Essentialism

Greg McKeown wrote Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less to help us declutter our lives and focus on what’s important. It carries a lot of the common self-improvement principles but makes them seem achievable by making us aware that the language we commonly use can so easily affect our mindset. It’s about figuring out what really is important to us and helps us understand that we do a lot of things to keep up appearances. Time is finite and only good things can come from focusing on what we really need to do rather than feeling obliged to do it. Spreading yourself too thin doesn’t achieve anything, and single-track focus is what gets the job done.

Essence

What is the core mindset of an essentialist?

We need to remember that we have the ability to choose. We may even tell ourselves that “we have no choice”, but we do. Our ability to choose cannot be given or taken from us, only forgotten and once we make that shift in mindset it can be liberating. Changing that voice inside our head from “I have to” to “I choose to” puts everything we do in a new perspective. It helps illuminate all the choices we’ve made to get to this point and reminds us that we’re the reason we are where we are. Once we take ownership of our choices, we can make more thoughtful ones in the future.

It helps to discern between what’s important and what isn’t. The truth is that most things aren’t important and we tend to give things more importance than they deserve. Biting off more than we can chew just to keep others happy isn’t going to achieve the desired results. It’s better to focus on fewer tasks or goals and do them well, the Pareto principle.

It’s about making trade-offs and not expecting to do it all. Understanding that you have to give up one thing to pursue another helps you accept that you have chosen a path. You can then commit to it and work even harder at making it work. Not doing this leads to indirection and slower progress in many directions. Decide what to go big on.

“Trade-offs are not something to be ignored or decried. They are something to be embraced and made deliberately, strategically and thoughtfully.”

Explore

How can we discern the trivial many from the vital few?

To explore we need to escape from the monotonous routine and carve out time for ourselves. We need to design our lives more carefully and intentionally. We can find the time to do things we feel like we should do by making them a priority. Included in this design should be space to concentrate and space to read. This space is both physical and mental by allotting a specific amount of time to these tasks and focussing solely on them. It doesn’t have to be for too long to start, but the key is to start and make them a priority.

We then can start to look out for what is really important. Practising this awareness can help us prioritize things in our lives. In order to be on the lookout, we need to:

-        Filter for the fascinating

-        Keep a journal

-        Get out into the field

-        Keep our eye peeled for abnormal or unusual details

-        Clarify the question

Three more important aspects of exploring are prioritizing play, sleep and refining our selection criteria. These are all self-explanatory, but I feel like we don’t prioritize them enough. Play isn’t common as it can be seen as immature or unprofessional. It can come in many forms and can lead to breakthroughs, it’s more important than we think. Sleep seems to fall to the wayside when we are busy. Lack of sleep affects so many aspects of our lives and prevents us from functioning at our full potential. And to refine our selection criteria, we can tell ourselves, “if it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”

Eliminate

How can we cut out the trivial many?

Most companies have a mission statement and many of them seem to say similar things. They lack clarity, and without clarity, you can’t expect your employees to fulfil a company’s vision. The same goes for our personal lives. We’re confused about why things aren’t working out or why we haven’t made progress in something, but have we clarified to ourselves what we really want? Making things clear and concise helps carry out what needs to be done.

Have the confidence to say ‘no’. This goes back to pleasing everyone, which leads to spreading ourselves too thin. Saying ‘no’ is a respectable thing to do and it shows that you value yourself and your time. Cutting your losses values your time too. Making a commitment to pursue a project doesn’t mean you have to follow through with it. If you realise that it’s not something you want to do or it isn’t going to achieve the desired outcome, then stop and don’t feel bad about it.

Setting boundaries and limiting the parameters we need to operate can focus our work and what needs to be done. If we have many ways to get something done, the task can seem overwhelming, and it may take longer than necessary. There is a sense of freedom in setting boundaries and understanding how you work and how you work with others. Understanding what does and doesn’t work for everyone involved can improve productivity and prevent unnecessary conflict.  

Execute

How can we make doing the vital few things almost effortless?

Finally, once we’ve found our essence, explored what’s out there and eliminated all that is trivial, we can execute. First, always expect the unexpected. It’s good to aim and hope for the best outcome but planning for the worst is essential. You don’t want to be thrown off by something unexpected. If it’s something you’ve considered then you should have a buffer to take care of it.

Remove all obstacles and pay attention to your progress. I tend to stand in my own way and realising that has helped me to move forward. By removing obstacles, it clears your path to focus on what’s important. Focussing on the small wins is important to gain momentum, each win leads to another and celebrating them creates a positive feedback loop. I underestimated the power of this positive feedback loop, but even making your bed every morning can start your day with a guaranteed win.

We also tend to underestimate the value of routine. I only notice how beneficial my routine is when I slip up. When I slip up on one part of my routine then everything seems to fall apart. This can lead me to accomplish less in my day and not be as organized as I’d like. I really do value my routine and see how important and beneficial it is now.

Lastly, we should strive to live in the present. There are many ways to achieve this but worrying about the past or the future can affect mental clarity and hinder our progress. Whether it be going for a walk or meditating, practising being present holds more value than we think.

This book seems to have simplified the stoic teachings and helped present them in an achievable way. It has some good reminders when we’re stuck or in a rut and just referring back to it has helped me when I’ve felt stuck. I know I’ve rushed through it, but I hope I got the main points across.