Bard Press

Publisher of Best-Selling Business Books

The One Thing

By Gary Keller with Jay Papasan

Bard-One-Thing
gary plus jay 4

The ONE Thing sits at the heart of success and is the starting point for achieving extraordinary results. Based on research and real-life experience, it's a big idea wrapped in a disarmingly simple package.

AVAILABLE IN:    PRINT    DIGITAL   AUDIO

“If you chase two rabbits,

you will not catch either one.”

-Russian Proverb

Success Highlights

  • 2.4 Million Copies Sold
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon with over 8,500 reviews
  • #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
  • New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Bestseller
  • 500 Bestseller Appearanaces
  • 12 Book Awards, including American Library Association's Self-Help Gold Award
  • Translated into 40 Languages
  • One of Goodreads' Top 100 Business Books of All Time

About this book

People are using this simple, powerful concept to focus on what matters most in their personal and work lives. Companies are helping their employees be more productive with study groups, training, and coaching. Sales teams are boosting sales. Churches are conducting classes and recommending for their members.

By focusing their energy on one thing at a time people are living more rewarding lives by building their careers, strengthening their finances, losing weight and getting in shape, deepening their faith, and nurturing stronger marriages and personal relationships.

You Want Less. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what's the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller paychecks, fewer promotions--and lots of stress.

And You Want More. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends.

NOW, you can have both—less and more. In The ONE Thing, you'll learn to:

  • cut through the clutter
  • achieve better results in less time
  • build momentum toward your goal
  • dial down the stress
  • overcome that overwhelmed feeling
  • revive your energy
  • stay on track
  • master what matters to you

The ONE Thing delivers extraordinary results in every area of your life—work, personal, family, and spiritual.

What's your ONE thing?

“What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

About the authors

Gary Keller is chairman of the board and cofounder of Keller Williams Realty, Inc., which holds the #1 position as the largest real estate company in the world. His New York Times bestselling books have sold more than 2,000,000 copies.

Jay Papasan, a former editor at HarperCollins Publishers in New York, coauthors Gary’s books and is Vice President of Learning at Keller Williams. He’s a frequent event speaker and corporate trainer.

Book Excerpt

“The One Thing shows up time and again in the lives of the successful because it's a fundamental truth. It showed up for me, and if you let it, it will show up for you. Applying the ONE Thing to your work—and in your life—is the simplest and smartest thing you can do to propel yourself toward the success you want.”  (from Chapter 3)

Audio Book Excerpt

Listen to a sample of Gary Keller reading from the introduction of The ONE Thing audiobook:

Interviews & Podcasts

The ONE Thing Podcast: How Billionaires Set Goals - Part 1 (Ep 249)

This episode dives into why goal setting to the now matters, the models that make accomplishing big goals possible, and unpacking the limiting beliefs that could be stopping you.

EntreLeadership Podcast: Jay Papsan—Stop the Distraction and Win (Ep 56)

EntreLeadership Host Chris Hogan explores the surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results with Jay Papasan, vice president of Keller Williams and co-author of the best-selling Millionaire Real Estate series. Jay’s latest with co-author Gary Keller—The One Thing—shows you how to successfully work with fewer distractions and less on your plate.

Think Like A CEO: Going Vertical with Model (Season 3, Ep 1)

Gary and Jay talk about how to shatter ceilings and keep your business on an upward trajectory.

Watch the book trailer

Other books by this author

Book data

The ONE Thing: The Surprising Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan

  • ISBN: 978-188516774
  • The book was first published on April 1, 2013 and is in its 13th printing.
  • The hardcover edition has 240 pages.
  • Published by Bard Press.
  • Distributed by Two Rivers Ditribution.
  • 2-color text with full index
  • The trim size is 6.0 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches.

Foreign Translations

The ONE Thing is available in 40 languages.

Here is a partial list of where you can purchase translated editions: