Essentialism: Summary Review & Takeaways
This is a summary review of Essentialism containing key details about the book.
What is Essentialism About?
Essentialism is a book written by Greg McKeown that explores the idea of focusing on what is truly essential in life and avoiding distractions and unnecessary tasks. The book argues that by identifying and prioritizing our core values and goals, we can live more fulfilling and productive lives. It also discusses the importance of saying no to commitments that do not align with our essential goals and finding ways to simplify and streamline our lives. The book includes practical strategies and techniques for implementing essentialism in various areas of life, including work, relationships, and personal growth.
Essentialism is a book about priorities. It's about having a detailed plan of what's important for you and what's not and starting from there. Essentialism is more than 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 toward the things that really matter.
Who is the Author of Essentialism?
Greg McKeown is a business writer, consultant, and researcher specializing in leadership, strategy design, collective intelligence, and human systems. He also collaborated on the writing and research of the Wall Street Journal bestseller "Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter."
Book Detials
- Print length: 260 pages
- Audiobook: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Genre: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Productivity, Personal Development, Career Success
What is Essentialism?
Essentialism is the belief that certain things, such as natural elements or human qualities, have an inherent, unchanging nature. The concept of essentialism can be applied to various fields, including philosophy, science, and psychology. Essentialism can lead to the belief in fixed categories and the idea that individuals fit into specific, predetermined roles or identities. Critics of essentialism argue that it ignores the complexity and diversity of individual experiences and can lead to harmful stereotypes and discrimination. Alternative perspectives, such as social constructionism, argue that many characteristics and identities are socially constructed and not fixed or inherent.
What are some key summary points of Essentialism?
Here are some key summary points from the book:
What are key takeaways from Essentialism?
Takeaway #1: Less Is More
In today's fast-paced world where multi-tasking is the norm and schedules are filled to the brim in an effort to achieve more, get more, and be more (all in the quest for supposed happiness) we need to remember that having 'everything' will not make us happy. Slow down and allow yourself to focus on what is essential for your happiness and well-being as you work on eliminating the junk that keeps you busy!
Takeaway #2: Do Less But Do It Better
Stop taking tiny steps forward in multiple directions instead, make great leaps forward in the things that matter to you and that you can excel in. Question your motives often by asking yourself 'do I choose to or do I have to?' You want to be eliminating items from the 'I have to' or 'I should' list aka the path of helplessness and doing more of what you choose.
Takeaway #3: Accept Tradeoffs
You can achieve a remarkable level of success by doing only a few vital things very well but you have to be able to accept and make tradeoffs. When you're doing your chosen things well, don't fall into the trap of thinking you can now take on more and still do everything well.
Takeaway #4: Schedule Escapism
Boredom can be good for you! Having time to do absolutely nothing except think allows you the time to get off the rat race and think clearly as you work out the bigger picture of what's important in your life and what's not. To help, keep a journal but instead of writing as much as possible, write as little as possible.
Takeaway #5: Schedule Play Time
Just like having time to think, time to play is essential too. Playtime allows you to develop novel connections between ideas resulting in inspiration, it helps you to de-stress, to analyze and then prioritize tasks.
Takeaway #6: Schedule Zzzz's
Some people think of sleep as a waste of time, a luxury they cannot afford but this way of thinking is counterproductive as sleep increases your ability to think and actually results in increased activity the next day!
Takeaway #7: Get Ruthless
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that all of your tasks, responsibilities, and belongings are essential. Use the 90% rule to help eliminate items/tasks - anything that scores less than an 89 out of 100 has to go). Alternatively, say to yourself that if you don't get a strong yes the answer is a strong no.
Takeaway #8: Learn to Say No
In order to get good at saying no to non-essential items you need to learn how to separate the decision from the relationship. 10 minutes of regret, worrying that you've disappointed someone or that you're missing out ensures you don't spend 60 minutes plus regretting something you've said yes to!
Takeaway #9: Admit Your Errors Fast
Have you carried on doing something that you knew wasn't working just because you didn't want to be seen to give up or give in? Forget about fixing failures and instead, admit your errors fast so that you can self-correct and move on with courage.
Takeaway #10: Clarity
How will you know when you've reached your goal? If you can answer this question you have the clarity to succeed.
What are some in-depth lessons from Essentialism?
Lesson #1. Stop Drowning In The Unessential Things
In today’s fast paced world, we are extremely overloaded with responsibilities, tasks, and belongings that it can be difficult for us to prioritize which are the most important. This results in a lack of effectiveness and productivity as we try to keep up with everything.
Applying the 4 points of essentialism to the seemingly never-ending tasks and responsibilities that come up in daily life allows you to get your priorities straight.
Less Is More - Do less, but do it well. This is the cornerstone of essentialism, cut out the less important things so that you can focus on doing the important things to the highest possible standard.
Focus and Excel In Something - When you select 1 specific thing that matters the most to you, you’ll be able to make great strides in accomplishing and excelling in your chosen direction rather than making tiny steps in multiple directions.
Question Yourself Constantly - Deciding what’s worth doing and what’s not is an ongoing process. Keep asking yourself ‘is this a productive use of my time and energy’?
Just Do It - Once you have zeroed in on your vital task/s, put changes into place to ensure you achieve them.
Lesson #2. Let Go of Shoulds
Do you say ‘I should’ or ‘I have to’ rather than ‘I chose to’? If yes, it’s safe to say you’re on the non-essential path of learned helplessness having lost control of your ability to choose. What this means is that you’ve become so conditioned to the feeling of overwhelm that you let society and others tell you what you need or should be doing.
When power of choice has been surrendered and people think that their efforts are pointless they respond in one of two ways, by giving up totally (not making any choices) or by becoming overly active in taking every opportunity that comes their way (choosing everything).
When you make conscious aligned choices, saying yes to the things that serve you and no to everything that doesn’t, you hold the power.
Lesson #3. Focus and Accept the Trade-Offs
Southwest Airlines might not be as famous as Microsoft or Apple but it had a period of success to rival that of the tech giants by applying one of the key parts of essentialism; doing a few things well.
Unlike other airlines, Southwest Airlines didn’t offer its customers first class seating, seat reservations, or meals, it just concentrated on flying people from A to B. The company realized that they couldn’t be everything to everyone and do it well so rather than failing miserably, they chose some trade-offs and concentrated on what they were good at.
Continental Airlines saw Southwest’s success and tried to imitate their strategy but they still thought they could do it all so didn’t cut back on what they already offered, instead they created a new budget brand called Continental Lite. Because both strategies were pursued, Continental Lite had operational inefficiencies with the new basic airline not being price competitive. The company lost millions because they couldn’t cut the nonessential items and just focus on the vital components.
Lesson #4. Create Space To See The Big Picture
Did you know that being bored, having a period of time in which you have nothing to do, can be good for you?
Unfortunately in the age of smartphones, social media and 24/7 news, we rarely have time to be bored nowadays - there’s always another page to scroll, video to watch, and notification to look at but being bored allows you time to think about what you need and want to do.
Schedule time and space in your daily routine to simply think about life - Think about challenges or problems you’re facing, what options you have, and whether they’re actually worth worrying about or not, whether they should be pursued or not. Think about where you want to be and what you need to do to reach your goal. Perhaps last night’s Netflix session could have been better spent elsewhere?! Ponder where your energy and time have been miss-spent.
This time to think will allow you to refocus on the bigger picture. If you struggle with this thinking time, use it to keep a journal but instead of writing everything down, write down as little as possible - this forces you to reflect on what you’ve done and sort out the nonessential items from the essential ones.
Lesson #5. Allow Yourself Time To Play & Rest
Many of us decided at some point in our lives that play is unproductive, purely a form of entertainment and that our time is better spent on more important tasks such as work. This just isn’t true. Play is a vital tool for inspiration and can be used to free your mind so you can work out what’s important to you. Play helps you to develop novel connections between ideas that you would never have considered otherwise and is also an antidote to stress.
Companies such as Google, Pixar, and Twitter know the importance of play, that’s why they provide staff with inspiring workspaces and playful experiences whether improv comedy classes or filling the office with thousands of Star Wars figures!
There’s one thing that play shouldn’t take priority over though and that’s sleep. Sleep is not a luxury, it’s a necessity as it increases your ability to think, to connect ideas, and actually increases your productivity during the day. 1 hour of sleep allows you several hours of high productivity the next day with those people who are only getting 4-5 hours sleep per night having a cognitive impairment equivalent to a 0.1% blood alcohol level (that’s enough to get your driving license taken away). Stop borrowing from your sleeping time to cram more in.
Lesson #6. If it isn't a clear yes, then it's a clear no
Not all of your responsibilities, tasks, and belongings are essential but you have to be ruthless when it comes to cutting things out. Think about the last time you cleared your closet, you’ve probably heard of the rule that states, ‘if you haven’t worn it in a year, get rid of it’ but putting that into practice is much harder than it seems. You’ve likely made exceptions for certain items of clothing that you haven’t worn in far longer than a year such as that wedding outfit, or the item of clothing that no longer fits you resulting in the closet remaining much fuller than it would be if you’d stuck firmly to the 1 year rule.
The only way to beat this mindset is to be extreme, ruthless. Apply the 90% rule to clear the clutter in all areas of your life. This means giving everything a score of 0-100, using the closet scenario you would pick up an item and ask yourself ‘Am I ever going to use this again?’ and give the item a score between 0-100, 0 being a firm never and 100 being a definite yes. Anything that scores less than 90 gets discarded.
You could also use the ‘clear yes / clear no’ method which says that if your decision isn’t a clear yes (yes I’ll definitely wear that again) then it becomes a clear no and goes. Try putting it into action by making a list of 3 minimum things that an item must have in order to keep it i.e it’s stylish, it fits me well, I’m not embarrassed to wear it plus 3 ideal things that you want the item to meet i.e I wear it often, it’s in good condition, I look good in it. In order for an item to remain in your closet, it must meet the 3 minimum requirements as well as 2 or more of the ideal requirements.
Lesson #7. Be Clear In What You Want
Using the same methods as outlined to clear your unneeded items you’ll be able to let go of non essential responsibilities, tasks, and habits that stop you from reaching your goals, just remember that it gets more complicated when other people become involved as most of us fear saying no.
Learn to separate your decision from your relationship with the person i.e because the person asking is your best friend of 20 years and you’ve always said yes before, doesn’t mean that you continue saying yes. You may regret saying no for a short time, especially when you feel that you’re missing out on something or worry about the other person being disappointed but by keeping the bigger picture in mind, your goal, you can recognize that saying no now will hurt far less than saying yes and your dream getting further and further away. Remember, every non-vital thing you say yes to, means you miss out on an opportunity that is truly vital.
Set an essential intent so that you’re clear about your goals, this will help you to continue saying no. You should have 1 main objective that is both crystal clear to you as well as inspirational. A goal of ending world hunger is inspirational but too vague so fails. A goal of building 50 eco friendly, low-cost family homes for people living in a 50 mile radius of your own home, on the other hand, is both inspirational as well as clear. Make sure your essential intent is both inspirational and clear by asking yourself ‘how will I know when I’ve reached my goal?’ If you can answer this question you’ll know you have the clarity to achieve your goal.
Lesson #8. Set Boundaries and Cut Your Losses
How often have you proceeded to do something that you knew was a waste of time simply because you’d committed to it? This sunk-cost bias can apply to everything from relationships to start-up businesses with people investing more money, more time, and more effort/energy into something that won’t succeed simply because they don’t want to admit failure and walk away. To make matters worse, every further investment in time, money, or energy makes it harder for us to let go of yet by continually investing, our future loss increases.
To avoid falling into this trap you should set clear boundaries. You might say that if, after 18 months your business hasn’t made a profit, you’ll quit. Alternatively, your boundary might be that the kids are in bed by 9pm. Boundaries don’t constrain you, they make your life easier. If you recognize that you’ve already fallen into the trap without having set boundaries, have the courage to admit your mistakes and failures and don’t be afraid to cut your losses and jump ship.
Lesson #9. Figure Out What Slows You Done & Eliminate It
Having read through, understood, and committed to the principles of essentialism it’s time to execute them. Identify what’s slowing you down, what’s keeping you from achieving your goals, and remove the obstacles in your way. Your job isn’t to find ways around the obstacle, but to eliminate it!
As you eliminate one obstacle, more will show up - Be prepared for this and know that your well-thought-out plans will almost always hit a problem and your essential tasks take longer to complete than you thought. Give yourself a buffer of 50% of your time so that you have the time and space to eliminate and correct things that pop up along the way.
Lesson #10. Small & Steady Steps Win The Race
To elevate and reach the height of success you must build upon your previous progress with small, incremental steps, after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
A routine that aligns with your goals will need to be created as routines instill habits which, although tricky to implement in the beginning, make things easier for you in the long run. Making small steps towards progress can be frustrating but small wins give you the confidence and momentum to continue whilst also allowing you to make sure you’re still on the right track.
Essentialism Chapters
Chapter One - The Essentialist
Chapter Two - Choose: The Invincible Power of Choice
Chapter Three - Discern: The Unimportance of Practically Everything
Chapter Four - Trade-Off: Which Problem Do I Want?
Chapter Five - Escape: The Perks of Being Unavailable
Chapter Six - Look: See What Really Matters
Chapter Seven - Play: Embrace the Wisdom of Your Inner Child
Chapter Eight - Sleep: Protect the Asset
Chapter Nine - Select: The Power of Extreme Criteria
Chapter Ten - Clarify: One Decision That Makes a Thousand
Chapter Eleven - Dare: The Power of a Grateful "No"
Chapter Twelve - Uncommit: Win Big by Cutting Your Losses
Chapter Thirteen - Edit: The Invisible Art
Chapter Fourteen - Limit: The Freedom of Setting Boundaries
Chapter Fifteen - Buffer: The Unfair Advantage
Chapter Sixteen - Subtract: Bring Forth More by Removing Obstacles
Chapter Seventeen - Progress: The Power of Small Wins
Chapter Eighteen - Flow: The Genius Routine
Chapter Nineteen - Focus: What's Important Now?
Chapter Twenty - Be: The Essentialist Life
Essentialism Summary Notes
Here are a few summary notes form the book:
Chapter One Summary - The Essentialist
Synopsis: Essentialism is about focusing on what truly matters in our lives and learning to say "no" to everything else. By doing so, we can achieve greater clarity, purpose, and fulfillment, and avoid the trap of trying to do too much and spreading ourselves too thin. By embracing an essentialist mindset, we can make deliberate choices and live a more intentional and meaningful life.
Summary: Iin today's fast-paced world, we are often pulled in many different directions, trying to do too much and spread ourselves too thin. This leads to a lack of clarity and focus, and ultimately leaves us feeling overwhelmed and unfulfilled.
The main theme of this chapter is that essentialism is about making deliberate choices and focusing our energy on what is most important. McKeown suggests that by doing so, we can achieve greater clarity, purpose, and satisfaction in our lives.
Somel strategies for embracing an essentialist mindset include:
* Saying "no" more often: Being more selective with commitments and learning to say "no" to things that are not aligned with our goals and values. This can help to free up time and energy for the things that really matter.
* Prioritizing: Identifyingr top priorities and focusing on these first. By doing so, we can avoid getting bogged down in low-priority tasks and instead make progress on the things that will have the biggest impact.
* Simplifying: Looking for ways to simplify our lives and eliminate unnecessary complexity. This can include things like decluttering our physical space, reducing our digital distractions, and streamlining our daily routines.
Chapter Two Summary - Choose: The Invincible Power of Choice
Synopsis: Our ability to choose is a powerful tool for living an essentialist life. By recognizing our choices and taking ownership of them, we can make more deliberate decisions that align with our goals and values. By embracing constraints we can avoid being overwhelmed by too many options and make choices that lead to greater clarity, purpose, and fulfillment.
Summary: The main theme of this chapter is that our ability to choose is one of our most powerful tools for living an essentialist life. Many people feel trapped by their circumstances and believe that they have no choice in the matter. However, even when our options are limited, we always have a choice in how we respond.
Some strategies for making better choices include:
* Recognizing trade-offs: Every choice we make involves trade-offs. McKeown encourages readers to be clear about what they are giving up in order to choose a particular path.
* Embracing constraints: Constraints can actually be helpful in making better choices because they force us to focus on what is truly important. By embracing constraints, we can avoid being overwhelmed by too many options and make more deliberate choices.
* Using our intuition: Paying attention to our gut instincts when making choices. While logic and analysis are important, sometimes our intuition can help us make better decisions by tapping into our subconscious knowledge and experience.
Chapter Three Sumarry - Discern: The Unimportance of Practically Everything
Synopsis: In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information and distractions, the ability to discern is a valuable skill that can help us cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters. McKeown's message is clear: we need to be intentional and deliberate in our decision-making if we want to lead a life that is meaningful and fulfilling.
Summary: In the third chapter of "Essentialism," author Greg McKeown emphasizes the importance of discernment in identifying what truly matters in our lives. He argues that we are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of options and distractions, and it is our responsibility to filter out the noise and focus on what is truly essential.
The ability to discern is not just a skill, but a mindset. It requires us to be intentional in our decision-making and to constantly evaluate whether our actions align with our priorities. This means saying no to non-essential activities and opportunities, even if they seem tempting or appear to have short-term benefits.
Take as an example Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors of all time. Buffet credits his success to the ability to say no to good opportunities in order to focus on the great ones. We should adopt a similar mindset and be willing to let go of the good in order to pursue the truly essential.
Not all activities are created equal. Some activities may be urgent or demand our attention, but they are not necessarily important. We must distinguish between what is urgent and what is truly essential, and to prioritize the latter.
Ultimately, the theme of this chapter is that discernment is necessary for leading a fulfilling life. By discerning what truly matters to us and focusing our time and energy on those things, we can lead a more intentional and purposeful life. It requires us to be willing to let go of non-essential activities and to say no to good opportunities in order to pursue the truly great ones.
Chapter Four Summary - Trade-Off: Which Problem Do I Want?
Synopsis: Chapter Four of "Essentialism" highlights the importance of making intentional choices and accepting trade-offs. By focusing on what is truly important and making deliberate decisions, we can lead more fulfilling lives and achieve our goals more effectively.
Summary: The main theme of this chapter is trade-offs and the importance of making intentional choices. McKeown argues that in order to live an essentialist lifestyle, we must be willing to make trade-offs and choose which problems we want to face.
There is a paradox of choice, which is the idea that having too many options can actually make us less happy and less decisive. However, when we try to do everything and please everyone, we end up spreading ourselves too thin and becoming ineffective. Instead, we should focus on what is most important and make deliberate choices about how we spend our time and energy.
Every choice we make comes with a trade-off. For example, if we choose to focus on our career, we may have to sacrifice time with our family or hobbies. If we prioritize our health, we may have to give up some social activities or late nights at work. McKeown asserts that these trade-offs are necessary for living a fulfilling life and achieving our goals.
Moreover, choosing the right trade-offs is key. In essence, tiny percentage of activities account for a vast majority of our success and happiness. By identifying these essential activities and focusing on them, we can maximize our impact and avoid the distraction of non-essential activities. In contrast, by choosing the wrong trade-offs, we risk becoming overwhelmed, stressed, and unfulfilled.
One of the key stratgeies is to adopt an experimental mindset, which involves trying different things and evaluating what works best for us. Another is to create an "essential intent," which is a clear and concise statement of our highest priority. By keeping this intent in mind, we can make more informed choices about how we spend our time and energy.
Chapter Five Summary - Escape: The Perks of Being Unavailable
Synopsis: The theme of this chapter is an important reminder that being unavailable is not a weakness, but rather a strategic choice that can help us achieve our goals and live a more fulfilling life. By prioritizing our essential tasks and commitments, and being intentional about when we are available and when we are not, we can live a more focused and productive life while also avoiding burnout and overwhelm.
Summary: The central theme of this chapter is the importance of being unavailable in order to prioritize our essential tasks and commitments. In today's world, we are constantly bombarded with demands on our time and attention. The author argues that it is essential to be unavailable at times in order to focus on what is truly important. He suggests that being unavailable allows us to say no to non-essential tasks and commitments, which in turn allows us to focus on our essential priorities.
Being unavailable does not mean being unproductive. In fact, it can actually increase our productivity by allowing us to focus on our essential tasks without distraction. He suggests that we should be strategic about when we are available and when we are not, in order to maximize our productivity and achieve our goals.
Furthermore, being unavailable is not just about setting boundaries with others, but also about setting boundaries with ourselves. We often feel compelled to be constantly available and responsive, but this can lead to burnout and a lack of focus on our essential tasks. By intentionally creating periods of unavailability, we can recharge our batteries and return to our essential tasks with renewed energy and focus.
Chapter Six Summary - Look: See What Really Matters
Synopsis: The main message of Chapter Six is that cultivating an essentialist mindset requires us to become more intentional and mindful in our approach to life. By focusing on what truly matters and letting go of the rest, we can create a more fulfilling life.
Summary: To cultivate a more essentialist mindset, we need to train ourselves to focus on what is truly important. This involves learning to pay attention to our feelings and instincts, as well as to the needs and desires of those around us.
One key element of this process is learning to distinguish between the important and the urgent. Many of the tasks and demands that come our way on a daily basis may seem pressing, but they are often not truly essential. By learning to prioritize and focus on the most important things, we can avoid getting sidetracked by the urgent but ultimately unimportant demands on our time and energy.
Another important aspect of seeing what really matters is learning to recognize and let go of things that are no longer serving us. It’s important we learn how to declutter our lives, both physically and mentally, in order to create space for the things that are truly valuable.
What are some top quotes from Essentialism?
[Favorite Quote]: “We can either make our choices deliberately or allow other people’s agendas to control our lives." (Meaning)
"if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.”
“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done."
“Sleep will enhance your ability to explore, make connections, and do less but better throughout your waking hours.”
― Greg Mckeown, Essentialism Quotes
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: “Essentialism will give you richer, sweeter results and put you in real control, giving greater precision to the pursuit of what truly matters.” —Forbes
* The summary points above have been concluded from the book and other public sources. The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways
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Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
