I first heard of Greg McKeown and his book Essentialism while listening to the Michael Hyatt podcast (Season 3, Episode 12, April 1, 2015) . As someone who commutes 50 miles one way, I have plenty of “car time” and listening to podcasts is usually what fills the time returning home each evening.
I don’t normally do “book reviews,” I prefer to recommend resources that I have found helpful. I like to layout the main concept, give you a general idea of what the book is about, share a quote or two, and let you decide if you want more.
This interview stuck with me. I have heard people touting minimalism for a long time, and there is certainly value in minimalism. But essentialism seemed like a more substantial idea. So, needless to say, I bought the book…well, the audiobook anyway. Remember, I have plenty of “car time.”
If there is one phrase that sums up the book for me it is this:
“…the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many.”
Essentialism is a way of thinking and evaluating life’s decisions intentionally without being significantly influenced by non-essential considerations. It will challenge the way you view life, family, and work.
From Greg’s website:
“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 our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.”
“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 nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.”
What do you think? Have you had a chance to read the book? What nugget did you walk away with?
