book review: essentialism by greg mckeown
17 Jan 2022
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
What are the main ideas?
these first four points are the primary 4 sections of the book outline/TOC
- for the essentialist, there are very few actually important things. discerning what they are and then prioritizing as much as energy as possible to be focused on them is critical.
- contrary to what might be assumed, essentialists explore more options than nonessentialists. this allows them to make the best decisions about what is truly essential and to eliminate the rest. the way one allows the possibility of exploring many options is like a whole lifestyle (having time to think, consuming the right inputs, making time for play, getting good rest, and having good decision-making processes).
- the process of removing what is nonessential involves identifying what’s essential versus not and then putting in the active work to eliminate the nonessentials. this includes things like saying no often (almost all the time, actually), uncommitting from things once you realize they are nonessential, and setting strong boundaries).
- once the nonessential has been eliminated, building systems to optimize execution can make the doing essential (almost) effortless.
other important points/quotes:
- “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” — stephen covey
- creating buffer time can ease execution by disrupting the patterns of the kahneman and tversky’s planning fallacy. if you plan more time than is needed, you will have space to deal with the unexpected. and you will have the space by not being committed to too many things.
- creating recurring small wins is more effective than attempting to force a big win.
- focusing on minimum viable progress allows iteration and accumulation of small wins
- do the minimum viable preparation. spending just a few minutes on a project far in advance of it being due can be a huge support to moving on it farther down the road.
- building habits and routines (especially thinking of duhigg’s work on the power of habit) are key practices in making execution of the essential easeful.
If I implemented one idea from this book right now, which one would it be?
“when something isn’t a clear yes, make it a clear no.”
How would I describe the book to a friend?
this might be the most effectively organized self-management/self-help book i have ever read. the outline is clear and simple. each section is well thought out. each chapter has a predictable structure and even the sections follow a straightforward structure: “the main point, story illustrating the main point so you feel and remember it, additional supporting thoughts, transition to the next point.”
this book is a new must-read for me. definitely going on my footlong bookshelf. over the last few years of my life i have stumbled on many of these practices and insights in separate moments. this book weaves many of my own experiences and several more together into a thoughtful and simple framework (especially compared to make other frameworks). 10/10. would recommend.
i should also say, this is the only it’s also the only one where a white cishet author didn’t step in every patriarchal pitfall ever. cal newport, stephen covey, whenever anything comes up with their family life (if they mention it at all), their solutions involve everything except more of themselves. mckeown’s moment of family involvement resolved with him stepping back from work activities and being more present with the kids. i was stunned.
reminder: book review structure
words / writing / post-processing
503w / 15+ min / 3min