Essentialism (2014) by Greg McKeown



Essentialism (2014) by Greg McKeown

I found this book on the “free table” where people leave random stuff at work - and as a minimalist in many respects, a lifestyle book called “Essentialism” piqued my interest. While I tend to avoid the deluge of self-improvement content online these days (which usually leaves me needlessly stressed over living “the wrong way” and lacking the discipline to fix it), something about a physical, printed book curbed my hesitancy toward the broader topic.

The main idea of Essentialism is to focus your efforts on the most meaningful pursuits while casting-off the desire to “do it all”, ultimately achieving far more towards your key goals rather than making scant progress in several lesser directions. McKeown conveys the idea brilliantly, expounding on the motto of “less but better” with a layered dissection of the essentialist mindset and lifestyle - from deliberate and calculated trade-offs to an emphasis on precisely-defined mission statements. He approaches the concept from a largely professional viewpoint, but provides a broader overlap into personal and social realms as well. McKeown’s practical examples of his peers’ successes and failures in essentialist-leaning situations also lend credibility to his philosophy, at least as far as I’m concerned.

I left this book armed with the tools to filter triviality from my routine and my pursuits, but unable to identify what those essential pursuits are in my own personal situation. What projects and habits will pay the most dividends in my creative output and my habits, and how do I distinguish them from the swath of other “good” aims that lull me, unaware, with surface-level gratification? It’s hard to move forward resolutely without the vital “clarity of intent” at the core of essentialism - but hopefully that comes with time, and I can be prepared with the essentialist’s toolkit when that clarity finds me.

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