Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less Hardcover by Greg McKeown (Crown Business;)

The poet Mary Oliver wrote “Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

This quote from Essentialism maybe sums up the core messages that the author Greg McKeon is conveying to the reader.


Have you ever felt the urge to declutter your work life?

Do you often find yourself stretched too thin?
 
Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized?
 
Are you frequently 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 do less, but better, and declutter and organize their own their lives, Essentialism is a movement whose time has come.

McKeown  then forces us to look at the 3 realities of individual choice, the prevalence of noise and the reality of tradeoffs.

To help achieve living a successful life of passionate purpose that is yours and yours alone he outlines 3 essential steps.

• Explore – Discerning the the trivial many from the vital few
• Eliminate – Cutting out the trivial many from the vital few
• Execute – Removing obstacles and making execution effortless

The author wrote this book by blocking 8 hours a day without phones, email or other distractions to interrupt his priority of doing something important. This is something that is also explored in the book “Deep Work“.http://israelbookreview.blogspot.co.il/2017/11/deep-work-rules-for-focused-success-in.html

For me there is a genius and magic to routine. It eliminates distraction and creates focus. Focusing on these essentials can result in more clarity, control and joy.