Essentialism

Key Concepts

Essentialism, defined

“…Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.” (p. 7)

“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” (p. 10)

We always have a choice 

“The ability to choose cannot be taken away or ever given away  —  it can only be forgotten.” (p. 36)

Core mindsets of an essentialist 

• “Individual choice: We can choose how to spend our energy and time.” 

• “The prevalence of noise: Almost everything is noise, and a very few things are exceptionally valuable.” 

• “The reality of trade-offs: We can’t have it all or do it all” (p. 20)

Power of highly selective criteria 

“By definition, applying highly selective criteria is a trade-off; sometimes you will have to turn down a seemingly very good option and have faith that the perfect option will soon come along.” (p. 105)

Essential Intent 

“An essential intent…is both inspirational and concrete, both meaningful and measurable. Done right, an essential intent is one decision that settles one thousand later decisions.” (p. 126)

A statement that is Bland & General = Value. Bland & Concrete = Quarterly Objective. Inspirational & General = Vision/Mission. Inspirational & Concrete = Essential Intent.

Routines

“…if we create a routine that enshrines the essentials, we will begin to execute them on autopilot. Instead of our consciously pursuing the essential, it will happen without having to think about it.” (p. 206)

Quotables

“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.” (p. 5)

“In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.” (p. 7)

“The ability to choose cannot be taken away or ever given away  —  it can only be forgotten.” (p. 36)

“Imagine a four burner stove…. One burner represents your family, one is your friends, the third is your health, and the fourth is your work. In order to be successful you have to cut off one of your burners. And in order to be really successful you have to cut off two.” (p. 57)

“The way of the Nonessentialist is to see sleep as yet another burden on one’s already overextended, overcommitted, busy-but-not-always-productive life. Essentialists instead see sleep as necessary for operating at high levels of contribution more of the time.” (p. 95–6)

“Our highest priority is to protect our ability to prioritize” (p. 101)

“Tom Friel, the former CEO of Heidrick & Struggles, once said to me, ‘We need to learn the slow ‘yes’ and the quick ‘no.’’’ (p. 143)

“Boundaries are a little like the walls of a sandcastle. The second we let one fall over, the rest of them come crashing down.” (p. 165)

“There is a big difference between being a Nonessentialist who happens to apply Essentialist practices and an Essentialist who only occasionally slips back into some Nonessentialist practices. The question is, ‘Which is your major and which is your minor?’” (p. 228)

“But the way of the Essentialist isn’t just about success; it’s about living a life of meaning and purpose.” (p. 230)

“Once you become an Essentialist, you will find that you aren’t like everybody else.” (p. 231)