The One Thing

February 25, 2013
Part motivational book, part self-help, the latest from Keller (The Millionaire Real Estate Agent), together with Papasan (president of Rellek Publishing), vies to give us a path for achieving extraordinary results. Keller challenges the worthiness of deeply rooted notionsâa balanced life, discipline, willpower, multitaskingâand presents his insights with a coach's verve and goal-oriented approach. He begins by examining the attitudes and ideas that derail us. From here he moves on to show us how to become more productive; and this, he claims, relies on focus, which leads him to ask: "What's the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" While the book does grab you by the collar, many of Keller's points are more rhetoric than argument. For example, he challenges the philosophical idea of balance and concludes that it does not exist: " is a grand idea, but not a very practical one. Idealistic, but not realistic." Unfortunately, though, while the actual philosophical idea is about ethics, Keller is referring to work-life balance. Despite the book's appealing style and energy, more intellectual substance would have helped the overall work. 34 illus.