
Discover the secret to smarter productivity with tips on focus, habits, and goal setting for business and personal growth.
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Marketing Expert
Let me ask you a few things. Do you feel like you know what differentiates your business from every other business out there? Can you confidently charge a premium for what you offer? Are you working from a plan, a marketing roadmap that allows you to know precisely what to do next? Look, don't worry if you can't answer yes to any or all of these questions. You're not alone. See, marketers today get so focused on the tactic of the week staring them right in the face that they forget to look at the big picture. The overarching strategy needed to consistently grow their business. Over the years, I've worked with thousands of businesses helping them do just that. Create the perfect marketing strategy and plan that gives total clarity about what to do next, confidence to charge ahead and charge more, and complete control of the marketing tactics they choose. I would love to help you and your team do the same. Look to find out if our Strategy first program is right for you. Visit DTM World Grow and request a free consultation. That's DTM World Grow.
John Janice
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. This is John Janice. My guest today is Jay Papasan. He's a best selling author and VP of Strategic Content for Keller Williams Realty International. He's also the CEO of the One Thing Training Co. Productive and co owner of the Papasan Property Group in Austin, Texas. He's co authored several best selling books including one we're going to talk a little bit about today, the One Thing, the surprisingly simple truth about Extraordinary results. So Jay, welcome to the show.
Jay Papasan
Hey, thanks for having me. Excited to be here.
John Janice
I do want to ask about your title. What does a VP of Strategic Content do?
Jay Papasan
It's not what you think. I actually transitioned roles. I was running three big departments and then got to focus again around the things I love. And when I was running our big marketing team here for about three years. If you've ever run a marketing team, you get lots of cold DMS on LinkedIn and everywhere else. So I was like, okay, I'm going to come up with something that is anti marketing. So I like strategy. I love creating content. So I just made up a title. It doesn't really mean anything. I don't think there's a lot of them out there. So I don't get many cold DMs. So I consider it a success.
John Janice
Yeah, well I just assumed that it meant you made up all the content ideas and then told other people to do them.
Jay Papasan
That is some of what I do, you know. So I think I'm a part of five podcasts. I help create them and I do some editorial direction, which isn't my past. I was an editor, but I also put my, my fingers on the keyboards for our books and newsletters.
John Janice
So the one thing book I read, did it come out 11 years ago? 12 years ago I read it when it came out.
Jay Papasan
It came out April 1, 2013. So 11 years ago still sells year.
John Janice
In, year out, tons, has sold millions, translated into many languages. Is there anything that you would put your finger on? I mean, it's one thing for a book to be really popular, but to remain that popular. Is there anything that you've identified that you think keeps it in selling year in, year out?
Jay Papasan
I'm a book nerd and my publisher is an engineer. So we probably overthink this. To be honest. Gary was very clear. He wanted to write a timeless book. And I've had writing professors point out like you can't use words like Kleenex and Frisbee because nobody will know what they mean in a hundred years. That's a tissue, that's a throwing disc. And strangely, this guy who started an upstart real estate company thought the same way. So he. We did set out to write a book that was more timeless than timely, which is counterintuitive in publishing. It's very accessible. I ran the whole book through a program called the Hemingway App, and it's written at a fifth grade reading level. And I had read research that the bestselling authors of all time write at a very surprisingly low grade level, like Hemingway, fourth grade. And I've trained myself, if I'm honest. I don't publish anything that's higher than a sixth grade reading level because we want the widest possible audience to find it accessible. And it's not work to read. And then I do think that we got a little bit of timing. That would be the other big one. We showed up, our book showed up right when smartphones were really everywhere. Our kids had them, they had them in schools and we had so many opportunities to connect and also obligations to do. People didn't know how to sort through their priorities. And here we are with the book called the One Thing, which kind of promised we can kind of help you simplify and focus.
John Janice
A movie that shows up in the book early on, you know, Jack parlance, kind of the, the famous curly character, you know, say, what's the secret of life? You know, one thing.
Jay Papasan
And I think about him on stage at the Oscars like at age 85 doing one handed push ups too. Like that's my memory of that guy. He was legit.
John Janice
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What, what if, if any, you know, role or impact did that have in, in your thinking?
Jay Papasan
It was a sideways thing. Gary and I had come up with the idea of the book in 2008. We spent about four and a half years researching and writing it with the team. And we had never actually threw that in, in the mix. But when we were starting to get clicked to the finish line and teach it and socialize it, everybody kept coming up and going, well, this all came from city slickers. Right. And we're like, no. So we actually went back and very late in the process added it to the book because it was just an expectation. If the book is called the one thing. That book, that movie was so big, everyone expected it to be connected. So we did and it. And it's perfect. I mean, I can't believe that wasn't the connection.
Co-host
Yeah.
John Janice
So surely somebody has stopped you at some point and said, but Jay, what's.
Jay Papasan
The one thing all the time? Right. And that's honestly what we do in our training company. We do try to help people figure out what matters most. And a friend of ours, Sean, Sean Blanc, like, he's, he was sharing with me, like a lot of times he works with busy entrepreneurs and he goes, they look up one day and realize that 93% of their success comes down to two hours a week.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
It's just hard to believe that that could be so important, those two hours.
Co-host
Yeah.
John Janice
You know, I wonder, I've often, in fact, I wrote about this years ago. So more than wondered, I guess if somebody just said, look, I'm just going to start working 20 hours a week. That's just all the time I got. Because I got this other thing, whatever it is, would they be any less productive, I wonder?
Jay Papasan
I think if they're committed to a big goal, they'd be more productive. So like, I don't know, I've written about the power of constraints.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And my wife launched her career just as soon as our youngest child was being dropped off for daycare. And she said, I will only sell between 9am and 2pm because I'm going to be there for drop off and I'm going to be there for pickup. And she was rookie of the year and sold like 85 homes.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And it's not so much what she did. What she did is what all successful real estate salespeople do. It's all the stuff that she chose not to do. She wasn't hanging out at the water cooler. So I think of it like the day before vacation miracle. Right. The day before vacation, you are a very productive individual. And it's not because of what you're doing. You're doing the right stuff. It's. You're not doing any of the nonsense.
Co-host
Yeah, yeah.
John Janice
On April 14th, everybody has time to get their last minute tax preparation done, right?
Jay Papasan
Yeah, you got it.
John Janice
So what are some of the kind of common, especially in a book that is seemingly simple, it's not a large book. What are some of the common myths? When people hear this simple concept, you.
Jay Papasan
Know, when they hear the one thing, I think they think only one thing.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And I think that really stops a lot of people in their tracks. I mean, maybe it sells a lot of books because they're like, well, I want to know what that is. But the reality is we want people to understand at any given moment, right. This week, this month, this hour, you should be clear about what your number one priority is. And so if you, you pick up the US Edition of the book, it's white hardcover. We never put testimonials on the back. We never did any of the traditional stuff. We always had a question because we were very clear that what was the one thing we wanted people to do when they put down this book? We wanted to ask, like, what's my one thing?
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And we wanted to make the book into it. Like, I've heard from people who flip the COVID around on their bookshelf so that they were always staring at the question just to remind themselves, am I acting in my priorities or am I messing around right now?
John Janice
So there's a huge body of work talking about core values in a business and finding your why and your purpose. I found a lot of people go through those exercises and end up saying, well, now what? Yeah, what do I do with that? Do you feel like you've sort of crossed that bridge?
Jay Papasan
Yeah. I mean, when we were preparing to talk, like, I shared one of the things that since the book came out, I think I've gotten really good at is making decisions based on my core values. And core values isn't actually in the book. We talk about purpose. And I've taught the book, I don't know, four or five hundred times now. Corporate and private audiences, and everybody kind of struggles with this idea of what's my purpose, what's my mission. And a lot of times they'll pull together a statement that doesn't feel wholly authentic because it's too weighty. I've found that core values is a gateway drug. And I could give you the long story, but I won't. What we teach people to do is identify what are your top three core values? And when you have a big decision, it should be a nine out of ten on all three if possible, but certainly on number one and mine are impact family in abundance. And we teach people like, I know what family means. It's not just my immediate family. It's my friends and partners. It's the people I treat like family. And I mean, I actually got some of this from a fellow named Stu McLaren who's big in our space. He sold his first business because of this realization from reading our book In Essentialism. So if you see my phone and I'll hold it up for the people watching, I've got my core values as my screensaver. I've read that you see your phone screen 87 times a day. I've got them on my one page goal sheet. I've got them front and center with my coach. So what I've tried to do is make it impossible for me to forget the things I've decided are important to me so that I can try to let my decisions be informed by them. How do we make it practical? Is it a 9 out of 10 or is it a 5 out of 10? Like that should tell you something. That's not a heck yes, that's a heck no.
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John Janice
So I'm sure that in your teaching, you know, somebody says, okay, here's the process, or you teach, you know, here's the process for identifying your one thing in a sea of competing priorities. Is there a process?
Jay Papasan
There is. I mean, what I thought I was worried. Gary, you know, he's the self made billionaire. He was the coach of all the top people in our industry for so long, he had more faith in it than I did because he'd lived it longer. But when someone asked the focusing question, what's the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier, unnecessary. It's a mouthful, but it's a big question. I even asked him, I said, what if people don't know the answer? He goes, you might be surprised. And having taught this to probably 10,000 people, I'll tell you, 98% of people know what their one thing is and they just are too busy to stop to ask the question. And usually they'll tell you they feel guilty for not doing it. They're walking around with a bad case of the shoulds. Oh, I know I should be doing this. I know I should be doing this. What they don't have is a framework for them to live their intentions. And so we tried to help them have a simple framework for identifying that thing which most people can. But then how do I put it in my calendar and live my schedule?
John Janice
Yeah. So. So that gets us to habits. This is a lot about habits. Right. I think a lot of times people can have a, they can go to a weekend workshop or whatever, have the aha. You know, but just like everything, if I say I'm going to lose weight, well, there's some habits I'm going to have to change or. Right. So what are, what have you found? Have been the habits that people need to change or develop to, to really bring this to life.
Jay Papasan
So in our research, we discovered that as near as we can tell Factually, it takes 66 days on average to form a habit. That was a discovery because we walked into it thinking it was 21 or 30 days.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And so it takes longer than people think. But we've done, we actually trademarked 66 day challenge just for the fun of it. And every year we lead three or four cohort. Cohorts. So I've actually got good data on the habits that people have found most impactful. So I'll share with you. I'm writing about it in a few weeks, but I'll give you the sneak peek. The most impactful habit we ever did as a group cohort was getting people to look at their goals before they picked up their phone. And I didn't, I underestimated it, I'll be honest. But when you know what you've actually said yes to, it becomes a lot easier to say no to everything. Else.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And almost everyone you know and I know within 10 minutes of getting up, they're on their phone.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And they're usually on social media, email or text. And those are places that other people's priorities live. And so we had the highest reported overall halo effect, when people just took five minutes in the morning to look at their goals before they went about their business. They did more work, they did it earlier. They were more focused, less distracted, like weird stuff, like fewer dirty dishes. So there you go. I mean, I could go through habit after habit that has impacted me, but in terms of the ones that we've measured, that's been by far the most successful.
John Janice
And I think it makes a ton of sense because especially. Well, anybody. But I've been an entrepreneur all my life. So I'll use my example. I mean, we just. From the minute you get in front of your computer, you're pulled in a thousand directions, it feels like. And so you're right. Just the simple habit of reminding yourself, oh, yeah, said I was going to do that is so I could see the power.
Jay Papasan
I think I heard John Maxwell say this. So I'm not. This is not a J original. He just said, some yeses are bigger than others. When you said I do, you knew that you were saying no to everybody else. And he's like, I just remember thinking, wow, we need more clear yeses in our life so that we can say no.
John Janice
So obviously this concept of applies to any human being, Right? Any individual. But what have you seen the impact it's made on business leaders in kind of growing or scaling or changing their company, making it more sustainable, all those kind of goals.
Jay Papasan
There's been a couple of things I've seen in sales teams. What I've seen them do is instead of going big goals, big action, they've actually gotten a little bit clearer about being a little bit more precise about what they're going to do to hit the goal. So they tend to do fewer things at a higher level. And one team I remember at a huge biomedical company went from the bottom quartile to the top three in two quarters and they focused on one product and one customer. And they just used the book and they just said, how simple can we make it? And the challenge why people don't like to do that is that when there's complexity, people have places to hide. If you say you're just going to do one thing, it's yes or no, did you do it? And that, that's a huge amount of accountability. So one, I've found people grow their revenue by simplifying their sales funnels hugely. And the other one from a team is we teach people to do a very simple business plan. Everything's on one page and it's gotta be like 12 point type, no cheating. And if it's that simple, like one goal, three big initiatives, everybody kind of knows what their role is. And so we found two things like the. The power of focus and the power of clarity in business are very underrated, do you find?
John Janice
I know you probably have worked with people that have been very successful that get, at some point get to a place where they're like, okay, I've done a lot of things. What's next? So is that then a different reframing of the one thing or is it just, okay, I just need to sit down and restrategize?
Jay Papasan
I think that we have seasons in our life.
Co-host
Right.
Jay Papasan
And I do think that, you know, I know that something I read about millennials say that they'll have as many as like 14 careers in their life.
Marketing Expert
And I've been at the same place.
Jay Papasan
For 24 years and my dad was at the same place for 25. Gary's been doing the same thing for 45. But if I actually step back, I've gone through phases about every seven years.
Co-host
Yeah, yeah.
Jay Papasan
And the one constant for me has been books. That has been the through line of my life. So there is a theme, but what I've been doing around it has evolved and changed. So I'm open to that. Like, I don't think that just because that's your one thing that you're a prisoner to it. But what I do find is that if you can make peace with the boredom of success, which most people struggle with.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
Their one thing will open up so many doors to things they didn't expect. So I don't know, Like, I don't. I think that we can always ask the question, has my one thing changed?
Co-host
Yeah.
John Janice
Well, the world's changed around us, right. Every. Every five years, so we better be at least checking in. Right?
Jay Papasan
Yeah. With AI and everything, like now, especially us writers. I mean, my goodness.
Co-host
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
John Janice
So I know you have the. I read it in the bio, the name of it. Let me get it right. The one thing. Training company. So do people show? Is that something that people buy from you, custom or do you have routine like, I can show up and we'll do this three day thing. How does that work?
Jay Papasan
You know, it's evolving. When I took over, I think we had 24 SKUs and I remember sitting down at a mastermind and someone said, dude, your first job is to one thing, your one thing business. I was like, yeah, I heard you. And we've simplified and now we have basically one model for like what people come to us for is I want to either run my life or my business using these principles.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
So I worked with our head coach, guy named Jordan Fried. He's been my coach for the last few years. We built out our training program. Here's where we start, here's where we finish, and here's how we keep going. And we now just kind of offer that in different formats. Do you want to do a group coaching model? Do you want us to come to your company and teach it? Do you want us to do one on one coaching? Right. We have different ways we deliver. Fundamentally our one thing process, it's a little different for big businesses. We have some Fortune 50 companies.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
And there's a lot more rules with them, that's for sure. But we do, we fundamentally today teach people how to lead themselves and lead their teams using these principles. And we offer it in different mediums. That would be the simplest way I could explain it. And we just get leads on the website. Right now we don't even do cold outreach.
John Janice
How much of a competitive advantage or competitive asset do you believe the one thing is for Keller Williams?
Jay Papasan
We've got two signature books. So what's weird, the one thing has sold 3.6 million copies in all editions now it'll be 3.7 in the next few months. Our first book we co wrote together and we published it in 2003 was called the Millionaire Real Estate Agent that sold 1.6 in an industry at that time of about 800,000. Today it's over a million. Both of them are perennial sellers. They're not always on the bestseller list anymore. But I do believe when people say look up and say you wrote the book on X, it provides a certain amount of thought leadership. It's very hard to measure. You know this with PR and marketing.
John Janice
Sure, sure.
Jay Papasan
But the exposure. I have to think every time someone walked through an airport, they saw Gary Keller's name on a bestselling book.
Co-host
Yeah.
Jay Papasan
That has to provide a certain amount of authority. And I can tell you, I talked to the people who run our franchises and I just always ask the question, how many of you had someone show up to join your team without you recruiting them? Because they read a book and there's usually always about 10% of the room will raise their hands so it attracts talent, it provides thought leadership. I can't measure it, but I know that we grew about 40% year over year for six years after the first book came out.
Co-host
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
John Janice
No, I think there's no question there's some attribution there.
Jay Papasan
I think it's a great reason for business people to write books.
John Janice
Yeah, no, no question. Absolutely. I mean, I have a similar story when my first book came out, you know, no question. Again, I appreciate you taking a moment to stop by the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. I mean, it's really amazing to the, you know, you think of the legacy that this book has created for. For you.
Jay Papasan
And it's funny, I feel the same way about you. Like, you're on, like, my special shelf with owlries and trout and Seth Godin. Like, you're in the hallowed halls of marketing writers for me. So I'm kind of sitting here and thinking, wow, I'm so lucky to be on your podcast. So thank you for having me. I'm serious about that.
John Janice
Well, I appreciate that, Jay. And again, I appreciate you taking a few moments, and hopefully we'll run into you again soon. One of these days out there on the road.
Jay Papasan
Can't wait.
Marketing Expert
Let me ask you a few things. You feel like you know, what differentiates your business from every other business out there? Can you confidently charge a premium for what you offer? Are you working from a plan, a marketing roadmap that allows you to know precisely what to do next? Look, don't worry if you can't answer yes to any or all of these questions. You're not alone. See, marketers today get so focused on the tactic of the week staring them right in the face that they forget to look at the big picture, the overarching strategy needed to consistently grow their business. Over the years, I've worked with thousands of businesses, helping them do just that. Create the perfect marketing strategy and plan that gives total clarity about what to do next, confidence to charge ahead and charge more, and complete control of the marketing tactics they choose. I would love to help you and your team do the same. Look to find out if our Strategy first program is right for you. Visit DTM World Grow and request a free consultation. That's DTM World Growing.
The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast: The Secret to Smarter, Focused Productivity
Episode Release Date: January 9, 2025
Host: John Jantsch
Guest: Jay Papasan
In this episode of The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, host John Jantsch welcomes Jay Papasan, a best-selling author and VP of Strategic Content for Keller Williams Realty International. Jay is renowned for co-authoring The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results. The conversation delves deep into the principles of focused productivity, the enduring success of The One Thing, and practical strategies for individuals and businesses to enhance their productivity and growth.
John Jantsch begins by inquiring about Jay’s title:
[01:50] John Jantsch: "My guest today is Jay Papasan. He's a best-selling author and VP of Strategic Content for Keller Williams Realty International. ... Jay, welcome to the show."
Jay Papasan explains his unique role:
[01:57] Jay Papasan: "It's not what you think... I love creating content... I consider it a success."
Jay’s multifaceted role encompasses content creation, editorial direction, and strategic planning, which enables him to minimize unsolicited outreach, allowing a focus on meaningful marketing strategies.
John Jantsch reflects on the longevity of The One Thing:
[03:02] John Jantsch: "I read it 11 years ago... is there anything that keeps it selling year in, year out?"
Jay Papasan attributes the book's lasting appeal to its timeless content and accessibility:
[03:24] Jay Papasan: "Gary was very clear... we wanted to write a timeless book... wrote at a fifth-grade reading level to ensure wide accessibility."
Key factors contributing to the book's enduring popularity include:
The heart of the discussion revolves around identifying and honing in on "the one thing" that drives significant results. Jay emphasizes the importance of clarity and prioritization in both personal and professional contexts.
Core Discussions:
The Power of "One Thing":
Habit Formation:
Impact on Business Leaders:
Seasonal Shifts in Focus:
Jay Papasan shares actionable strategies derived from his teachings and experiences:
Identifying the One Thing:
Developing Effective Habits:
Simplifying Business Processes:
Adapting to Change:
Clarity Over Tactics:
[00:01] Marketing Expert: "Marketers today get so focused on the tactic of the week... they forget to look at the big picture."
Simplicity in Decision-Making:
[07:38] John Jantsch: "What's next? Is that a different reframing of the one thing or just... restrategize?"
Power of Saying No:
[15:09] Jay Papasan: "Some yeses are bigger than others... more clear yeses in our life so that we can say no."
Habit Transformation:
[14:28] Jay Papasan: "We had the highest reported overall halo effect when people took five minutes in the morning to look at their goals."
Authority Through Authorship:
[20:31] Jay Papasan: "When someone says, look up and say you wrote the book on X, it provides a certain amount of thought leadership."
Jay Papasan discusses the significant influence of The One Thing on both individual productivity and corporate growth. The book has sold over 3.6 million copies, establishing thought leadership and attracting talent to Keller Williams. By embedding the principles of focused productivity into business strategies, companies have achieved remarkable growth and sustainability.
Key Impacts Highlighted:
In this insightful episode, Jay Papasan shares his profound understanding of focused productivity and its application in both personal and business contexts. By emphasizing the importance of identifying the "one thing," developing supportive habits, and maintaining clarity in objectives, Jay provides invaluable strategies for achieving extraordinary results. Listeners are encouraged to implement these principles to streamline their efforts, reduce distractions, and ultimately drive meaningful growth.
Resources Mentioned:
For more insights and actionable marketing strategies, tune in to The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast and visit DTM World Grow for additional resources and consultations.