Book Summary: Essentialism, By Greg McKeown
Over the last several years I’ve had more and more people ask me “How do you find the time to do so much?” It was happening so often that back in 2019 I sat down to figure out what I was doing that others weren’t. I thought maybe I should write a book about time management, but what I discovered is that my ‘secret’ has almost nothing to do with time and everything to do with priority and focus. I also discovered that the book I wanted to write had already been written, and it’s called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg MeKeown.
QUICK SUMMARY
Essentialism is the idea that you should define your highest level contribution and then protect your ability to do that thing over all else. By investing in fewer things, you get the satisfaction of making significant progress in the things that matter most. This visual from the book is a powerful illustration of the idea. On the left side there are small arrows representing energy spent across 12 projects. On the right is the same amount of energy, focused on a single task.
McKeown describes the paradox of success, whereby when we are successful it unlocks more opportunities to us that then become a demand on our time and distract us from the focus that drove our success in the first place. This means that when you are successful, to continue to be successful, you will need to say no to good opportunities to protect your time, energy, and attention.
Mckeown covers a wide range of life areas and does a great job giving the readers concrete examples of what an essentialist does differently from a non-essentialist as well as providing helpful visuals that bring his ideas to life. This was a quick but powerful and thought-provoking read.
IDEAS THAT RESONATED
The word ‘priority’ began in 1400s in English and its definition was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular until 1900. [Page16]
I loved this little fun fact and have already pulled it out in conversation multiple times at work. We are in the process of goal-setting and the other day I heard a leader talking about their seven priorities for 2022. What?! Seven?! I’m not sure it’s realistic to get back to the 1400s singular definition, but I’m also quite sure that seven is too many.
The real question is not how can we do it all, it is who will get to choose what we do and don't do. Remember, when we forfeit our right to choose, someone else will choose for us. [Page 23]
This is the main idea that I came to while reflecting on how I have time to do all the things that I do. I’m very intentional about ignoring the things that are not important to me and I don’t let the expectations of others interfere with my goals and interests. Over time I’ve come to realize that most people will do what others choose for them because they fear a social rejection if they say no. McKeown addresses this in the book and shares some great stories. Ultimately living this way takes courage and it’s harder than I’ve ever given credit for.
The best asset we have for making a contribution to the world is ourselves. If we underinvest in ourselves, and by that I mean our minds, our bodies, and our spirits, we damage the very tool we need to make our highest contribution. [Page 94]
I love how McKeown talks about the need to ‘protect the asset’. Last night I was writing this post and the clock struck 10pm. 10pm is my weekday bedtime. While I felt I was in a groove of writing, I cut myself off. Getting a good night of sleep is one of the best ways to protect your best asset. More and more I’ve been paying attention to how my body feels because I know it makes a difference in how I perform. Hydrate. Eat healthful foods. Move your body. Rest.
P.S. Give yourself a bedtime. It’s part of living intentionally. You can’t set yourself up for a good night of sleep unless you know how much you need and what time that means you need to head to bed. Setting a bedtime was the catalyst for change in my life and it was a lightning bolt of habit change for me.