Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

A refreshing read, validates and provides further inputs on living a quality life, consciously, guilt free

Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less, as a title, clearly encapsulates the concept of identifying, exploring, eliminating, and executing the most important task, with mindfulness & focus. The author does a good job of detailing each chapter/concept described by comparing non-essentialist vs. essentialist characteristics through the book. These tables form the crux of the storyline and having them ready to reference from time-to-time will help us apply the learning from the book Though many of the concepts, pitfalls, opportunities, and examples are generally things we might already know of, the distinction that the author brings out through the tables mentioned above, make it interesting reading. Across a spectrum of work & family-based stories, examples, and experiences, the author has expressed his thoughts in a humble and vulnerable way. Looking forward to applying the concepts of essentialism! (as well as, Effortless, the next book by this author!)

I don't write reviews often... But if something is worth sharing, then it should be shared with everyone... Whoever is considering purchasing this book and reading the reviews section, pls don't give a second thought.. Jus go for the book... I am sure, You won't regret..! This is one of the books that has changed a whole lot of my perspectives in personal as well as professional life... And you will undoubtedly be successful and stress-free if you adopt the essentialist mindsets that are described in this book!

Essentialism by Greg McKeown Book Summary : Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless. 1. Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.” Essentialism is about pausing constantly to ask, “Am I investing in the right activities? 2. Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at your highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential. 3. The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the non-essentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. The way of the Essentialist is the path to being in control of our own choices. It is a path to new levels of success and meaning. It is the path on which we enjoy the journey, not just the destination. 4. If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will. "When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people – our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families – will choose for us, and before long we’ll have lost sight of everything that is meaningful and important. 5. Before saying yes to anything, ask yourself, “Will this activity or effort make the highest possible contribution towards my goal?” 6. Essentialists ask, “What do I feel deeply inspired by?” and “What am I particularly talented at?” and “What meets a significant need in the world? 7. Essentialists invest the time they have saved into creating a system for removing obstacles and making execution as easy as possible. 8. Essentialism is not a way to do one more thing; it is a different way of doing everything. It is a way of thinking. 9. There are three deeply entrenched assumptions we must conquer to live the way of the Essentialist: ‘I have to,’ ‘It’s all important,’ and ‘I can do both.’ To embrace the essence of Essentialism requires we replace these false assumptions with three core truths: “I choose to,” “Only a few things really matter,” and “I can do anything but not everything. Ask yourself, “If you could do only one thing with your life right now, what would you do?” 10. To become an Essentialist requires a heightened awareness of our ability to choose. When we forget our ability to choose, we learn to be helpless. Drip by drip we allow our power to be taken away until we end up becoming a function of other people’s choices—or even a function of our own past choices.” 11. A non-Essentialist thinks almost everything is essential. An Essentialist thinks almost everything is non-essential. We live in a world where almost everything is worthless and a very few things are exceptionally valuable. Many capable people are kept from getting to the next level of contribution because they can’t let go of the belief that everything is important. 12. Trade-Off—Which Problem Do I Want? : A non-Essentialist approaches every trade-off by asking, ‘How can I do both?’ Essentialists ask the tougher but ultimately more liberating question, ‘Which problem do I want? Instead of asking, ‘What do I have to give up?’ Essentialists ask, ‘What do I want to go big on?’” 13. To discern what is truly essential we need space to think, time to look and listen, permission to play, wisdom to sleep, and the discipline to apply highly selective criteria to the choices we make.” 14. Look—See What Really Matters : “Being a journalist of your own life will force you to stop hyper-focusing on all the minor details and see the bigger picture. One of the most obvious and yet powerful ways to become a journalist of our own lives is simply to keep a journal.” 15. Our highest priority is to protect our ability to prioritise. Select -The Power of Extreme Criteria : The 90 Percent Rule: “As you evaluate an option, think about the single most important criterion for that decision, and then simply give the option a score between 0 and 100. If you rate it any lower than 90 percent, then automatically change the rating to 0 and simply reject it. If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no. 16. The killer question when deciding what activities to eliminate is: “If I didn’t have this opportunity, what would I be willing to do to acquire it? 17. Dare—The Power of a Graceful “No” : “Only once we separate the decision from the relationship can we make a clear decision and then separately find the courage and compassion to communicate it.” Essentialists accept they cannot be popular with everyone all of the time. 18. Uncommit—Win Big by Cutting Your Losses : Sunk-cost bias is the tendency to continue to invest time, money, or energy into something we know is a losing proposition simply because we have already incurred, or sunk, a cost that cannot be recouped. An Essentialist has the courage and confidence to admit his or her mistakes and uncommit, no matter the sunk costs. 19. Don’t ask, “How will I feel if I miss out on this opportunity?” but rather, “If I did not have this opportunity, how much would I be willing to sacrifice in order to obtain it?” Similarly, we can ask, “If I wasn’t already involved in this project, how hard would I work to get on it? Essentialists accept the reality that we can never fully anticipate or prepare for every scenario or eventuality; the future is simply too unpredictable. 20. Progress—The Power of Small Wins : “Instead of trying to accomplish it all—and all at once—and flaring out, the Essentialist starts small and celebrates progress. Instead of going for the big, flashy wins that don’t really matter, the Essentialist pursues small and simple wins in areas that are essential.” Whatever decision or challenge or crossroads you face in your life, simply ask yourself, “What is essential?” Eliminate everything else.

The book is good. If you follow essentialism early in your life, you would be able to achieve clarity and thus success with more accuracy and focus.

A spectacular self-help book which offers relatable and easy to implement tips, tricks and information to include in our daily lives. The word 'essentialism' itself speaks loud its meaning. The author says that being essentialist is not something we do, it should be a part of us. Planning the day ahead with proper schedules and working without disturbance is what makes each day guilt free and enjoyable. Scanning for the non essential things buys us more time and help us in completing the day's task without any hassle. The language is lucid and the chapters are explained with examples, charts and tables to make it easier for the reader's to understand various concepts.

The book captures the essence of essentialism in quite broad spectrum. When I started reading the book, I wasn't expecting to read about ...

Excellent book. Shows way of life with working less but better. Worth reading. Worth applying in life. Helps to enjoy life .

A good quality and interesting book

I have re read this book already twice and it’s so direct and well written it’s one on my favourites on the subject

Really loved this book. Got lots of insights! I can keep rereading it.

This book is about learning to do less, but better. Greg McKeown explains how we often try to take on too much and end up stretched thin, instead of focusing on what’s truly essential. He uses simple principles and real-world examples to show how saying “no” to the non-essential allows you to give your best to the things that matter most. I liked this book because it’s practical, not just theory. It made me stop and think about where I spend my time and energy, and it gave me permission to cut out the distractions. Since reading it, I’ve found it easier to prioritize, make decisions, and feel less overwhelmed. It’s not just about minimalism, it’s about living more deliberately. If you’re feeling pulled in too many directions, this book really helps reset your mindset.

Uma das perguntas mais poderosas que já me fizeram foi “Quais foram os 3 momentos/coisas que mais te fizeram ter sucesso no projeto X?”. Foi um exercício sensacional olhar para trás e identificar as 3 coisas essenciais que naquele projeto me fizeram ter sucesso. E foi quando percebi que muitas vezes, menos é melhor. Esse livro veio para emoldurar, colocar nome em pensamentos e rituais que eu já vinha implementando na minha vida: o essencialismo. Em resumo: focar no que realmente é essencial ao invés dos “muitos triviais” (diferentes contextos). As 2 coisas que mais me chamaram a atenção: #1 Foco a laser: vivemos numa sociedade (do cansaço - leia!), que prega que tudo é possível. Vivemos ansiosos, sempre achando que estamos devendo fazer algo. Mas quem disse que é possível ser multifoco? Não dá. Quando tudo é prioridade, fazemos muitas coisas diferentes mas evoluímos milímetro em cada direção. Quando reduzimos para o que é essencial e colocamos foco naquilo, o resultado sai em velocidade de cruzeiro. Quando vi a segunda foto meu cérebro expandiu. Todo o racional me fez muito sentido e consegui pensar em coisas (poucas!) que coloquei foco no último ano e como me levaram para frente. #2 A rotina te leva a tomar melhores decisões: tomar decisão suga as suas energias. Quanto menos decisão você tiver que tomar, melhor. Quando você é uma pessoa que segue rotinas, as decisões corriqueiras rodam no automático. Você deixa de ter que tomar decisões bestas do tipo que horas vou encaixar exercício, que horas vou jantar, o que vou comer hoje, eu vou ler agora ou ver netflix. Te sobra então mais energia (e clareza!) para decisões que efetivamente são essenciais. Eu que já fui vida louca, nos últimos 5 anos tô virando a velha da rotina. Me faz super bem! Se você está se sentindo cansada(o), que sempre está devendo fazer algo para alguém ou vive caçando um método para ser mais produtivo, indico ler esse livro para rever se a sua lista (enorme?) de prioridades de 2021 faz realmente sentido.