Gary Keller: How To Find Your One Thing

Gary Keller is chairman of the board and cofounder of Keller Williams Realty, Inc., one of the largest real estate companies in the world. He is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and finalist for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year. He has helped many small business owners and entrepreneurs find success through four nationally bestselling books: The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times and his latest The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results.

In this interview, Gary talks about how he avoid distractions, how he prioritizes his work and stays focused, what his “one thing” is, how to set goals and his best career advice.

How do you avoid distractions in your life when they are unlimited and we’re always connected through technology?

Success does not mean perfection. I’m not concerned with avoiding distraction every minute of every day. The perfect, uninterrupted day is impossible. It’s about figuring out what matters most, and when you’re doing that ONE Thing, eliminate distraction.

I time block. If you looked at my calendar, you’d see regular appointments with myself to do my most important work. That’s when I avoid distractions at all costs. Think of it like going to movies. You’re there for ONE Thing—to see the film. Because you’re really clear about that, you turn off your cell phone, you grab snacks in case you get hungry, and you probably even make a pit stop before you go in. All this so you can have an uninterrupted experience.

When you time block your most important work and treat it like going to movies—you make a stand around avoiding distractions—amazing things happen. When you start thinking of your days this way, the burden of always having to be “on” goes away and you end up accomplishing more.