“Essentialism” – A book by Greg McKeown
This is an important book for, really, everyone to read. The author is Greg McKeown and he’s done a really good job putting this work together. I found most of the book very interesting and thought provoking, being annoyed by its style just a few times. The main premise of the book is that if you want to be satisfied with what you achieve in your life and have a happy and content time, it’s important to eliminate a large amount of things that distract you and concentrate on the things that are truly essential. This is the concept of essentialism.
I have no affiliation with Greg McKeown and am only writing this article because I like his book.
On Greg’s website, he says this about his book “Essentialism”…
Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized?
Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum?
Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda?
Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it?If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.
I enjoyed reading this book and found many of its theories useful. It certainly makes a lot of sense. I feel that if I can fully embrace many of Greg’s recommendations, life will feel easier and be more fulfilling. There is always the tendency for me to take on too much and try to achieve too many things, combined with habitual under-estimation of how long things will take. These are classic signs of non-essentialism. I’m glad to have had this book recommended to me and to have read it – it has been a help to me.
If “Essentialism” sounds like it might be of interest to you, I highly recommend taking the time to read it. It’s not a book that will only help executives in busy management or leadership roles, as the principles of essentialism can help anybody chart a rewarding course through their lives.
Table of Contents
- Part I : Essence (What is the core mind-set of an Essentialist?)
- CHOOSE: The Invincible Power of Choice
- DISCERN: The Unimportance of Practically Everything
- TRADE-OFF: Which Problem Do I Want?
- Part II : Explore (How can we discern the trivial many from the vital few?)
- ESCAPE: The Perks of Being Unavailable
- LOOK: See What Really Matters
- PLAY: Embrace the Wisdom of Your Inner Child
- SLEEP: Protect the Asset
- SELECT: The Power of Extreme Criteria
- Part III : Eliminate (How can we cut out the trivial many?)
- CLARIFY: One Decision That Makes a Thousand
- DARE: The Power of a Graceful “No”
- UNCOMMIT: Win Big by Cutting Your Losses
- EDIT: The Invisible Art
- LIMIT: The Freedom of Setting Boundaries
- Part IV : Execute (How can we make doing the vital few things almost effortless?)
- BUFFER: The Unfair Advantage
- SUBTRACT: Bring Forth More by Removing Obstacles
- PROGRESS: The Power of Small Wins
- FLOW: The Genius of Routine
- FOCUS: What’s Important Now?
- BE: The Essentialist Life
- Appendix : Leadership Essentials
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