“One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.”

If you’re a Baby Boomer, you no doubt remember that lyric from a smash hit by the band Three Dog Night. 

It was a great song, but I beg to differ. In my life, I’ve found that one is not the loneliest, but rather, the most powerful number that you’ll ever do.

Foundational to everything I believe, teach, and act on is the “power of one.”

I first learned this concept in my mid-twenties while working at IBM. They had an extensive library of books on cassette (it was the 80s!) for employees. 

As a student, I had never been overly fond of reading, so the idea of listening to a book appealed to me. Today, I consume 80 percent of my books in audio formats. A key element in my daily routine is reading from at least one book each morning. But because I spend so much time commuting to clients, I spend far more time listening to books in my car. It’s a pleasure of almost inestimable value. 

Establish a Top Priority

Back to the power of one. In 1972, Earl Nightingale released a book on tape called Lead the Field. In it, he shared how business consultant Ivy Lee advised Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and other clients on the importance of making a short list of just six priorities to complete for the day, week, and month. The ultimate leverage in Lee’s process came from starting on priority one and remaining absolutely persistent on that one item until it was finished.  

The great Earl Nightingale taught that this simple rule of establishing a top priority — and then completing it at the expense of interruptions — was the key to success and achievement. Furthermore, he went on to guarantee that every worthy goal ever set and worked on in this single-minded fashion had been accomplished!

It’s amazing to realize how shockingly on point this visionary was.

Submit to the Process and Reap the Rewards

While still at IBM, I listened to Nightingale over and over and began practicing the ideas he laid out. Each evening before I headed home from work, I made a written list of the top five things I needed to accomplish the following day.  

Next morning, I worked the process — by beginning with my number one priority and finishing it before moving to number two, and so on down the line. Of course, I was interrupted throughout the day with various issues and requests. Often, these were “urgent and important” and required my attention. That’s reality. But when the urgent request was handled (or resolved sufficiently for the time being), I immediately returned to priority number one until it was completed.  

Did it work? Seldom in practice did I complete all five items I had written down for the day. But I regularly completed the top three in addition to all the urgent and important requests that had interrupted me that day. It was exhilarating. 

My greatest insight from that period came from personal experience with the uncanny “power of one.” I had indisputable proof that focusing on my number one priority could make me more productive and successful — in any endeavor.  

Understand the Power of Technology to Distract

This concept is so simple (perhaps too simple) that it becomes displaced in our modern world of smartphones and instant messaging. Because we live in the age of exponential technology, there are more ways to be distracted than ever. Let’s look at just one: Americans send 18 billion texts a day. That’s 6.5 trillion per year. Divided by the 259 million of us who text, that boils down to about 32 texts per person per day. Some of us do more, some of us less.

That’s a challenge even Earl Nightingale didn’t anticipate!

Plan Focused Time for the “Important but not Urgent”

On the surface, it appears that those who respond quickest to all the interruptions and instant requests (texting being a great example) are winning the race for success. Somehow, the idea of being able to deal with the “urgent and important” became more crucial (and esteemed) than taking the time and having the discipline to thoughtfully respond to the “important but not urgent.” 

In today’s pressure cooker world, too many business folks think that if we don’t stay on the treadmill and react instantly to every interruption, we’re somehow not performing at a high level.  

I have found the exact opposite to be true. 

If I don’t plan structured time to focus my energy on what’s “important but not urgent” (regardless of competing circumstances) and concentrate on the top three goals on my list, I fall behind on my core priorities and slip into mediocrity.

As Earl Nightingale said, “We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.” 

Let’s take charge!