Planning
The Focusing Question
Gary Keller's Focusing Question: What's the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? Choose your time horizon and area — we'll narrow to one domino worth knocking over.
Results
Answer the questions to find your ONE Thing using Keller's Focusing Question.
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Related tools
Goal Setting to the Now
Connect your someday goal to today's action — Gary Keller's Goal Setting to the Now ladder from 5-year vision down to your ONE Thing today. Free guided tool.
Four Thieves of Productivity Quiz
Which thief is stealing your ONE Thing? Gary Keller's four thieves — can't say no, fear of chaos, poor health, bad environment — diagnose yours and get a fix in 60 seconds.
Protect Your ONE Thing Time Block
When can you actually do your ONE Thing? Enter your work hours, meetings, and obligations — get your minimum time block, best slot, and what must wait until after.
Say No Script Builder
Build a script to say no without guilt — protect your ONE Thing from meetings, favors, and requests. Answer 4 questions, get words you can use today.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Focusing Question?
- From The ONE Thing by Gary Keller: "What's the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" It's asked for each time horizon — today through someday.
- How is this different from a to-do list?
- A to-do list is many things. The Focusing Question forces one domino — the task that makes other tasks easier or unnecessary. Everything else is secondary until the ONE Thing is done.
- Can I have ONE Things in different life areas?
- Yes — one per domain per horizon (e.g., one for work today, one for health today). But within each domain at each horizon, pick only one.