Stop Working 10 Hours a Day: The 60-Minute Hack That Saved My Schedule.

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I used to sit at my desk for eight hours but only get two hours of real work done. I tried apps, calendars, and alarms, but I just kept hitting snooze. I realized my problem wasn't laziness; it was "Time Blindness." I couldn't see time passing, so I wasted it. That changed when I bought a simple visual timer for my desk.

At 6 PM, I looked at my to-do list. I'd checked off 15 tasks, but I still felt like I hadn't accomplished anything. I'd been busy all day—answering emails, attending meetings, doing small tasks—but I hadn't touched my most important work.

This was my life every day last semester. I'd wake up with 20+ tasks on my mental list. I'd check off 15 of them, but I'd still feel like I hadn't made real progress. I was busy, but I wasn't productive.

Then I discovered the One Thing Approach from Gary Keller's book The ONE Thing, combined with a visual timer. It's not about doing more. It's about doing what matters most—and making time visible so you can't ignore it.

I went from checking off 15 tasks to finishing 1 important task. I went from busy to productive. I went from exhausted to energized.

My Experience: The Mistake I Made

The Old Way (Trying to Do Everything):

20 tasks on my mental list
Checked off 15 tasks (all small, easy tasks)
Felt exhausted (decision fatigue)
Made no real progress (didn't touch important work)
Accomplished nothing meaningful

The New Way (One Thing Approach):

1 essential task per day
Finished it first (before 11 AM)
Felt accomplished (real progress)
Made meaningful progress (moved forward significantly)
Accomplished 3x more

The difference: Focus instead of fragmentation. I stopped trying to do everything and started doing what matters most.

Activity vs. Progress: The Choice

Feature	The "Busy" Worker	The "One Thing" Strategy
Priority	Everything is urgent	One task is essential
Focus	Multi-tasking	Single-tasking (Deep Work)
Mental Energy	High decision fatigue	High clarity
Daily Result	Small steps in 20 directions	One giant leap forward

My experience: Busy workers feel exhausted. One Thing strategists feel accomplished.

1. What the "One Thing" Approach Is

The rule is simple:

Every day, identify the one task that, if completed, makes everything else easier or unnecessary.

This task gets your best energy and your first hour. Emails, meetings, and admin can wait. Finish your most important task first, and the rest of your day becomes a downhill ride.

My system: I identify my One Thing the night before. I do it first thing in the morning, before checking my phone or email. Once it's done, the rest of the day feels easy.

My experience: I went from trying to do 20 things to focusing on 1 thing. The 1 thing moved me forward more than the 20 ever did.

The foundation: This approach comes from Gary Keller's book The ONE Thing. I read this book after struggling with productivity, and it completely changed how I approach my day. The book explains the science behind why focusing on one thing at a time is more effective than multitasking, and provides a framework for identifying your true priorities. I use this book instead of productivity apps because apps require me to use my phone—which leads to distractions. The book gives me a mental framework I can apply anywhere, without any digital temptation.

2. The Science of Focus

The Zeigarnik Effect

The science: Your brain remembers unfinished tasks better than finished ones. With 20 open tasks, your brain runs "background programs" for all of them. This leads to mental exhaustion.

My experience: I used to have 20+ tasks floating in my head. My brain was constantly "rehearsing" them, draining my mental energy. I felt exhausted even though I hadn't done anything.

The fix: Completing your "One Thing" clears this mental cache and frees cognitive energy for the rest of your day.

My system: I complete my One Thing first. Once it's done, my brain stops worrying about it. I reclaim mental energy for everything else.

Decision Fatigue

The science: Every decision drains willpower. From what to wear to which email to answer.

My experience: I used to make 50+ decisions per day: "What should I work on next?" "Should I check email?" "Should I respond to this message?"

The fix: Decide your "One Thing" the night before and save your brain's highest energy for actual work.

My system: I decide my One Thing the night before. In the morning, I just execute. No decision-making, just action.

The Power of Single-Tasking

The science: Multitasking is just rapid task-switching, which can lower effective IQ by up to 10 points. Single-tasking on your "One Thing" lets you enter a Flow State, boosting productivity up to 500%.

My experience: I used to think I could multitask. I'd try to work on multiple things at once. I thought I was being efficient, but I was actually being inefficient.

The fix: Single-tasking on your One Thing lets you enter a Flow State. Time disappears, and you do your best work.

My system: I use the Pomodoro Technique with my visual timer—25 minutes of focused work, then a 5-minute break. The problem with phone timers is that you have to unlock your phone to check them—which leads to checking Instagram. This tool is different. It creates a physical, red visual wedge that disappears as time passes. It forces you to focus because you can literally see your time running out. I specifically use this completely silent model because it doesn't tick, so it doesn't break my flow state. Turning a physical dial feels more committing than pressing a button on a screen.

If you struggle with ADHD or just get easily distracted, having a visual countdown is a game-changer because it externalizes your executive function. You don't have to remember to check the time—it's right there, shrinking before your eyes.

3. How to Identify Your "One Thing"

Ask the Focusing Question:

"What is the one thing I can do today, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"

Look for:

The Frog: The task you're most likely to procrastinate on.
The Lever: The task that moves your project forward significantly.
The Impact: The one task that, if done by noon, makes the day feel successful.

My system: Every night, I ask this question. I identify my One Thing and write it down. In the morning, I do it first.

My experience: If it feels uncomfortable but important, I've probably found it. The tasks I avoid are usually the ones that matter most.

4. The Compound Effect of Daily Focus

The science: Productivity isn't about a single heroic day. It's about consistent direction. Improving your focus by just 1% daily leads to exponential growth.

The math: 1.01^365 ≈ 37.78

By finishing your "One Thing" every day for a year, you end up 37 times more effective than when you started.

My experience: I started with one focused day. Then 30 focused days. Then 365 focused days. The compound effect is real.

My results:

Month 1: Finished 3 major projects
Month 2: Built a consistent routine
Month 3: Saw exponential progress
Month 6: Transformed my productivity

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Picking a Shallow Task: Don't let "Clean my inbox" be your One Thing. Choose progress, not maintenance.

My experience: I used to pick easy tasks as my One Thing. I'd feel accomplished, but I wasn't making real progress. Now I pick tasks that move me forward.

Not Protecting Time: Checking your phone before your One Thing wastes your peak energy.

My experience: I used to check my phone first thing. I'd see messages and emails, and my One Thing would get pushed to "later." Now I protect my One Thing time like it's a meeting with the CEO.

Overthinking the Choice: Pick the obvious heavy task and start. Don't spend an hour deciding.

My experience: I used to spend 30 minutes deciding my One Thing. Now I pick it in 2 minutes and start. Action beats perfection.

My Current One Thing System

Evening (9 PM):

Review tomorrow's schedule
Identify my One Thing
Write it down
Prep for morning

Morning (9-11 AM):

Do my One Thing first
Phone in another room
No email, no messages
Set my visual timer for 45 minutes
Just focus

My setup for deep work: Coffee, noise-canceling headphones, and my visual timer set to 45 minutes. The physical presence of the timer on my desk creates a psychological commitment that digital timers can't match.

Afternoon:

Everything else feels easy
Handle emails, messages, admin
Low-energy tasks

Results:

More accomplished
Less stress
Better grades
More energy

Final Thoughts

You don't need to do everything. You just need to do the right thing at the right time with full attention.

I went from trying to do 20 things to focusing on 1 thing. I went from exhausted to energized. I went from busy to productive.

Protect your "One Thing" and you stop being a passenger in life. You become the architect of your success.

Action Plan

Tonight, write down your "One Thing" for tomorrow. Do it first thing in the morning, before opening a single app.

You don't need a complicated system to be productive. You just need to make time visible and focus on what matters most. If you find yourself scrolling TikTok when you should be studying, give this approach a try.

If you want to dive deeper into the "One Thing" methodology and understand the science behind why focusing on one task at a time is so powerful, I highly recommend reading The ONE Thing by Gary Keller. It's the book that introduced me to this approach and completely transformed how I think about productivity.

Check out the exact visual timer I use here.

Question for readers: What's the "One Thing" that would make your week successful if you finished it tomorrow? Share it in the comments and let's get it done!