Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

[coatk1]

• [x] Recommended
• [x] Currently Owned

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

• Author(s): Greg McKeown
• ISBN: 978-0-8041-3740-9
• Rating: 3.5/5
• Completed: 12/2021
• Link to notes: N/A
• Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0804137404

[coatk1]

https://www.grahammann.net/book-notes/essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less-greg-mckeown https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/book-summaries/business/essentialism/

[coatk1]

• Essentialism, pg(s): 8, 22, 24, 111, 125, 229, 233, 242, 260-262

• Almost everything is noise, only a few things are essential.

• Make the wisest possible investment of time and energy to operate at the highest point of contribution by doing what is essential.

• Focus energy on a few things to achieve more, rather than multiple things to achieve less.

• Essence:

  • Have power and be in control of your choices (an action).
  • Filter out, discern, eliminate the noise to find the vital few (80/20 Rule and Law of the Vital Few).
  • Accept reality and be strategic with trade-offs (What problems do you want? What do I want to go big on?).

• Have the courage to live true to yourself/ be authentic.

• Explore:

  • Explore, listen, debate, question and think of all options.
  • Commit and go big.
  • Create space to focus, think, and read classic literature (that withstood the test of time).
  • Scan/ filter out noise (listen to what is not being said) and look for the lead/ big picture (hidden information and connection between points), don't get lost in details.
  • Seek different perspectives.
  • Clarify the question by getting into the field (What are you trying to answer?).
  • Write summary journals, a pencil is better than the strongest memory.
  • Make time to play (things you enjoy) and sleep (your best asset) to improve imagination and creativity.
  • Apply 90 Percent Rule for selective processing (Is this exactly what I'm looking for?).
  • Apply 3 minimum criteria and 3 extreme criteria to new opportunities. All 6 must passed for a clear yes, otherwise it's a clear no.

• Eliminate:

  • Walk away and don't conform.

  • Use essential intent (concrete, inspirational, meaningful, and memorable statement of purpose) to give us clarity and a proposed deadline (How will we know when we're done?).

  • Have courage, compassion, and clarity (of your purpose) to both gracefully say and demonstrate (no without saying no) a clear no. This will give you more respect despite current unpopularity.

  • Separate no from the relationship of the individual.

  • Focus on trade-offs (What are we giving up when we say yes) and remember someone is always selling you something (idea, opinion, exchange for time, etc.)

  • Ways to say "No":

    • The awkward pause
    • "No but"
    • "Let me check my calendar and get back to you."
    • "Yes, what should I deprioritize?"
    • Say it with humor
    • "You're welcome to X. I am willing to Y."
    • "I can't do it, but X might be interested."

  • Have the courage to admit your mistakes/ cut your losses (regardless if it's a waste) and get a second neutral opinion (when trying to force something) in order to uncommit, regardless of cost or perceived value.

  • If you didn't have it, what would you sacrifice to obtain it?

  • Use zero-based budgeting (allocate all time, energy, and resources) to defeat the status quo bias.

  • Pause and think before making a commitment.

  • Use reverse pilot (removing activities) to face fear of missing out or disappointment of others.

  • Use editing to subtract/ cut out irrelevant options as well as condensing and correcting (quality check with our purpose) our activities. Also have discipline to show restraint of not removing.

  • Find and set boundaries (saying no in advance), giving you and others the ability to be free/ liberated and responsible. Create social contracts to set boundaries and find what you and another individual want to achieve.

• Execute:

  • Create a system to remove obstacles (make it easy).

  • Practice extreme and early preparation, and add 50% to your time estimate as a buffer for unexpected events.

  • Use scenario planning for project/ task buffers:

    • What risks do you face on this project?
    • What is the worse-case scenario?
    • What would the social effects of this be?
    • What would the financial impact of this be?
    • How can you invest to reduce risks or strengthen financial or social resilience?

  • Use essential intent to discover your desired outcome and remove constraints/ "slowest hiker"/ obstacles (by priority) to improve progress and maximize results.

  • If your constraint is another person, ask them what are their obstacles from achieving X and how can you help remove them.

  • Start small, visually (if possible) reward progress/ achievement (this builds momentum) and celebrate wins; to make doing essential activities effortless (make it easy and make it satisfying). This also allows us to enjoy and find satisfaction in the process.

  • Focus on the minimal viable progress (What is the smallest amount of progress that will be useful and valuable to get the essential task done?).

  • Perform the minimal valuable preparation (What is the minimal amount I could do right now to prepare?).

  • Start with small (4 mins) repetitions (with the help of a cue) to design a routine/ habit that enshrines essential tasks as the default position (autopilot).

  • Focus on the hardest thing first and tackle routines one at a time.

  • Mix up routines (weekly themes) to combat against boredom.

  • Take a moment to pause (slow down time), meditate, and refresh (being re-centered), in order to be focused in and enjoy the moment (What is important right now?)/ experiencing kairos.

  • Prioritize a list of things to get done and cross out anything that isn't important right now, at that present moment in time. Concentrate on one task at a time.

  • Take notes on ideas that may be useful in the future, to free up your mental energy.

  • Allow the essence (choice, elimination, trade-offs) of essentialism to enter your heart and mind, and to embrace the identity of being an essentialist (living a life of meaning and purpose, no regrets). Once essentialism is at your core, every decision you make will have cumulative effects on expanding your inner essentialist.

  • The essentialist path is one of clarity, control, and joy. Ask what is essential and eliminate everything else.

  • Knowing that our time on earth is short, gives us courage to make the right decisions and to be selective with our time.

[coatk1]

Systems are for daily habits. Essentialism is for work or business tasks.