Scan barcode
nikread84's review against another edition
5.0
I keep quoting this book to people. It’s a great insight into what truly matters and how to figure that out.
gandalftheschway's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
for summer work reading
deluciate's review against another edition
4.0
McKeown outlines a compelling vision of a simpler life. This book has given me a lot to think about. After reading it from the library, I might need to buy a copy for myself.
However, I'm not sure he gives us enough to get there from here. There are a lot of interesting suggestions framed very generally.
Second, I'm not entirely persuaded that Essentialism is essential, or at least not for everyone. If each person focuses only on what is most essential for themselves, who connects all the dots between these high achievers? I think within big organizations, there is some work that's not essential for any one person, and yet is essential for the common success.
Great book, very interesting, lots to think about. A useful addition to a collection of leadership and management philosophy.
However, I'm not sure he gives us enough to get there from here. There are a lot of interesting suggestions framed very generally.
Second, I'm not entirely persuaded that Essentialism is essential, or at least not for everyone. If each person focuses only on what is most essential for themselves, who connects all the dots between these high achievers? I think within big organizations, there is some work that's not essential for any one person, and yet is essential for the common success.
Great book, very interesting, lots to think about. A useful addition to a collection of leadership and management philosophy.
yoggi01's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.5
"Less but better"
"Good but non essential"
Finding out what's important and focusing on that.
Saying no to things that aren't essential.
Fallacy:
1. I have to
2. It's all important
3. I can do both
Truths:
1. I choose to
2. Only a few things really matter
3. I can do anything but not everything
It's difficult since there are so many good things in the world but they are not all essential. Have to do some soul searching to figure out what's important to you.
"The faintest pencil is better than the strongest memory"
Quote about the importance of journaling. Write less than you feel like writing. Take an hour every 3 months or so to read the journal entries . Focus on broader patterns or trends, capture the headline. Look for the lead in your day, in your week, in your life.
Play is essential.
90 % rule, when making a decision score it from 1-100, if it's below a 90 reject it and move on. The principle of, if it isn't a resounding yes then it's a resounding no.
Simple systematic process to apply selective criteria to opportunities.
1. Write down the opportunity
2. Write down a list of three minimum criteria, the options would need to pass in order to be considered.
3. Write down a list of three ideal/extreme criteria, the option would need to pass in order to be considered.
Need to pass two of the three extreme criteria.
Searching for a career opportunity:
1. What am I deeply passionate about
2. What taps my talent
3. What meets a significant need in the world
Non-essentialism
What am I saying no to?
Not saying no to something is the same as saying yes to it.
Note to self: i don't have that many commitments, so I should be careful about not being too strict with saying no. Right now even the most mundane hangout can be essential to me. It can also be non essential, I need to reflect on this.
Setting boundaries.
"If you have limits then you will becom limitless"
Create a buffet. When thinking about how long something should take over estimate by 50%
"Good but non essential"
Finding out what's important and focusing on that.
Saying no to things that aren't essential.
Fallacy:
1. I have to
2. It's all important
3. I can do both
Truths:
1. I choose to
2. Only a few things really matter
3. I can do anything but not everything
It's difficult since there are so many good things in the world but they are not all essential. Have to do some soul searching to figure out what's important to you.
"The faintest pencil is better than the strongest memory"
Quote about the importance of journaling. Write less than you feel like writing. Take an hour every 3 months or so to read the journal entries . Focus on broader patterns or trends, capture the headline. Look for the lead in your day, in your week, in your life.
Play is essential.
90 % rule, when making a decision score it from 1-100, if it's below a 90 reject it and move on. The principle of, if it isn't a resounding yes then it's a resounding no.
Simple systematic process to apply selective criteria to opportunities.
1. Write down the opportunity
2. Write down a list of three minimum criteria, the options would need to pass in order to be considered.
3. Write down a list of three ideal/extreme criteria, the option would need to pass in order to be considered.
Need to pass two of the three extreme criteria.
Searching for a career opportunity:
1. What am I deeply passionate about
2. What taps my talent
3. What meets a significant need in the world
Non-essentialism
What am I saying no to?
Not saying no to something is the same as saying yes to it.
Note to self: i don't have that many commitments, so I should be careful about not being too strict with saying no. Right now even the most mundane hangout can be essential to me. It can also be non essential, I need to reflect on this.
Setting boundaries.
"If you have limits then you will becom limitless"
Create a buffet. When thinking about how long something should take over estimate by 50%
svnn's review against another edition
This is just a western reinterpretation of ikigai for corporate zombies.
jmm's review against another edition
3.0
"the way of the essentialist" strikes me a little odd sometimes... Maybe I did not listen carefully enough, but I would assume I would affront a lot of friends and close acquaintances by saying: "Sorry, I cannot do that. It is not essential to me"
Maybe it helps with making the most out of one's own limited time, but what about the connection to others? I would assume, that 'doing things for others, that are not essential to one's own goals' could help make a greater impact overall in the long term.
Disclaimer: I enjoyed listening to the book and I think there are practical things in there, that could prove helpful (especially for somebody like me, who makes it his own mission to solve other's problems). I am just not quite sure yet, if I really want to be the essentialist described in this book.
Maybe it helps with making the most out of one's own limited time, but what about the connection to others? I would assume, that 'doing things for others, that are not essential to one's own goals' could help make a greater impact overall in the long term.
Disclaimer: I enjoyed listening to the book and I think there are practical things in there, that could prove helpful (especially for somebody like me, who makes it his own mission to solve other's problems). I am just not quite sure yet, if I really want to be the essentialist described in this book.
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.