How Billionaires Set Goals: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieve Your Goals Using the 4-1-1

2026-04-06

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If you want to achieve real and sustainable success, you don’t need another productivity system - try this instead. In this episode, Jay Papasan sits down with Director of Training Chris Dixon to unpack one of the most requested teachings in The ONE Thing community: the 411. They explain why to-do lists, project management tools, and reactive planning often leave people busy but not truly productive. Then they walk through how the 411 creates a simple, one-page view of your most important goals by connecting the year, the month, and the week. Jay a...

If you want to achieve real and sustainable success, you don’t need another productivity system - try this instead.

In this episode, Jay Papasan sits down with Director of Training Chris Dixon to unpack one of the most requested teachings in The ONE Thing community: the 411.

They explain why to-do lists, project management tools, and reactive planning often leave people busy but not truly productive. Then they walk through how the 411 creates a simple, one-page view of your most important goals by connecting the year, the month, and the week.

Jay and Chris also break down the rhythm that makes the 411 work: daily review, weekly reflection, monthly adjustment, and time blocking the actions that matter most. Along the way, they share common mistakes people make, how to avoid turning the 411 into another to-do list, and why simplicity is the key to making this tool stick.

If you’ve ever felt clear on your goals but unsure what to do next, this episode gives you a practical way to close that gap.

Challenge of the Week:

Go download the 411 tool from the1thing.com/resources, then time block 30 minutes at the end of this week to build your first 411. Keep it simple. Start with just one goal for the year, one milestone for the month, and one action for the week.

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

We talk about:

[00:00] This is How Billionaires Set Goals

[01:25] Why To-Do Lists DON’T WORK.

[10:21] How to Make a 411

[16:09] What Real 411 Progress Looks Like in Practice

[22:58] How To Build Rhythms

[32:19] How to Update the 411 Month to Month and Year to Year

[37:08] Common Mistakes

[39:59] The ONE Thing Weekly

Links & Tools from This Episode: