Do Less, Achieve More: 7 Lessons from The ONE Thing I'm Taking Into 2027
Discover 7 lessons from The ONE Thing to improve focus, boost productivity, achieve your 2027 goals, and make more time for what truly matters.
BOOK NOTESSOCIAL MEDIA GROWTHFREELANCING
11/10/20268 min read
Do Less, Achieve More: 7 Lessons from The ONE Thing I'm Taking Into 2027
Why I'm rethinking productivity, focusing on what matters, and making more time for life outside work.
I've been rereading one of my favourite books, The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, as we get closer to 2027.
I have some pretty big goals for next year. I want to grow my income, build my YouTube channel, and become more intentional with how I spend my time.
But here's the thing. I don't want to achieve those goals by spending even more hours working.
One of the reasons I chose freelancing was to have more freedom. I want to build something that gives me more opportunities while still having time for my family, travelling, and doing the things I enjoy.
And that's why this book resonates with me.
It's a reminder that being productive isn't necessarily about getting more things done. Sometimes, it's about doing fewer things, but choosing the ones that actually make a difference.
So, here are seven lessons from The ONE Thing that I'm planning to apply in 2027.
1. Not Everything Matters Equally
This is probably one of the biggest lessons I need to remind myself of, especially as a freelancer and content creator.
There are days when I finish so many tasks and feel like I've been productive. I've answered emails, checked my social media accounts, researched new tools, planned content, and organised my to-do list.
But at the end of the day, the one task that could actually help me grow my business is still sitting there, untouched.
Sound familiar?
I think it's easy to confuse being busy with making progress, especially when you're working for yourself. There's always something that needs your attention, and everything can feel equally important.
But the reality is, some tasks contribute more to our goals than others.
For 2027, I want to stop measuring my productivity by how many tasks I can cross off my list.
Instead, I want to ask myself whether the work I'm doing is actually moving me closer to where I want to be.
Because finishing ten small tasks doesn't necessarily mean I've made more progress than spending two focused hours on one important project.
2. Small Actions Can Create a Domino Effect
One of my favourite illustrations from the book is the domino effect.
The idea is simple. A small domino can knock over a slightly bigger domino, which can then knock over an even bigger one.
And if you keep going, something that started small can eventually create an extraordinary result.
When I think about my freelancing journey, this makes so much sense.
I didn't start with all the skills I have today.
I started by learning video editing. Then I began creating content on TikTok, sharing what I was learning, and slowly building an audience.
That eventually opened doors to freelancing opportunities, working with clients, and learning more about digital marketing and content creation.
Now, I'm working on growing my YouTube channel.
Looking back, I realise that one small step led to another. I didn't have everything figured out when I started, and I certainly didn't know where those early decisions would take me.
I just kept learning and trying new things.
And I think that's something worth remembering when we have big goals.
Sometimes we become overwhelmed because we're looking at everything we need to accomplish.
But maybe we don't need to figure everything out right now.
We just need to identify the first domino.
For me, one of those dominos in 2027 will be creating better YouTube videos that genuinely help people.
3. The 80/20 Principle: Focus on What Works
The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, suggests that a relatively small portion of our efforts often produces a large portion of our results.
And I've been thinking about this a lot when it comes to content creation.
Not every video I publish performs the same way.
Some videos get more views. Others attract subscribers. And some continue generating affiliate income long after I've published them.
What's interesting is that the videos that get the most views aren't always the ones that bring the most value to my business.
A video with fewer views might attract exactly the kind of audience I'm trying to reach.
So instead of focusing only on creating more content, I want to spend more time understanding what's actually working.
Which topics attract the right viewers? Which videos bring subscribers? Which content helps people enough that they want to explore the tools or resources I recommend?
These are the questions I want to pay more attention to.
Because sometimes the answer to growing your business isn't creating more.
It's identifying what's already working and doing more of that.
4. Multitasking Isn't Always Productive
I'm definitely guilty of this one.
Sometimes I'll be editing a video, and suddenly I'll remember an email I need to answer.
So I open my inbox.
Then I see a notification, check something else, and before I know it, I'm doing something completely different from what I originally planned.
And the funny thing is, I still feel busy!
But when I look at how much actual work I've completed, I realise that I've spent so much time switching between tasks.
One of the lessons from The ONE Thing is that multitasking comes at a cost. Every time we switch our attention, we interrupt our focus.
This is especially challenging when you work online because distractions are practically everywhere.
There are emails, messages, social media notifications, new tools to explore, and a hundred other things competing for our attention.
For 2027, I want to get better at protecting my focus.
Maybe that means closing unnecessary tabs while editing, checking emails at specific times, or simply putting my phone away when I'm working on something important.
Nothing revolutionary.
And sometimes, I think that's exactly what I need.
Not another productivity app or a more complicated system.
Just the discipline to finish what I started before moving on to something else.
5. Ask the Focusing Question
If there's one lesson from this book that I want to remember throughout 2027, it's this one.
The book introduces the idea of asking a focusing question to identify the single action that could make everything else easier or less necessary.
I find this particularly helpful because, as a freelancer and content creator, there are so many directions I could take.
For example, one of my goals is to grow my income from content creation.
I could start another YouTube channel, publish more videos, create content for different platforms, learn new skills, or explore additional income streams.
And honestly, all of those sound exciting.
But I also know that trying to do everything at once could leave me spreading my time and energy too thin.
So what if I focused on creating better YouTube videos instead?
Videos that answer real questions, solve specific problems, and attract people who are genuinely interested in what I share.
Could that one focus help me grow my audience, build trust, and create more opportunities for affiliate income?
Possibly.
And that's the kind of thinking I want to practise more often.
Instead of asking myself what else I could do, I want to ask what matters most right now.
Because when everything feels important, it's surprisingly easy to lose sight of the things that actually are.
6. Work Backwards From Your Goals
Another concept I really like from the book is working backwards from a big goal.
I think this is especially helpful when you're trying to achieve something that feels far away.
Maybe it's reaching a certain income, growing a business, becoming financially independent, or building a successful YouTube channel.
It's exciting to imagine achieving those goals, but sometimes the distance between where you are and where you want to be feels overwhelming.
Where do you even begin?
One approach is to break your long-term goal into smaller milestones.
Start with where you want to be in five years.
Then ask what you need to accomplish this year to move closer to that goal.
From there, break it down into monthly, weekly, and daily actions.
For example, if I want to grow my YouTube channel in 2027, I need to think beyond simply wanting more subscribers.
I need to consider what kind of content I want to create, how often I can realistically publish, and what I need to improve to make my videos more valuable.
Then I need to make time for those activities every week.
Because having a goal is one thing.
Actually making room for it in your everyday life is another.
And that's something I want to become more intentional about next year.
7. Build One Habit at a Time
I think we've all experienced that burst of motivation when a new year is approaching.
We suddenly want to change everything.
Wake up earlier. Exercise regularly. Read more books. Eat healthier. Create more content. Become more organised.
And for the first few days, everything feels exciting.
But after a few weeks, reality catches up.
We get busy, our schedules change, and suddenly maintaining all those new habits becomes overwhelming.
One lesson from The ONE Thing is that building a habit takes time, and focusing on one habit at a time can make it easier to stay consistent.
I want to remember this as I plan for 2027.
Instead of trying to completely redesign my routine, I want to start with something small and manageable.
Maybe it's dedicating a specific time every week to creating YouTube videos.
Or spending the first hour of my workday on the most important task before checking emails and messages.
The goal isn't to create the perfect routine.
It's to build a habit that I can actually maintain, even when life gets busy.
Because consistency matters more than having an ambitious routine that only lasts two weeks.
My Biggest Takeaway: Productivity Should Give Us More Freedom
After rereading The ONE Thing, I realised that I don't necessarily need to work harder or fill my schedule with more tasks to achieve my goals.
I need to become better at deciding where my time and attention should go.
And I think this is especially important for those of us who work for ourselves.
When you're a freelancer or content creator, there's always something else you could be doing.
Another video to edit. Another platform to explore. Another skill to learn. Another opportunity to pursue.
And while having those opportunities is exciting, I also don't want to spend my entire life working.
I want to grow my income and build something meaningful, but I also want the freedom to enjoy what I'm working so hard for.
More time with my family. More opportunities to travel. More time to explore new interests. And sometimes, simply having a day when I don't have to think about work.
That's what becoming more productive means to me.
Not squeezing more work into every available hour, but making better use of my time so I can enjoy more of my life outside work.
As we head into 2027, I'm reminding myself that I don't need to do everything.
I just need to focus on the things that matter most.
And hopefully, those small, intentional decisions will lead to something much bigger over time.
Now I'm curious: What's your ONE thing that you want to focus on in 2027?
I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
And if you're interested in freelancing, content creation, AI tools, and building a more intentional career, you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I share what I'm learning along the way.
🧰 Creator Tools Worth Knowing (and Using)
These are the tools I genuinely use to run and grow my business. Whether you're building content, managing projects, or streamlining how people connect with you, this stack has been essential. A few include partner links with exclusive discounts.
1. Tella
Create polished screen recordings and video presentations quickly. Great for demos, tutorials, and sharing ideas with clarity.
2. CapCut
A free, intuitive video editor that’s surprisingly powerful. Ideal for both short-form content and more in-depth edits.
3. Dub
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4. Cal.com
Easy, free and customizable scheduling that integrates with your workflow. A professional way to make meetings seamless.
5. Notion
Your all-in-one workspace for notes, project management, documentation, and collaboration.
Some links are affiliate partnerships, which means I may earn a commission if you choose to sign up. I only recommend tools I’ve tested and actually find valuable in my own work.
5. Buffer
Convert video into powerful blog articles.
5. Video to Blog
Your all-in-one social media management tool.
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