others
yes so whatever motivates you whether
you want to help whether you want to
build a better system inside the
business whether you want to just make
it a little bit easier for yourself in
the long run you're right that idea of
delegating educating others is so
valuable and it will drive towards
opening up a lot of different Avenues
won't it it really really will now you
might be tempted to think you know
Mark's a sharp guy Mike he's okay he's a
bit rough on the edges but they haven't
really convinced me against this world
of multitasking I can have my phone open
my iPad open my laptop I can be on a
call I can be watching the sports I can
be placing bets on the sports you might
think that you're a multitasking ninja
so I think it's only fair Mark that we
sort of invert our thinking for a moment
and just look at what what's the option
that is directly opposed to focusing on
the one thing and that's multitasking so
let's remind ourselves of just what that
looks
like yeah you're totally right Mike
multitasking I think as we're going to
find out today is a bit of a myth so
what better voice what better educator
to help us understand this concept from
the one thing by Keller then
productivity game he's got a fantastic
animation that he's going to take us
through now and he's going to share the
concept of context switching issues as I
read through the chapters trying to
understand how focusing on less can help
you achieve more I was reminded of a
chart that I came across in the book
quality software management by Gerald
Weinberg Gerald's stud studied several
software programmers over the course of
several years and discovered that a
significant percentage of programmers
productivity seemingly vanished when
they focused on more than one project
during the day the more projects they
took on the more time seemed to vanish
by taking on two projects they appeared
to waste 20% of their day when they were
taking on five projects 80% of their day
was completely lost to non-productive
activities Gerald describes that loss in
productivity as a result of context
switch
here is a simple exercise to help you
understand the side effects of context
switching see how fast you can count
from 1 to 5 1 to 3 4 5 okay that was
just under 1 second Now list the letters
in the alphabet from a to e AB BC d e
that took about the same time now try to
alternate between counting numbers and
sequencing letters 1 a 2 B 3 C 4 d 5e
alternating my focus to complete both
tasks took me twice as long as doing
each task independently and why is that
both tasks are super easy and familiar
to me why is there such a significant
drop in my performance well the book The
one thing describes that the extra time
needed to switch your focus adds up
because we need time to make the
decision to switch and we need to
remember where we left off before we
switched we also need to recall the
rules of executing a particular task in
the case of the software programmers if
a programmer needed to solve problems
throughout the day on multiple projects
he or she was forced to spend mental
processing power to figure out where
they left off and what they needed to do
within the constraints of that
particular project whenever we have more
than one priority at any given time or
are asked to manage more than one
project throughout the day we experience
the energy depleting productivity
destroying effects of switching our
Focus to minimize switching costs
throughout the day we need to get good
at asking a question when we are tempted
to focus on more than one priority at a
time why a question well questions
direct our Focus they engage our
critical thinking when we ask a question
our brain will always try to answer it
asking better questions allows our brain
to come up with better answers the
question that stands at the heart of
this book and at the heart of your
moment by- moment Effectiveness is what
one thing can I do such that by doing it
makes everything else easier or
unnecessary ask this question when you
feel anxious or overwhelmed ask this
question when you feel yourself getting
distracted
ask yourself this question over and over
again until you develop laser-like
Focus Mark I think we may have landed
consistently the message of one thing
right one one thing but you know as we
were going through that video it just
reminds me of the moments where I've
gone really deep in the morning on one
project and let's say it's 11:00 a.m.
and I'm going to go to the next one
even despite having done deep work and
then let's say I did one thing for one
client and then I go to another one
right I really do find myself now where
were we in that discussion that we had
yesterday because I have to deliver
something off the back of that that's
right and where were we and then so how
was I going to think about that like how
do I figure out this problem solution or
how do I get a recommendation together
and that moment
you can find yourself like you can
really you really become aware of how
slow you're thinking when you've just
switched into something new had I been
in that all morning I'd just be like I
got it I'm with it boom boom boom boom
but because my brain just for for the
sake of metaphor has been always it's
sitting over here on project on the left
when I go over to the right I'm like oh
yeah we were talking about that and then
I have to look up the note that I made
and then I get out my notepad what did
we say two days ago we mentioned uh
something in the product or there was
something about the business that I have
to remember that affects this or it's
the person that does it I forget their
name then you go into email then oh shes
I've Just Seen another email you know
before you know we're like oh my gosh
I'm nowhere right so this
idea of switching costs is massive even
simple 1 two 3 ABC you start to see how
hard it is to even switch between simple
activities so imagine when we're being
like good little knowledge workers
focusing on complex problems and
figuring out a process or inventing
something new you can see how we get
lost
right big time and for me Mike I always
hatch myself we can talk about maybe
some of the hacks that we've that we've
each got in a second as well but the way
that I notice it and I can really feel
it is when as you were just saying you
get distracted for me my mind gets murky
you know it's kind of like you're you're
in a pond or you know murky water and
you're you don't quite have that laser
2020 Vision on the task at hand because
there's always something maybe 20 30% of
your of my brain is thinking about
something else it's the same as let's
say pulling together the podcast show or
recording us today if you and I were
trying to multitask right now doing a
little bit of work or answering texts or
messages from clients what's going to
happen well we wouldn't be able to have
a conversation we'd be distracted so if
we then apply that into a business
setting it only makes sense that
multitasking is not going to be the most
effective way forward yeah because I'm
always going to be distracted I'm never
able to put my full attention it's like
driving a car using your phone while
driving a car it doesn't make sense
because you're distracted and I think my
that's exactly what we're really
understanding and learning about here
isn't it yeah and that's why I'm really
trying to maximize the maximum length
that I allow for a call is
45 and always allow a 15 minute
buffering time because that becomes my
switching catch up to date a bit on
things check my list check my priorities
then dive into another
call but I just want to stress to you I
experien even if I'm not trying to
multitask and I did 2 hours on one
project and then I want to spend the
next hour on another project that switch
in between there even if I'm being a
very good boy notifications turned off
do not disturb us on I do notice the
first 10 or 15 minutes of the transition
into the new task I'm like even if I was
fully engaged in the call we had about
it the day before I still notice because
I was over here on the left just because
I've gone right to a different place
it's almost like I have to go grab the
data and bring it up to the to the top
of the database again it's there but I
can't instantly recall it I have to kind
of warm up a little bit that's the best
way I can describe it so even if we're
not multitasking the switching still
takes a toll doesn't it yeah absolutely
you know and for me it's a little bit
like meditation what you learn when
you're meditating is to acknowledge
distracting thoughts
notice whether they are whether you're
thinking or feeling and then just
navigate back to the task at hand you
know whether that's relaxation trying to
focus on a task or or something like
that whenever something crops up and
let's say we're recording today and I'm
thinking about something else I'll catch
myself and think oh no no no right put
that to one side come back to that later
do it justice yes by making time for it
later not right now you're in the middle
of something else so it's really about
discipline isn't it as well as noticing
acknowledging and then bringing your
attention back into the task that you've
promised yourself that you're going to
work on right now yeah yeah because if
you fall for distraction and
multitasking and saying yes to
everything the quality of your output
diminishes so very much and I think like
if you're as we speak about this and
we've spoken a lot about deep work we've
got a great show on cal newport's book
deep work um Mark what is that famous um
distraction free destination that you
can go and get the back catalog of all
our Cal Newport shows well you're quite
right it is distraction free pop along
everybody to www.mon shot. for a
distraction free destination that will
help you unlock tips tricks habits and
advice about being that best version of
yourself including Cal newport's deep
work
um so yeah head over there if you're
into that let's um let's try and pull
this all together now Mark I think
you've got a clip that might kind of
complete the the picture for us why
don't you let it rip and we can break it
down you're right Mike we've learned
about contact switching costs Focus the
uh problem with multitasking but really
there's a secret tip that helps you and
I and all of our listeners and members
bring it into action today how are we
going to start something today and Mike
what we're going to hear from Gary in
the next clip is that it really requires
Focus really requires
accountability well focus is very brutal
because I'm going to say well what's
your goal what do you need to accomplish
is there's if there's one goal of all
the goals that you've set for yourself
right now what's the one that matters
most such by doing it everything else
would be easier or unnecessary and you'd
be happy with the accomplishment of that
and that's going to force someone to set
a priority most people set priorities
and I don't understand that if priority
means doing the most important thing how
can you ever have
priorities you can't yeah you can't have
the most important things it doesn't
make actually make sense so we have we
have a priority so I'd ask you what's
the most important thing that you can do
such by doing it by accomplishing that
goal and you're going to give me an
answer you're going to ultimately say
well if I can only do one I'm gonna do
this I say okay that's all I want I want
you to do one I I want one goal
accomplished what is that and you're
going to give it to me and I'm going say
great now based on that goal when you
look at all the things that you could do
in order to accomplish that goal what
would be the one thing you could work on
right now that if you got that done
everything after that that you need to
do would be easier or unnecessary and
you're going to give me an answer I'm G
say well let's just stop right there now
let's go to your calendar now how many
hours a day do you think it's going to
take that you're going to have to focus
on to get that one thing done in order
so we could get on to the other things
and you're going to give me a time and
I'm G say great so what time in the
morning can we start at that you're
going to give me a time I said great can
we block out four hours to do just that
or at least three hours can you give me
three and you're going to say sure and
say okay great can you give me a plan
what's the one thing you can do to
protect your time such that nobody
invades the time while you're doing
those things and you're going to tell me
that I said great can you implement that
you say yes okay great I'll talk to you
in a
week and how often a week later when you
talk to people have they actually been
able to sit down because I find that we
live in the most add of all times people
can't even 15 you know I talk about
reading a book a day and people are like
I can't even read a page a day you think
no is it discipline is it discipline or
people just aren't educated to the value
of focus yeah see I think it's I think
it's a little both I mean I think
unfortunately it's a complicated answer
I think number one that people are not
educated on the value of focus they use
it they say it uh they're almost
anesthesized to the idea of it uh and
they've never been trained on how to do
it they've actually they have bought
into uh the idea of multitasking uh the
idea I mean you even hear stories that
that that that research says that women
are better at it than men and you go
well if multitasking is getting nothing
effectively done I don't think anybody
wants to be known famously for being
that good at it uh I think that's it I
think at the end of the day people
aren't just committed I mean if you ask
me say you know well do you do you have
things that matter to you say yeah well
how much do they matter do you want to
master it do you want to be really good
at it do you want it to change be so
good at it that it defines and changes
your life well yeah okay well you're
going to have to focus are you committed
to doing that so the biggest challenge
most people have is they haven't thought
it through that way and they're not
accountable I find that most people
their biggest issue is they haven't they
haven't submitted themselves to
accountability now here's the thing the
accountability
thing when I think about the
accountability I think
it's happens in many different places
Mark I think it's
one if you say
here's my one thing in the moment do you
stick to that do you turn off
notifications do you actually do the
work but then I think it's also to see
it through I think the hardest thing
about the accountability it's like the
classic January February period everyone
hits the gym and then by by March most
people aren't going
anymore how do we when we commit to one
big thing that's really going to unlock
things for
us how do we make ourselves accountable
not only shortterm but longterm what
what's your go-to Mar it's funny you
bring up the example of gyms in
January uh because I've just started
going back into start with why with
Simon Sy and I think that might could be
a bit of an hard moment that is an
add-on into Gary's work here with the
one thing I think knowing why knowing
your foundation or your vision perhaps
maybe we could bring in a bit of Cal
Newport here with regards to daily
weekly monthly quarterly planning you
know understanding what your goal is
what your vision is for a certain period
of time then helps you focus and it
helps you stay accountable to that
overarching goal or the reason why that
doing it again when you've got a huge
priority list where do I start what is
the priority it often is answered by
knowing what it is that you're trying to
achieve in the long run maybe that's
Career Development maybe it's building a
legacy or maybe it's building a business
that you know satisfies a lot of your
customers I think having a bit of a
foundation that you can lean back on and
and know where that North Star is yes
can help you focus what do you think
Mike I think you spot on there you know
I love the Legacy question if I ever
need a kick in the
pants it's a question of how do I want
to be remembered what's what's going to
be left When I'm Gone the um I think at
the heart of what you're saying is you
got to be fighting for something right
yeah I I do think in the book they they
talk about uh sharing your goals with
others so that they can hold you
accountable I would say sharing your
goals with friends and family publishing
your goals in the big wide world world
is another good one um but I think that
the the moment it gets real is when
you're doing the work and not seeing the
immediate results is to keep going
because you believe in what you're
fighting for I think that's where most
Champions are made that's where most
success is made because we're all good
we're all going to the gym and eating
well in January and February but it's
March and April hey it's Easter hey
there's a holiday hey you know I'll get
back on the horse don't worry no right
you're either on it or you're not and um
I think that the uh the
biggest takeout for me on the
accountability which can give you the
excitement and the energy to
continue is the end part of the question
right let me just read the end part of
it and it says by doing it everything
else will be easier or
unnecessary and so that actually means
that the grind won't be
forever
yeah you are teaching that person that
you work with to do it so you don't have
to you are creating the template this
time so you don't need to next
time right it's funny isn't it that
question that end of that question is a
way of not
only prioritizing but it's simplifying
you know when in fact the word is in
there simplify making it easier or
unnecessary you know that is such a
biger hard moment because when you look
at your list maybe you got 20 30 items
well instead of doing each small piece
one by one and trying to boil the ocean
do the big thing because actually maybe
it's it's actually going to demonstrate
that your tasks are no longer needed
exactly as you said Mike when we were
leaning into those questions earlier on
business and career development rather
than starting from scratch and thinking
ah you know my job I'm not really
recognized I better go and find a new
one start again well no do something
today that then demonstrates how you are
bringing value to your business where
you currently are right and then you
might go up from there so it's that
small very actionable piece that Focus
that then actually will simplify and
make it a little easier in the long r i
mean it's such a big hor moment yeah if
you think about everything that
you do as part of a morning ritual as
like something that's going to be very
repeatable it might take a while to
figure
out and if particularly if you start
small you'll end up finding that it just
becomes a natural part of you and it's
the one thing you can do every morning
such that the rest of the day gets
better and easier right and I think
that's why books like the 5 a. Club
exist right because people know that if
that that's the one thing they do when
they wake up the rest of the day is
great so we see this patent we see
Michael Gerber uh author of the emth
talk about even if you're not going to
franchise your business think about it
as a franchise that you need to teach
someone else to run their own version of
this business I think this is insanely
powerful because so many business owners
are totally victims of their business
like the business owns them you know but
if they think about it as a franchise
then they have to teach the method like
how do we do it how do we flip a burger
that's how McDonald's has built such an
Empire Mark super powerful thinking
we've covered a lot of ground this one
this one I don't know where I'm going
it's hard to pick I'm not sure where
you're going what's the homework
assignment yeah it's a tricky one today
but I think Mike it comes back to that
question you know a Clark as well as
productivity game um really cool it out
the end of those questions what's the
one thing I can do to make things easier
and necessary that's going to be a
question that I'm going to have
plastered on my you know computer
desktop and when I'm looking at my task
list which sometimes recurs sometimes
it's new each day if I ask myself that
question I think it's going to make
things a little bit easier to get a hold
of what about you Mike which one are you
going to be leaning into I'm I'm going
to go right to the source at the
beginning which is stop being distracted
stop
multitasking stop saying yes to
everything um and the reason I'm
focusing on that is like I feel that it
is so damn
hard yeah it
is so I'm gonna take whatever help I can
get on that one um
Mark I agree all right well Mark thank
you uh to you for putting all those
clips together and thank you to you our
listeners our viewers and our members
too here we are on show 267 with Gary
Kell's the one thing and what a book
what a follow-up to
essentialism it's the one thing and it
started with this idea of stop doing too
many things stop the distraction stop
the multitasking stop saying yes to
everything stop doing too many things
and in turn ask yourself what's the one
one thing I can do such that by doing it
everything else will be easier or
unnecessary haoa now we're on the go so
remember that as you're you know
weighing this up and if you're not 100%
sure be careful for the switching costs
you'll be amazed at how much
multitasking absolutely sucks and as
you're on the course as you're on the
grind and doing the work for your one
thing remember that that Focus requires
accountability and if you do that with
yourself with your friends with your
families with your community you'll be
on the way to being the best version of
yourself and that is what we're are all
about here on the moon shops podcast
that's a wrap