The central tenet of essentialism is that of removing all that is not necessary so that we can free up more time to do more and better of what really matters. They might seem easy and obvious, but few of us are actively putting them in place: 1. Same as for everything else: focusing on what really matters the most to us.Įssentialism by Greg Mckeown identifies 4 major pillars to live the essentialist life.

Having our schedule and calendar full seems like an aspiration in today’s society, but it will only increase your level of stress and often decrease your productivity. Less is more also applies to our lives’ duties and work responsibilities. Don’t Get Busy: Drop All That Doesn’t Matter Buy Only What You LoveĪnd it means that buying everything we just “like” will make us fool things that maybe we “like” but don’t love.Īnd over time, they become clutter (take a look at the now uber-popular Marie Kondo).īeing full of things will not only not make us happier, but will saddle our level of joy and passion, as Gretchen Rubin explains in The Happiness Project. In picking something to stick to, Essentialism is similar to “ The One Thing” and to other authors who recommend you develop a passion (and expertise) in one field, such as Angela Duckworth and Cal Newport. It means that we can’t be an expert at everything, so we must choose the field we like the most. Less but better applies to several different realms in life, including: 1.

That’s when the idea of Essentialism started blossoming. The day Mckeown’s wife was delivering at the hospital and he said yes to a business meeting was the day he realized something had to change in his life. If it’s less than a 9 on a scale of 10, say noĪbout The Author: Greg McKeown is a business and leadership consultant, motivational speaker and author.

When you’re not sure, ask yourself how important is something for you.

Doing less also means doing more (and better).

Live life by design, not by default: choose what matters to you and say no to all the rest.

90% Rule: Only Say Yes To 9 & 10 Opportunities.

Essentialism review