Essentialism Revisited

So, I set a goal for 2022 to revisit Greg McKeown’s excellent book, Essentialism. I read it a few years ago and decided to read it again but this time to really study it with a view to personal application. Here are some observations I’ve gleaned so far (and I’m hardly started):

• Don’t confuse busyness with impact.

Today’s crazed lifestyle makes being busy a badge of honor. Ask anyone how they’re doing and instead of the old “Fine” response, now you get, “Busy!” It’s some kind of code for “I’m really important” or something like that.

The problem is that busyness is not productivity. Frenetic activity doesn’t mean we’re actually getting anywhere; in fact, we are often losing ground but we’re too busy to notice.

Beyond that, even productivity can be deceptive. Is “getting things done” the goal? Or is getting the right things done? Or maybe it’s getting things done that matter to you and to the world.

• Ruthlessly identify the vital few and reject the trivial many.

There is no shortage of things to do. The truth is that there is always too much to do; this is why we spend hours and dollars on courses and tools that promise to help us get more done. But, as above, do these things actually matter. We get the same jolt of dopamine from striking something off our todo list that we get from a FaceBook “like.” And many times the todo is just as meaningless. The vital few are the things that actually move us toward our own true vision, purpose, and impact. The rest of the noise is just that.

• Focus on thinking like an Essentialist and not just working like one.

True essentialism is a way of thinking and living, not just a way of doing. But it starts with action, with discipline, with practice. It can feel quite awkward. Yet, in time, the doing of essentialism will begin to become second nature, natural, and a way of thinking, of viewing life, of relishing in only doing the things that matter.

Thanks to Greg McKeown for writing this book and for the difference it’s making in my life and the lives of countless others.