Greg McKeown

People respect and admire those with the courage of conviction to say no.

The only thing we can expect (with any great certainty) is the unexpected. Therefore, we can either wait for the moment and react to it or we can prepare.

When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people—our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families—will choose for us.

Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.

We can choose how to spend our energy and time. Without choice, there is no point in talking about trade-offs.

Almost everything is noise, and a very few things are exceptionally valuable.

If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.

The way of the Essentialist is the relentless pursuit of less but better.

The way of the Essentialist is different. Instead of trying to accomplish it all—and all at once—and flaring out, the Essentialist starts small and celebrates progress.

What is the smallest amount of progress that will be useful and valuable to the essential task we are trying to get done?

The Essentialist designs a routine that makes achieving what you have identified as essential the default position.

The Power of Choice

Essentialism emphasizes the critical importance of recognizing and exercising the power of choice. Greg McKeown recounts his personal experience of feeling trapped in law school, a path he didn't actively choose but fell into by default. He states, 'I think that’s when I first realized that when we surrender our ability to choose, something or someone else will step in to choose for us.' This revelation underscores that while options can be limited, the authentic act of choosing remains within our control. It challenges readers to actively decide their paths rather than passively conform to circumstances or societal expectations.

Less but Better

The fundamental tenet of Essentialism is the idea that doing less can actually lead to achieving more. McKeown encapsulates this notion with the phrase, 'Less but better.' He writes, 'There is tremendous freedom in learning that we can eliminate the nonessentials, that we are no longer controlled by other people’s agendas, and that we get to choose.' This principle advocates for a disciplined approach to prioritizing tasks that have significant impact and importance, rather than attempting to juggle numerous trivial activities.

The Importance of Sleep

Contrary to the belief that sacrificing sleep can boost productivity, research shows that adequate sleep actually enhances performance. McKeown refers to K. Anders Ericsson’s study on violinists, revealing that the best performers slept more and practiced more effectively. 'The best violinists slept an average of 8.6 hours in every twenty-four-hour period,' highlighting that sufficient rest enables greater concentration and efficacy in practice. Therefore, sleep is essential not just for physical rest but for optimal brain function and problem-solving abilities.

The Courage to Say No

One of the core tenets of Essentialism is the courage to say no to non-essential tasks and opportunities, even when they seem appealing. McKeown shares personal struggles and choices, stating, 'Living fully as an Essentialist isn’t always easy. In many ways, I still struggle with it myself.' He highlights that saying no becomes easier over time and that the discomfort of turning down non-essential tasks is minor compared to the clarity and freedom it brings. This disciplined approach helps us invest our time and energy into what truly matters, fostering a life of impact and fulfillment.

Creating Space to Explore and Think

Essentialists understand the necessity of setting aside time to reflect and prioritize the 'vital few' from the 'trivial many.' McKeown shares the practice of a company that dedicates a day each month solely to think and talk, devoid of emails and calls. This practice not only enhances clarity and innovation but also identifies inefficiencies. 'We need space to escape in order to discern the essential few from the trivial many,' emphasizes the importance of designing time for deep thinking and strategic decision-making.

Set Boundaries to Protect Your Priorities

Clearly define what is essential to you and create boundaries to protect these priorities. Say no to commitments that do not align with your most important goals and values.

Incorporate Play into Daily Routines

Engage in activities that stimulate creativity and flexible thinking, like brainstorming sessions in unconventional settings or using playful desk toys. These can foster a more innovative and dynamic work environment.

Run a Reverse Pilot

Test out the elimination of certain activities or tasks by removing them temporarily. Observe if they are really missed or not, thereby identifying non-essential commitments.

Prioritize Sleep

Aim for a full seven to eight hours of sleep each night to ensure you are operating at peak performance levels. Schedule your day with sleep in mind, understanding it is a crucial element for high productivity and creativity.

The only way out of this trap is to learn to say no firmly, resolutely, and yet gracefully.

A clear 'no' can be more graceful than a vague or noncommittal 'yes'.

Essentialism is not a way to do one more thing; it is a different way of doing everything.

The pursuit of success can be a catalyst for failure.

When we push back effectively, it shows people that our time is highly valuable.

When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people will choose for us.

You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.

By refusing to make trade-offs, she ended up spreading five projects’ worth of time and effort across seventeen projects.

If the opportunity doesn’t pass the first set of criteria, the answer is obviously no.

If the answer isn’t a definite yes then it should be a no.

We can’t have it all or do it all. If we could, there would be no reason to evaluate or eliminate options.

Every second spent worrying about a past or future moment distracts us from what is important in the here and now.

Multitasking itself is not the enemy of Essentialism; pretending we can 'multi focus' is.

Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will. But if you are determined to prioritize your own life you can. The power is yours. It is within you.

We need space to escape in order to discern the essential few from the trivial many.

Play doesn’t just help us to explore what is essential. It is essential in and of itself.

Protect the asset.

One hour more of sleep equals several more hours of much higher productivity.

An Essentialist, on the other hand, is ridiculously selective on talent.

A clear ‘no’ can be more graceful than a vague or noncommittal ‘yes’.

Condensing means saying it as clearly and concisely as possible.

An editor’s job is not just to cut or condense but also to make something right.

The best managers prune as well as plant.

Recognizing and abandoning sunk costs can prevent further losses.

To get big results we must start small. So start with one change in your daily or weekly routine and then build on your progress from there.

Success can lead to more opportunities and more demands, which leads to diffused effort. Diffused effort undermines the very clarity that led to success in the first place.

Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.

Live by design, not by default.

The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away—It can only be forgotten.The Essentialist knows that when we surrender our right to choose, we give others not just the power but also the explicit permission to choose for us.

Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs. It’s about deliberately choosing to be different.

Essentialists see trade-offs as an inherent part of life, not as an inherently negative part of life.

To discern what is truly essential we need space to think, time to look and listen, permission to play, wisdom to sleep, and the discipline to apply highly selective criteria to the choices we make.

The 90% Rule: “As you evaluate an option, think about the single most important criterion for that decision, and then simply give the option a score between 0 and 100. If you rate it any lower than 90, then automatically change the rating to 0 and simply reject it.”

An essentialist has the courage and confidence to admit his or her mistakes and uncommon, no matter the sunk costs.

The life of an Essentialist is a life lived without regret. If you have correctly identified what really matters, if you invest your time and energy in it, then it is difficult to regret the choices you make. You become proud of the life you have chosen to live.

Today Essentialism is not just something I do. An Essentialist is something I am steadily becoming. At first it was a few deliberate choices, then it grew into a lifestyle, and then it changed me, at my very core. I continue to discover almost daily that I can do less and less—in order to contribute more.

To operate at your highest level of contribution requires that you deliberately tune in to what is important in the here and now.

Instead of spending our limited supply of discipline on making the same decisions again and again, embedding our decisions into our routine allows us to channel that discipline toward some other essential activity.

If we create a routine that enshrines the essentials, we will begin to execute them on autopilot. Instead of consciously pursuing the essential, it will happen without our having to think about it.

Routine is one of the most powerful tools for removing obstacles.

A small, concrete win creates momentum and affirms our faith in our further success.

The nonessentials is always reacting to crises rather than anticipating them, he is forced to apply quick-fix solutions: the equivalent to plugging his finger into the hole of a leaking dam and hoping the whole things doesn’t burst.

If you don’t set boundaries—there won’t be any. Or even worse, there will be boundaries, but they’ll be set by default—or by another person—instead of by design.

What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance? What if instead we celebrated how much time we had spent listening, pondering, meditating and enjoying time with the most important people in our lives?

Essentialism is a discipline, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.

Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done…it is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.

People respect and admire those with the courage of conviction to say no.

The only thing we can expect (with any great certainty) is the unexpected. Therefore, we can either wait for the moment and react to it or we can prepare.

When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people—our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families—will choose for us.

Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.

We can choose how to spend our energy and time. Without choice, there is no point in talking about trade-offs.

Almost everything is noise, and a very few things are exceptionally valuable.

If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.

The way of the Essentialist is the relentless pursuit of less but better.

The way of the Essentialist is different. Instead of trying to accomplish it all—and all at once—and flaring out, the Essentialist starts small and celebrates progress.

What is the smallest amount of progress that will be useful and valuable to the essential task we are trying to get done?

The Essentialist designs a routine that makes achieving what you have identified as essential the default position.

The only way out of this trap is to learn to say no firmly, resolutely, and yet gracefully.

A clear 'no' can be more graceful than a vague or noncommittal 'yes'.

Essentialism is not a way to do one more thing; it is a different way of doing everything.

The pursuit of success can be a catalyst for failure.

When we push back effectively, it shows people that our time is highly valuable.

When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people will choose for us.

You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.

By refusing to make trade-offs, she ended up spreading five projects’ worth of time and effort across seventeen projects.

If the opportunity doesn’t pass the first set of criteria, the answer is obviously no.

If the answer isn’t a definite yes then it should be a no.

We can’t have it all or do it all. If we could, there would be no reason to evaluate or eliminate options.

Every second spent worrying about a past or future moment distracts us from what is important in the here and now.

Multitasking itself is not the enemy of Essentialism; pretending we can 'multi focus' is.

Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will. But if you are determined to prioritize your own life you can. The power is yours. It is within you.

We need space to escape in order to discern the essential few from the trivial many.

Play doesn’t just help us to explore what is essential. It is essential in and of itself.

Protect the asset.

One hour more of sleep equals several more hours of much higher productivity.

An Essentialist, on the other hand, is ridiculously selective on talent.

A clear ‘no’ can be more graceful than a vague or noncommittal ‘yes’.

Condensing means saying it as clearly and concisely as possible.

An editor’s job is not just to cut or condense but also to make something right.

The best managers prune as well as plant.

Recognizing and abandoning sunk costs can prevent further losses.

To get big results we must start small. So start with one change in your daily or weekly routine and then build on your progress from there.

Success can lead to more opportunities and more demands, which leads to diffused effort. Diffused effort undermines the very clarity that led to success in the first place.

Essentialists don’t default to Band-Aid solutions. Instead of looking for the most obvious or immediate obstacles, they look for the ones slowing down progress. They ask, ‘What is getting in the way of achieving what is essential?’…the Essentialist simply makes a one-time investment in removing obstacles.