Common wisdom tells us more is always better. More money, more clothes, more vacation, more clients, more customers, more shopping, more employees, more, more, more….more of just about everything. It may be shocking for some to discover that more is NOT always better…especially when it comes to multi-tasking and doing Ten things instead of ONE. In fact, after reading The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results (Bard Press) by Gary Keller I am focusing on doing ONE thing well instead of trying to do as much as possible.

Most of us are multiple taskers. We feel successful when we are able to cross off as many things as possible from our continuously growing “To Do” lists. But does it get us the results we want?  Sometimes, but it can be a slow process. When I think back, I recall that even marking some items A, others Bs and Cs to designate their priority still doesn’t help me get great results. It just makes me feel like I get a lot done.   I don’t know about you, but I don’t just want to get a lot of stuff completed, I want extraordinary results.

After reading Gary Keller’s book, I now believe there is a simple formula to get outstanding results and I have learned it doesn’t come from crossing off all the A items on my ‘To Do” list.

Here’s the two key actions I have learned to take:

Identify the ONE thing that is your purpose in business or in life.

Identify the ONE thing that you should take action on to achieve that purpose.

And it is as simple as that.

The book says to start each day asking the focusing question:

“What’s the ONE Thing I can do today such that by doing it everything else will be easier or even unnecessary? When you do this, your direction will become clear. Your work will be more productive and your personal life more rewarding.”

I’ve been doing this for the last month and it is working. I ask this question daily, and most days the ONE Thing for me has been contacting the CEOs who I am most interested in meeting to consider for membership in my Vistage CE Peer Advisory Boards. I know that if I schedule meetings with these candidates, I will be able to find the leaders who qualify, who will contribute, and who will receive the most value from being part of the group. After I do that, everything else is easier.

What’s the ONE thing in your life that you should take action on to achieve the results you want? Think about it. Ask yourself that question every day, take action and watch the magic begin to happen.

—Leslie Grossman, author, LINK OUT, Chair, Vistage New York and business coach. Send your comments to Leslie at leslie@lesliegrossmanleadership.com, and sign up for her newsletter atwww.lesliegrossmanleadership.com

Watch her TED Talk.