1249: The One Thing That Changes Everything (If You Let It) With Jay Papasan
Emotionally Uncomfortable
Hosted by Heather Chauvin | Insights inspired by Mel Robbins, Bréne Brown, Danielle Laporte, Elizab
4.6 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 28 January 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"Almost everybody will overestimate how much they can grow in one year. At the same time, they underestimate how much they can grow in five."
In this episode, Heather talks with Jay Papasan about why doing more isn't the answer, how relentless productivity can actually work against you, and what happens when you commit to the one thing that truly matters. This is a conversation about focus as a skill, boredom as a feature of mastery, and the quiet, intentional choices that make everything else easier (or unnecessary). If you're tired of spinning your wheels and ready to aim strategically instead of swinging harder, this episode will reframe how you approach your goals, your time, and yourself.
What to listen for:
✨ What "the one thing" is, and how it applies to life roles and responsibilities
✨ How addiction to productivity is harming us and how to choose aligned priorities
✨ Training your brain to narrow its focus so that you make the most of your actions
"You get to pick where you're aiming the tool. You ask the question, 'What's the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?'"
✨ Why doing tasks earlier in the day helps bypass resistance and distraction
✨ Implementing the essential practice of "goals before phones" to stay on track
✨ Working with the human element when accountability doesn't work
"What would your world look like if every day, before you look at your phone, you had to look at your goals? When people are reminded of their priorities, they're more likely to keep them."
✨ What happens on the other side of being strategically focused and intentional
✨ How to make peace with the boredom of success that's required for mastery
✨ Getting honest about how suffering and self-sabotage are serving you (or not)
About Jay Papasan:
Jay Papasan [Pap-uh-zan] is a bestselling author who has served in multiple executive leadership positions during his 24-year career at Keller Williams Realty International, the world's largest real estate company. During his time with KW, Jay has led the company's education, publishing, research, and strategic content departments.
Jay is also CEO of The ONE Thing training company Produktive, host of The ONE Thing podcast, and co-owner, alongside his wife Wendy, of Papasan Properties Group with Keller Williams Realty in Austin, Texas. He is also the co-host of the Think Like a CEO podcast with Keller Williams co-founder, Gary Keller.
In 2003, Jay co-authored The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, a million-copy bestseller, alongside Gary Keller and Dave Jenks. His other bestselling real estate titles include The Millionaire Real Estate Investor and SHIFT. In September 2025, Jay will celebrate the launch of his first solo title, Rookie Real Estate Agent.
Jay's most recent work with Gary Keller on The ONE Thing has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide and garnered more than 500 appearances on national bestseller lists, including #1 on The Wall Street Journal's hardcover business list, and has been translated into 40+ different languages.
Every Friday, Jay shares concise, actionable insights for growing your business, optimizing your time, and expanding your mindset in his newsletter, The TwentyPercenter.
Connect with Jay:
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Website: https://jaypapasan.com
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Facebook and Instagram: @jaypapasan
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The ONE Thing book: https://the1thing.com
***
For those of you who are ready to stop feeling drained, overextended, and out of alignment… join me for a one-on-one Time & Energy Audit, a focused session designed to help high-achieving women uncover what's draining them, clarify what truly matters, and create a simple plan that fits their life.
We'll pinpoint your biggest time + energy leaks, identify the top areas to focus on for quick momentum, and map out exactly what to let go of so you can reclaim your energy, your time, and your joy.
Ready to make your time work for you without adding more to your plate?
Book a Time & Energy Audit: https://heatherchauvin.com/audit
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I think we have a busyness culture where we mistake activity doing a lot for getting a lot done. |
| 0:07.4 | When I hear that someone is always busy, always running behind, sometimes I wonder are they hiding from something? |
| 0:15.2 | Because it is great camouflage. Our society rewards lots of activity, but the truth is we probably need to be doing |
| 0:23.6 | fewer things for greater effect because all the things we're doing right now are just creating |
| 0:29.0 | side effects, burnout, overwork, overwhelm, anxiety, stress. And so it's a counterculture move. |
| 0:37.1 | I think we think activity is productivity and they are the opposite. |
| 0:41.0 | Acting on our priorities is how you become productive. |
| 0:58.3 | Have you ever read the book The One Thing? |
| 1:05.9 | It is co-written by the author that I interviewed and you're going to hear today. |
| 1:07.5 | Jay Papasan. |
| 1:10.8 | I read The One Thing a while back. And I remember I had a client talk about the one thing. |
| 1:14.9 | And I've had colleagues talk about the one thing. And here's the interesting part about this |
| 1:20.8 | whole concept, the one thing. It is really about simplicity and focus. And over the years, what I've realized is how resistance shows up and manifests itself in our lives when we decide to focus. |
| 1:42.0 | Many times people will come to me with the questions that I know are resistance |
| 1:48.5 | based. So they will say things to me like, I don't know what I want, or I don't know what my goals are, |
| 1:57.1 | or I don't know where to focus, they start using labels like neurodiverse labels to |
| 2:05.0 | qualify why they cannot focus or they'll use their family or their partner or the economy |
| 2:12.9 | or something as to why they can't focus. And over the years, what I've realized and of course being a |
| 2:21.1 | student of my own work is that your brain is designed to keep you safe. It is not designed at all, |
| 2:29.2 | ever, to actually keep you healthy. So if you understand that concept, that your brain is literally |
| 2:37.1 | designed to keep you safe, safe, and alive. But it is not designed to make you feel alive. |
| 2:46.3 | It is literally just designed for the bare minimum. And when you truly understand that, you begin to |
... |
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