Extreme Focus in Fitness: Applying The One Thing & Pareto Principle to Strength, Fat Loss, and Performance
Why Everything Doesn’t Matter Equally
Jamie Dixon, MS, CSCS
Owner & Head Coach, The FIT Facility
Adults are busier than ever. They train consistently, they eat “pretty well,” and yet they see the same body composition year over year, the same strength numbers, and the same movement limitations. Why? Because they treat everything like it matters equally. That’s the real injury.
As explained in my previous blog article about the “Domino Effect” — I started reading the book “The One Thing” and decided to take notes as go I; chapter by chapter and how I can relate this book back to health & wellness/fitness/sports performance.
In The One Thing (Keller & Papasan, 2013), Chapter 4 — as part of the “6 lies between you and success” — the author introduces a deceptively simple but profoundly disruptive idea: not everything matters equally. There will always be a handful of actions that disproportionately influence outcomes, and among those, one will matter most.
This concept is not merely a productivity framework. It mirrors biological adaptation, systems theory, and performance science. The human body responds to dominant stressors. Outcomes are rarely linear; they are disproportionate. Small levers move large systems.
This article begins a chapter-by-chapter analysis of The One Thing, applying its principles specifically to health, wellness, fitness, and sports performance. Chapter 4 centers on prioritization, the Pareto Principle, and what Keller calls “extreme Pareto” thinking. When applied correctly, these concepts eliminate distraction and sharpen execution.
For adults and athletes alike, this may be the difference between activity and measurable progress.
The Horror Movie Decision Trap
Keller uses an analogy from horror movies.
There’s danger outside the house. Instead of running out the front door, the character runs upstairs.
Why?
Because in panic, any decision feels better than no decision.
“The best decision gets traded for any decision.”
That hits hard in fitness.
In fitness terms, this is the difference between showing up and showing up with intent. Between being active and being adaptive. And that distinction changes everything.
Busy adults are overwhelmed. Work. Kids. Emails. Obligations. Everything feels urgent. So when they finally get to the gym, they just “do something.”
Some machines.
Some curls.
Some cardio.
They leave sweaty and feel accomplished.
But sweat is not strategy. Getting sweaty doesn’t get you closer to your goals.
The question isn’t whether you made a decision.
The question is whether it was the right one.
In my experience — most people haven’t a clue — respectfully of course.
One quote stuck out to me.
“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants.” - Henry David Thoreau
Ants move constantly.
But they don’t prioritize.
Most adults treat the gym like an ant colony. Activity everywhere. No hierarchy.
They check boxes:
Went to gym.
Did workout.
Sweated.
But the body doesn’t reward busyness.
It rewards adaptation.
And adaptation follows leverage.
High Performers Prioritize Differently
In the Built to Last mentorship program I was part of last year hosted by Andy McCloy and Luka Hocevar — 2 giants in the industry — we prioritization a personal productivity system: A, B, C.
A tasks were 24 hours. B were 48. C were 72.
Then inside A, there was A1, A2, A3.
Not all A tasks were equal.
Only one was A1.
That system forced clarity.
Most people don’t run their health like that.
They say, “I need to work out more.”
That’s vague — more isn’t a “when”.
That’s not A1.
A1 looks like this:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 5:30 PM. Non-negotiable.
High performers in business already understand leverage. They just don’t apply it to their bodies.
Pareto’s Principle in Strength & Fat Loss
Chapter 4 dives into Pareto’s Principle, the 80/20 rule. Roughly 20 percent of actions drive 80 percent of results.
But Keller takes it further. He suggests you keep distilling.
Take the 20 percent of the 20 percent.
Then the 20 percent of that.
Until you find the one thing that matters most.
Let’s apply that to fitness.
If someone wants to lose weight, what matters most?
Energy balance. If you don’t reduce calories, fat loss does not happen. Period.
You can debate different diet types all day but if intake doesn’t come down, nothing changes.
If someone wants to get stronger, what matters most?
Progressive overload. You must challenge yourself with heavier loads over time.
You cannot curl the same 25-pound dumbbells for 18 months with no type of alterations (progressive overload) and expect transformation.
If someone wants to get faster?
Relative strength matters the most. Speed is force applied quickly relative to body weight.
You must be strong enough to be fast.
Speed ladders are great for coordination — cone drills won’t compensate for insufficient force production.
Extreme Pareto vs. “Majoring in the Minor”
This is where I see people get stuck.
I once had a client dissecting different types of curls — long head bias, short head bias, cable angle, grip variation. Asking all kinds of nuanced detailed questions.
Look, those differences exist.
But unless you’re stepping on a bodybuilding stage, that’s minor detail.
The bigger question is this:
Are you training close to failure with enough load to force adaptation?
Because if you’re not, arguing about cable angles is intellectual distraction.
If your foundational constraints aren’t addressed — caloric balance, progressive overload, relative strength — debating angle nuances is performance cosplay.
One last thought: The internet loves nuance — most of the stuff you see online is designed to get clicks and be engaged with.
Do you really think someone will get engagement with going to failure with a straight bar curl?
No of course not — however it’s without a doubt the simplest/most effective way to change the shape of your little pea-shooters.
The Real Takeaway for Adults and Athletes
Here’s what usually happens.
Someone says:
“I want to get in shape.”
So they:
Try new exercises.
Add supplements.
Watch YouTube videos.
Switch programs every three weeks.
Activity goes up.
Progress doesn’t.
Because they never distilled the problem.
They never asked “What actually moves the needle most?”
For most busy adults, the answer is simple.
Consistent, structured resistance training three times per week.
That’s it.
Not constantly varied movements — honestly you’re probably not good enough/or strong enough yet for that to matter — you need more practice (reps).
Not trends — ignore what’s hot — your favorite fitness influencer more than likely is a knuckle dragger in gym lingerie.
Not biohacks — there’s no biological free lunches. You can’t cold plunge your way into fitness.
Consistency.
Once that’s in place, everything else gets easier.
Nutrition improves.
Energy improves.
Confidence improves.
One lever moves multiple outcomes.
ACtion Steps For This Week
Keller’s focusing question — What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? — becomes a decision filter. In fitness, that means identifying and executing the lever that gives you most traction this cycle.
There will always be a handful of things that matter more.
Out of those, one will matter most.
If you feel overwhelmed in your health or performance, don’t ask:
“What should I do today?”
Ask:
“What is the single biggest constraint holding me back?”
Then attack that.
Protect it.
Schedule it like A1.
Because if everything is A1, nothing is.
And if you keep trading the best decision for any decision, you’ll stay busy… and stuck.
This week, identify the single biggest constraint holding your fitness back. Put it on your calendar as a protected block.
Track it daily.
Evaluate results in 7 days.
If you find resources like this useful and are ready to start prioritizing your health/wellness & fitness or sports performance reach out here to get the ball rolling.