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mitskacir's review against another edition
3.0
This is a self-help style book that aims to teach the reader the ways of the Essentialist, i.e. how to take command and simplify your life in order to dedicate time to what is most important. There were some helpful tips in here: The section on saying no to requests or commitments was empowering, and something that I will try to practice more (I often feel like I have to commit to all social events, even though they often stress me out); I also liked the emphasis on having only one priority at a time (McKeown pointed out the fallacy of having multiple priorities). However, I couldn't fully get behind this book for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I often couldn't understand the drawings and figures in the text - they ironically seemed very non-essential to me. Secondly, he used many famous people as examples of model Essentialists - almost all of which were white men. This made Essentialism feel like it wasn't for me, and could only be useful for middle aged white guys in finance or technology. Thirdly, and most importantly, I often wasn't sure if the Essentialist lifestyle could be applied to people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Sure, maybe if you're the CEO of a company you can take a week off every year to think, but what if you work at Starbucks? Sure, it may be easy for a privileged white male to say no to his privileged white male boss, but how do you do that when you are navigating power dynamics related to gender and race? These are things that I find flawed in many life-simplifying theories that I've encountered, so it would have been nice if McKeown had addressed this and explicitly made Essentialism achievable by a wider variety of people.
alex_craciun's review against another edition
2.0
Este o carte bună pentru persoanele ce simt constant lipsa timpului sau atenției pentru obiectivele fundamentale din viața lor. Sunt prezentate o multitudine de teme: compromisul, puterea de a spune NU într-un mod respectuos la tot ce este neesențial, modul de organizare a timpului sau sistemul de decizii atunci când alegem punctele esențiale din dezvoltarea noastră. Greg McKeown a participat într-un episod din podcastul ,,The Ground Up Show" (Matt D'Avella as host) și mi s-a părut o perspectivă foarte interesantă pe care o are asupra vieții - din păcate, acel episod de podcast a fost mai bun decât cartea luată în întregime.
De ce 2 stele: sunt foarte multe exemple și pasaje neinspirate ce nu aveau vreo conexiune cu tema esențialismului. În aceste exemple, se prezenta o idee ambiguă, fără vreo legătură cu principiile prezentate în capitolele respective, iar la final, Greg scotea o concluzie forțată, fără vreo argumentare logică. Se simțea o încercare exagerată de a include cât mai multe exemple, chiar dacă acestea sunt irelevante și repetitive în esență. Erau de necitit, iar informațiile utile se află în maxim 30% din paginile cărții.
Părțile favorite: mini-capitolele despre importanța somnului și reintroducerii conceptului de joc în viața de zi cu zi (și beneficiile jocului asupra creierului) au fost inteligente și captivante.
Recomand citirea unui rezumat al acestei cărți.
De ce 2 stele: sunt foarte multe exemple și pasaje neinspirate ce nu aveau vreo conexiune cu tema esențialismului. În aceste exemple, se prezenta o idee ambiguă, fără vreo legătură cu principiile prezentate în capitolele respective, iar la final, Greg scotea o concluzie forțată, fără vreo argumentare logică. Se simțea o încercare exagerată de a include cât mai multe exemple, chiar dacă acestea sunt irelevante și repetitive în esență. Erau de necitit, iar informațiile utile se află în maxim 30% din paginile cărții.
Părțile favorite: mini-capitolele despre importanța somnului și reintroducerii conceptului de joc în viața de zi cu zi (și beneficiile jocului asupra creierului) au fost inteligente și captivante.
Recomand citirea unui rezumat al acestei cărți.
joe451_'s review against another edition
5.0
Achive more with less. When I first heard this, I thought it was just another "Bullshit productivity life hack." This book proved me otherwise. It has convinced me to follow the path of essentialism.
Essentialism is really the definition of good selfishness. It's choosing to say no and saying yes to what's more important. It's cutting all your goals and focusing on what's the most essential right now. It's viewing your time as an assest. Your time is valuable. If u didn't choose how your life goes, someone will do it for you.
Successful people don't do more... they do less. They do only what they really need to do. They cut out any unnecessary distractions. It's important to focus only on one thing, just so you can give it all your energy and progress. It's that simple.
Always ask yourself, what's the most essential right now. What is it that i should remove from my day so i can focus on what really matters only. It requires dedication and discipline to do this. It's the practice of saying NO, saying NO to what really doesn't serve my purpose and meaning.
There was a variation for this approach, which i loved so much, too. It said that you can think of your life as a whole, not just the time increments. I'm thinking of it as seasons.... what season am I currently at?? If it's the gym season, so ama go wild at the gym and maintain what's essential (doing the bare minimum effort) while cutting the nonessential. After you finish start another season.
Method
1. Explore. Discern the trivial many from the vital few. Commit and go big on only a few items. Ask 3 questions:
• What do I feel deeply inspired by?
• What am I particularly talented at?
• What meets a significant need in the world?
2. Eliminate. Cut out the trivial many. Say no to social expectations.
3. Execute. Create a system for removing obstacles to execution.
Protect the Asset: Yourself
Our highest priority is to protect our ability to prioritize. This means reducing stress, getting enough sleep, and generally ensuring our mental health.
Selection
• Wait for the best rather than settling for good enough.
• 90% Rule: As you evaluate an option, think of the single most important criterion and rate the option from 0 to 100. If you rate it any lower than 90, change it to 0, and reject it. This prevents indecision and settling.
• Accept only the top 10% of opportunities. Take only those that are exactly what you're looking for.
• If it isn't a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.
Elimination
• When evaluating an opportunity you have, ask, “If I didn't already have this opportunity, what would I be willing to do to acquire it?” If you wouldn’t do much to acquire it, eliminate it.
• Run a reverse pilot: quietly eliminate (or at least scale back) an effort and see if it makes any difference. If it doesn't, eliminate it.
Essentialism is really the definition of good selfishness. It's choosing to say no and saying yes to what's more important. It's cutting all your goals and focusing on what's the most essential right now. It's viewing your time as an assest. Your time is valuable. If u didn't choose how your life goes, someone will do it for you.
Successful people don't do more... they do less. They do only what they really need to do. They cut out any unnecessary distractions. It's important to focus only on one thing, just so you can give it all your energy and progress. It's that simple.
Always ask yourself, what's the most essential right now. What is it that i should remove from my day so i can focus on what really matters only. It requires dedication and discipline to do this. It's the practice of saying NO, saying NO to what really doesn't serve my purpose and meaning.
There was a variation for this approach, which i loved so much, too. It said that you can think of your life as a whole, not just the time increments. I'm thinking of it as seasons.... what season am I currently at?? If it's the gym season, so ama go wild at the gym and maintain what's essential (doing the bare minimum effort) while cutting the nonessential. After you finish start another season.
Method
1. Explore. Discern the trivial many from the vital few. Commit and go big on only a few items. Ask 3 questions:
• What do I feel deeply inspired by?
• What am I particularly talented at?
• What meets a significant need in the world?
2. Eliminate. Cut out the trivial many. Say no to social expectations.
3. Execute. Create a system for removing obstacles to execution.
Protect the Asset: Yourself
Our highest priority is to protect our ability to prioritize. This means reducing stress, getting enough sleep, and generally ensuring our mental health.
Selection
• Wait for the best rather than settling for good enough.
• 90% Rule: As you evaluate an option, think of the single most important criterion and rate the option from 0 to 100. If you rate it any lower than 90, change it to 0, and reject it. This prevents indecision and settling.
• Accept only the top 10% of opportunities. Take only those that are exactly what you're looking for.
• If it isn't a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.
Elimination
• When evaluating an opportunity you have, ask, “If I didn't already have this opportunity, what would I be willing to do to acquire it?” If you wouldn’t do much to acquire it, eliminate it.
• Run a reverse pilot: quietly eliminate (or at least scale back) an effort and see if it makes any difference. If it doesn't, eliminate it.
carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
2.0
Meh.
The general principles are interesting-ish. But there really wasn’t anything mentioned that I found particularly enlightening. And this was consistently emphasized by the tone of the book, which was nothing short of pretentious. Repetition of the same old ideas and tired writing devices (like asking the reader direct questions) is abundant, and only discredits the book’s central theme of keeping just what’s essential. It made me think a lot about what it means to have the luxury to say no. Because sure, anybody can say no to anybody, but the consequences can be much more than just a brief nuisance depending on a person’s situation? This book focuses on business executives really and no one else.
The general principles are interesting-ish. But there really wasn’t anything mentioned that I found particularly enlightening. And this was consistently emphasized by the tone of the book, which was nothing short of pretentious. Repetition of the same old ideas and tired writing devices (like asking the reader direct questions) is abundant, and only discredits the book’s central theme of keeping just what’s essential. It made me think a lot about what it means to have the luxury to say no. Because sure, anybody can say no to anybody, but the consequences can be much more than just a brief nuisance depending on a person’s situation? This book focuses on business executives really and no one else.
thesimplereader's review against another edition
3.0
3⭐️
Had I not already read Effortless by Greg McKeown, I would have found this book much more enlightening. However, I found it recycled much of the same information.
Had I not already read Effortless by Greg McKeown, I would have found this book much more enlightening. However, I found it recycled much of the same information.
lau_ro's review against another edition
While the idea is intriguing, the author makes use of popular and/or historical figures to prove his point without respect to the persons own philosophy or circumstances, to the point it’s uncomfortable to read.
tashaseegmiller's review against another edition
5.0
Listening to this book was one of those situations where I didn't know of a book's existence and then, suddenly, it was everywhere. I'd heard the audiobook was good and found it to be more than that: it's brilliant.
Greg McKeown has great insights on how to negotiate a society and tendency toward a life full of busyness, consistent connectivity, and never-ending interruptions and distractions. It isn't a suggestion that is extreme, though there are points that would be difficult for all of us. Instead, it is about transitioning into a life where what we do, who we interact with, the results of choices we make become intentional and full of purpose.
McKeown is delightful to listen to (cue sucker for a great British accent) and I found that I wanted to listen to it when I only had 30 seconds, one minute, small increments. I already recommended this book to some friends as key moments in the text reminded me of someone, but I feel strongly that it is a book everyone should read/listen to.
Greg McKeown has great insights on how to negotiate a society and tendency toward a life full of busyness, consistent connectivity, and never-ending interruptions and distractions. It isn't a suggestion that is extreme, though there are points that would be difficult for all of us. Instead, it is about transitioning into a life where what we do, who we interact with, the results of choices we make become intentional and full of purpose.
McKeown is delightful to listen to (cue sucker for a great British accent) and I found that I wanted to listen to it when I only had 30 seconds, one minute, small increments. I already recommended this book to some friends as key moments in the text reminded me of someone, but I feel strongly that it is a book everyone should read/listen to.
rebeccasarine's review
4.0
This book is loaded with great information! I am encouraged to find what is essential for me and take steps to make decisions based on that. I will be referencing again and again to help me implement this idea of essentialism in my life. I read it slow to digest the concept and the ideas. I do struggle with how to apply this to my nursing and shift work lifestyle. But I want the clarity of purpose that he speaks about regarding family life and work.
I also think this book would be a great gift for some people in my life.
I also think this book would be a great gift for some people in my life.