Essentialism Book Review

Title: Essentialism

Author: Greg McKeown

Genres: Self-help, productivity, psychology

Published: December 2011

Length:  260 pages 

 “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing"

 

Book Summary

Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized? Are you often busy but not productive? Do you feel like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people’s agendas?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist. The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.  It is not  a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter. 

By forcing us to apply a more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy – instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.

Essentialism is not one more thing – it’s a whole new way of doing everything. A must-read for any leader, manager, or individual who wants to learn who to do less, but better, in every area of their lives, Essentialism  is a movement whose time has come.

Review

This is one of my most highlighted books (which is funny since this book talks about essentialism). The book encourages us to focus on what is truly important in our lives. The author argues that by saying yes to everything, we are actually saying no to things that truly matter. In addition, the author emphasizes the importance of focusing our energy on one thing at a time rather than spreading ourselves thin across multiple directions and only achieving a bare minimum result.

On the other hand, one potential drawback is that some advice can come across as overly simplistic and unrealistic. The author encourages that we should "do less but better", and yet it is not clear how to determine what is truly essential for us. However, this book is still a helpful reminder for those who have lost sight of their priorities.

My favorite quotes slash reminders

"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.”

"The reality is, saying yes to any opportunity by definition requires saying no to several others."

"So we can deliberately choose what not to do or allow ourselves to be pulled in directions we don't want to go."

"Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply."

"The tendency to continue doing something simply because we have always done it is sometimes called the 'status quo bias.'"

A must-read for those who feel stretched too thin

My rating: 4.5⭐

If you loved this book you might also want to check these books as they help you to develop related skills: Not Nice by by Aziz Gazipura, Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Tawwab,  The Social Skills Guidebook by Chris MacLeod