The ONE Thing

Jay sits down with research scientist-turned-entrepreneur David Priemer to do a deep dive into the proven science and psychology of sales.

In this conversation, David shares how curiosity - not charisma - became his competitive advantage, and the foundation of his newest business, Cerebral Selling. He breaks down the psychology behind buying decisions and explains why the best sales conversations don’t start with your product. They start with the problem.

You’ll hear how David used The ONE Thing to host high-impact executive dinners at Salesforce, turning simple focus questions into powerful masterminds that drove real results. He also unpacks his “PITCH” framework - the storytelling structure behind infomercials - and shows how it applies to premium products, leadership, and everyday conversations.

Whether you carry a sales title or not, you are in the business of influence. This episode will help you approach it with more empathy, clarity, and intention.

Challenge of the Week:

Before your next important conversation, pause and ask yourself: What does this person truly value? Shape your message around that—and see what changes.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00]  From Research Scientist to Sales Authority


[08:14] Turning Curiosity Into Cerebral Selling


[09:30] Why The ONE Thing Became Required Reading for Sales Teams


[12:40]  How Executive Dinners Became High-ROI Masterminds


[13:57] Using the Focusing Question to Unlock Peer Coaching


[21:13] The Psychology of Selling the Problem First


[23:19]  Breaking Down the PITCH Infomercial Formula


[31:52] Applying the PITCH Formula to Premium Enterprise Sales


[37:56]  The Power of Selling What People Truly Value

Links & Tools from This Episode:


To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink


Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive


Check out David’s Business Cerebral Selling


Sell the Way You Buy by David Priemer


David Priemer’s TED Talk: “Why You’re Bad at Buying Stuff”


Free Resources


Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected]  

Produced by NOVA

If you feel like you have 30 browser tabs open in your brain, you’re not alone. Most business owners don’t have a capacity problem—they have a clarity problem.

In this episode, Jay Papasan unpacks the science behind overwhelm, including the Zeigarnik effect and additive bias, and explains why unfinished tasks drain your mental bandwidth. When you try to multitask your way out, you only slow everything down and create more open loops.

The solution isn’t better time management. It's a better selection.

Jay walks you through how to download all your open loops, apply extreme Pareto thinking, and identify the first domino that deserves your full focus. You’ll learn why extraordinary success is sequential, not simultaneous, and how redefining what “finished” means can free up mental space and build momentum.

If you’re tired of chasing inbox zero and still feeling behind, this episode gives you permission to subtract, prioritize, and focus on what truly matters.

Challenge of the Week:

Download every open loop in your life—personal and professional. Identify your true 20 percent. Choose your ONE Thing for the week, give it extra time, and let the rest wait.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00] Reframing the Overwhelm: From Myth to Clarity and Boundaries


[4:45] The Science Behind Open Loops: Zeigarnik Effect, Additive Bias, and Decision Drift 


[9:59] The ONE Thing’s Principle and the Alphabet vs Alternating Test


[17:09] Real World Stories: In-N-Out to Daya and Courtney


[23:37] Practical Steps: Download, Extreme Pareto and Redefine “Finished”.


[30:20] The ONE Thing Weekly Challenge 

Links & Tools from This Episode:


The ONE Thing Operating System


Bluma Zeigarnik (Zeigarnik Effect)


Leidy Klotz (Additive Bias Research)


Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)


Free Resources


Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected]  

Produced by NOVA

Most high performers think they have a productivity problem. They don’t. They have a purpose problem.

In this episode, Jay Papasan pulls back the curtain on what The ONE Thing has always been about. Yes, it lives in the productivity section of bookstores. Yes, it teaches focus. But at its core, it’s a purpose book.

Using the iceberg metaphor from the original book, Jay walks through the real order of success: purpose drives priority, and priority drives productivity. When you start at the surface with hacks and tools, you get busyness. When you start beneath the surface with clarity about why you’re working in the first place, everything changes.

He shares stories from Stu McLaren and Pat Flynn, unpacks the rider-and-elephant concept from The Happiness Hypothesis, and challenges you to define your “season” of life. What matters most right now? What role can you not afford to fail?

If you’ve been feeling busy but unfulfilled, this conversation will help you realign your work with what truly matters.

Challenge of the Week:

Block 30 minutes this week and ask yourself one simple question: Why am I working so hard? Journal your answer. Don’t edit it. Just get honest. Clarity begins there.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00] Productivity vs. Purpose


[01:09] The Busyness Trap


[04:30] The Iceberg


[13:59] Stu McLaren and the Courage to Pivot Toward Purpose


[17:09]  Building a Successful Business Can’t Be The Only Goal


[18:18] Purpose Is Always in Charge


[24:31] The Simple Challenge: Start With Purpose

Links & Tools from This Episode:


The ONE Thing Operating System


The ONE Thing (book)


Stu McLaren Website


Michael Hyatt Website


Pat Flynn


Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn


The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt


Free Resources


Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected]  

Produced by NOVA

At 19 years old, Amy Purdy went to work feeling a little run down. Within 24 hours, she was fighting for her life in the hospital. She beat the odds, and survived a life-threatening infection - but she would ultimately lose both legs below the knee as a result. What followed wasn’t a comeback story built on motivation posters. It was a masterclass in agency.

In this conversation, Amy walks Jay through the moment she asked a life-altering question from her hospital bed: If your life were a book, how would you want the story to go? That question became her anchor. From there, she visualized a future that didn’t yet exist and worked backward, one problem at a time.

Amy shares how she became a pioneer in adaptive snowboarding, literally building the prosthetics she needed to ride again. Along the way, she discovered that challenges don’t block the path. They create it. The same tools that helped her survive her darkest days became the tools that carried her to Paralympic medals, entrepreneurship, and the stage.

This episode is about clarity, purpose, obsession in the right direction, and learning to “bounce forward” when life removes the familiar path.

Challenge of the Week:

Set aside quiet time to visualize your best self. Don’t negotiate with reality yet. See it. Feel it. Then ask, what would have to be true for this to happen? Start there.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00] This Is a Story About Agency, Not Limitation


[02:30] They Gave Me a 2% Survival Chance. She Beat the Odds.


[11:45] The Idea That Led to Agency


[15:04] Find The Power to Solving Your Own Problems


[17:16] Turning Failure Into a Design Problem


[21:21] Amy’s First Successful Run


[24:45] Everyone Feels incomplete


[28:03] The Power of Visualization


[33:26] Turning Pain into Purpose


[40:16] From Success to Survival


[44:06] Visualizing Your Best Self

Links & Tools from This Episode:


Pre-order Bounce Forward by Amy Purdy


Read On My Own Two Feet by Amy Purdy


Adaptive Action Sports (organization founded by Amy Purdy)


Follow Amy Purdy on Instagram: @amypurdygurl


Free Resources


Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected]  

Produced by NOVA

Are you ghosting your goals? By February, most people have already given up on the goals they set in January. But what if the reason you keep ignoring your goals isn’t a lack of discipline, but a lack of relationship? In this episode, Jay Papasan invites you to stop “proposing” to your goals every January and start dating them regularly instead.

Jay breaks down why most goals fade by February and how to replace goal drift with steady progress. He walks through the full framework, from writing a Someday Letter and working backward into five-year and one-year milestones, to using the 411 to translate goals into weekly, time-blockable actions.

You’ll also learn why a 30-minute weekly “date” with your goals and a five-minute daily check-in before your phone can radically change your focus, reduce the busyness trap, and prevent Groundhog Year from repeating itself.

This episode is a practical reset for anyone who feels busy but stuck. The answer isn’t setting better goals. It’s staying in touch with the ones you already have.

Challenge of the Week:

Schedule a 30-minute appointment with yourself. Review your goals and identify the one thing you can do next week to get back on track. Think big, aim small.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


Why most people ghost their goals by February


How to use the Someday Letter to clarify long-term direction


Turning goals into weekly actions with the 411

Links & Tools from This Episode:


The 411 and Someday Letter Exercises are Available on Our Free Resources


Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected]  

Produced by NOVA