Essentialism by Greg Mckeown | A Book Summary
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Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
I have read my fair share of books. There are three books that have altered the way I choose to live my life in a profound way. Two of those books are Start with Why by Simon Sinek and The Art of Work by Jeff Goins. The third book is Essentialism by Greg Mckeown. “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” is a book that advocates for simplifying life by focusing on what truly matters. McKeown introduces the concept of essentialism as the disciplined pursuit of less but better. He argues that essentialism is not about doing more things but about doing the right things. Essentialism is a mindset and a way of life focused on identifying and pursuing what is truly essential. Let’s begin by defining what “essential” actually means.
Now, just as a preface. I do not tend ot simply provide a summary of the book. I like to provide examples from my life, as well as a systematic approach to simplifying the content for the reader. Simply providing a summary can leave readers stuck on how to apply the content of the book to real life. I also apply techniques that I’ve utilized in light of the content of the book for practical tools to implement what was written by the author. So, if you’re looking for a book review or just a straight summary, you may want to look elsewhere! However, if you’re looking for application, this blog’s for you!
Depending on where we search for the definition of essential, we may seem it defined as the following:
- Absolutely Necessary: Something that is essential is absolutely necessary or indispensable for a particular purpose or outcome.
- Fundamental: Essential can also refer to something that is fundamental, inherent, or intrinsic to the nature of a thing or concept.
- Basic or Core: It can denote the basic or core components or qualities of something, without which it would lose its essence or identity.
- Significant or Important: Essential can also describe something that is significant, important, or vital in achieving a particular goal or fulfilling a certain function.
Apparently, essential is an important word. Based on the definitions above, what might some essential elements of life be? Food? Clothing? Shelter? Transportation? Absolutely.
Fortunately, for us, Greg Mckeown breaks down the areas within our lives that are most essential and provides a framework for determining the most important thing at any paarticular times.
Mckeown breaks down the book into 4 key parts.
- Part 1: Essence
- Part 2: Explore
- Part 3: Eliminate
- Part 4: Execute
In this post, we are going to focus only on Part 1. I will cover the other 3 parts in later posts. So, let’s begin with Chapter 1: Essence.
Chapter 1: Essence
“The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default.” Greg Mckeown
McKeown introduces the concept of essentialism as a “disciplined approach to identifying and pursuing what is truly important in life”. Choosing to focus on the things that provide the highest contribution to our lives is essential. One of the questions I have begun asking myself based on the idea of essentialism is the following.
“What are the 3 most essential things I need to focus on right now? Then, what are the essential tasks associated with each thing?”
Mckeown goes on to contrast essentialism with the prevailing mindset of “non-essentialism,” which involves spreading oneself too thin by trying to do everything.
“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done”, the author states.
There is an endless to-do list beckoning us at all times throughout the day. It’s never-ending, and it’s always right in the palms of our hands. Literally. In a world of distractions, how do we determine the most important things at the right time? We have the power of choice that can destroy us or can allow us to take small steps on our way towards achieving real purpose in our lives.
Essentialism, according to McKeown, involves discerning what truly matters and eliminating distractions to focus on the vital few. Developing a mindset of discernment is the best way to begin creating a life built around the things that matter the most.
Chapter 2: Choose
“The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away; it can only be forgotten.” Greg Mckeown
McKeown emphasizes the importance of choice in living as an essentialist. Let’s face it. We have control of our own choices. Let’s think about it for a second. Do we have control of how much we scroll social media? Do we have choice over determining the right routine for bedtime? The essentialist mindset reveals to us that the choices we make, whether in our personal life or professional life, either push us closer to achieving our end goal or our end goal becomes a losing proposition.
“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. 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.”
Mckeown highlights that every decision we make reflects our values and priorities, and therefore, we should choose deliberately and thoughtfully. Every decision we make has selective criteria by which we make that decision.
- ​Does this fit my my mission statement?
- Am I exhibiting clear boundaries?
- Does this decision create the highest possible contribution to society?
- Do I have enough time for this?
- Is this really the highest priority right now?
The Choices We Make
Essentialism involves making choices that align with our purpose and desired outcomes, rather than reacting to external pressures or expectations. This might be the most important part of the book for me. Social pressure is absolutely a real thing. As I’m writing, I have been off of X.com (formerly Twitter) for approximately 12 hours. Now, I still post, but I no longer follow. I couldn’t handle it. Everyone was “so much further along”. They were “experts”. I just constantly felt like I was never going anywhere compared to everyone else. I felt the social pressure to move fast, jump high, become someone, etc. Horse manure.
We must choose to focus on the bigger picture rather reacting to the external pressures of daily life. We must ask ourselves, “Am I doing the right activities for the right reasons as the right time?”
“Are these true priorities in the first place, or am I just trying to appease society to be what it believes I should be or do what it says I should do?”
Chapter 3: Discern
“Discernment is the art of distinguishing between what is truly important and what is merely urgent.” Greg Mckeown
This chapter focuses on the process of discernment, which is essential to living as an essentialist. McKeown discusses the need to distinguish between the trivial many and the vital few, recognizing that not all opportunities or commitments are equally valuable. In other words, what priorities should move to the top of the list?
Here’s a quick pet peeve of mine. Have you ever called a friend, or someone whom you thought was a true friend, to chat about something important to you? Of course, you have. Have you ever experienced the dreaded line, “Hey, I don’t have time right now to chat about this.” Of course, you have. What are they telling you? First off, they are lying. They do have time. Secondly, they are saying that they are prioritizing whatever they are doing ahead of you.
Now, the priorities they have may ACTUALLY be more important than you! Or, they simply may not be using enough discernment to determine what is part of the vital few and what is part of the trivial many.
“True discernment requires clarity of purpose, deep introspection, and the courage to say no to the trivial many in pursuit of the vital few.”
​Discernment requires clarity of purpose, understanding of priorities, and the ability to differentiate between what is essential and what is not.
“The practice of discernment enables us to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters, leading to greater clarity, fulfillment, and effectiveness.”
Chapter 4: Trade-Off
In the pursuit of what truly matters, every decision we make involves a trade-off between competing priorities.” Greg Mckeown
McKeown introduces the concept of trade-offs as a fundamental aspect of essentialism. He emphasizes that in order to focus on what truly matters, we must be willing to make trade-offs by saying no to non-essential activities, opportunities, and commitments. Real trade-offs are inevitable and necessary for prioritizing our time, energy, and resources towards what is most important.
The core mind-set of an essentialist invokes that every decision we make has a price tag. From the clothes we put on in the morning to the route we take to drive to work to the groceries we buy at the grocery store, everything is a trade-off. You choose the cauliflower crust pizza over the stuffed crust pizza. The trade-off is that it may not taste as good, but you’ll feel a lot better afterwards. Having the emotional discipline to understand this concept is….essential.
A quick story
​Personally, I have made great strides in this area. I remember exactly when and where I was when the concept of essentialism truly set in for me.
I was sauntering through the grocery in 2017 having just finished reading Essentialism. As I was making my way through the aisles, there were so many things that caught my attention. Brownie mix. Peanut butter. Chips. Soda. You name it, and I wanted it. Then, I got to the frozen food section. Stuffed crust pizza and chicken fingers were shouting my name. Chinese orange chicken and ice cream seemed irresistible.
Then, a thought occurred to me out of the blue. Will these things enhance my life or not? At this point in my life, I was deeply invested in adventure races like Spartan and Tough Mudders. I had recently completed two triathlons and was on my way to competing in my first half marathon. I couldn’t shake the thought the foods I was putting into my body would negatively impact the execution of those things I had worked so hard for.
It was at that moment that I decided I needed to put those things that were essential into my body. No, it was not about the big training workouts or the discpline of waking up at 6:00a to train. It was the small details such as what I ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This was a trade-off that paid significant dividends in my athletic career.
Chapter 5: Escape
“Escaping the trap of busyness requires a deliberate effort to prioritize what truly matters and let go of distractions that pull us away from our essential goals.” Greg Mckeown
In this chapter, McKeown discusses the trap of “the undisciplined pursuit of more” and the need to escape from it. He highlights the cultural pressure to do more, have more, and be more, which often leads to busyness, stress, and burnout. Essentialism involves escaping from this mindset by embracing the disciplined pursuit of less but better, focusing on quality over quantity.
Compassion International’s former CEO Wes Stafford once said, “The opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is enough.” When we constantly pursue more money, wealth, status and power, we lose the ability to focus on the serious work right in front of us.
Comparison Kills Us
As a 37 year old man, comparison is rampant. We tend to always thing that once we have more of you name it, things will be better. In some cases, that may be true. As a whole though, that’s simply a fallacy. It’s a trap that ensnares us to the point of discontentment and depression.
In addition to not believing we have enough, many times we simply just don’t believe that we are enough. Becoming A King has been the most seminal book I’ve in my 30’s. There is a point made by the author, Morgan Snyder, that truly gets to essence of our lack of feeling like we have enough. He states that we don’t simply think we are lacking enough, we wonder if WE are enough.
How much do we actually think this in our day to day lives? Do we really think that we are enough? For so many of us, especially men in our 30’s, we don’t believe we are. We see that other people have perceivably better lives than we do. Their titles are more prestigious. They make more money. That house they live in is the nicest in the neighborhood. We simply believe the fallacies that we don’t have what it take.
By escaping the proverbial hamster wheel or rat race, we choose the essential things in life.
Chapter 6: Look
“In the journey towards essentialism, it is essential to look inward, gaining clarity about who we are and what truly matters to us.” Greg Mckeown
McKeown encourages readers to look within themselves to discover their true essence and purpose. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, introspection, and reflection in identifying what is essential to us personally. Looking involves examining our values, strengths, passions, and goals to guide our decisions and actions.
The question we must ask ourselves is, “What on earth am I here for?”. When we choose to make decisions that go against the purpose we have in our own life, we force ourselves to focus on fewer things that are actually of value. Our purpose is the best asset we have to keep ourselves on the straight and narrow.
Sometimes discovering your purpose is simply asking the right questions. Other times it’s praying for a distinct word from God about what your purpose is. More often than not though, it’s simply living in the calling that we’ve been given.
Self-awareness
- Self-awareness involves having a clear understanding of one’s own thoughts, feelings, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.
- In the context of essentialism, self-awareness allows individuals to recognize their true desires, passions, and values, enabling them to make choices that are authentic and aligned with their innermost selves.
- Self-awareness helps individuals identify their essential priorities amidst the noise and distractions of daily life, allowing them to focus their time and energy on what truly matters most to them.
Introspection
- Introspection refers to the process of looking inward, examining one’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a reflective manner.
- In essentialism, introspection involves taking the time to reflect on past experiences, decisions, and outcomes to gain insight into what has been meaningful or fulfilling.
- Through introspection, individuals can identify patterns, preferences, and recurring themes in their lives, which can help inform their future choices and actions.
- Introspection also provides an opportunity for individuals to assess their current circumstances and consider whether they are living in alignment with their essential priorities, prompting them to make necessary adjustments if needed.
Reflection
- Reflection involves thoughtful consideration and analysis of one’s experiences, beliefs, and actions, often with the goal of gaining deeper understanding or insight.
- In the context of essentialism, reflection serves as a tool for evaluating the alignment between one’s actions and their essential priorities.
- By reflecting on past decisions and outcomes, individuals can discern what has contributed to their sense of fulfillment and what may have detracted from it.
- Reflection also allows individuals to course-correct and make intentional choices moving forward, based on their newfound insights and understanding.
Overall, self-awareness, introspection, and reflection are integral practices in essentialism, enabling individuals to clarify their values, identify their priorities, and live with greater purpose and fulfillment. By cultivating these practices, individuals can navigate life’s complexities more intentionally and focus their efforts on what truly matters most to them.
Conclusion
McKeown summarizes the key principles of essentialism and encourages readers to adopt a more disciplined approach to life. He highlights the benefits of living as an essentialist, including increased clarity, effectiveness, and fulfillment.
So what are some key questions we can ask ourselves as we consider choosing essentialism as a lifestyle.
- What truly matters to me?
- Reflect on your values, passions, and long-term goals to identify what is most important to you in life.
- What are my top priorities?
- Consider the areas of your life where you want to invest your time, energy, and resources. What goals or activities align most closely with your values and aspirations?
- What am I saying yes to that I should be saying no to?
- Evaluate your current commitments, activities, and obligations. Are there any that are not essential or aligned with your priorities? What can you eliminate or delegate to make room for what truly matters?
- Am I spreading myself too thin?
- Reflect on whether you are trying to do too much at once. Are you feeling overwhelmed or burnt out? What activities or responsibilities can you streamline or let go of to focus on the vital few?
- What brings me the most joy and fulfillment?
- Identify the activities, relationships, and experiences that bring you the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment. How can you prioritize these essentials in your daily life?
- What can I do less of to achieve more?
- Consider where you can simplify or streamline your routines, processes, or commitments. What non-essential tasks or distractions can you eliminate to free up time and energy for what matters most?
- Am I living in alignment with my values?
- Reflect on whether your actions and choices reflect your core values and beliefs. Are there any areas where you are compromising your values? How can you realign your life with what truly matters to you?
- What are the consequences of not prioritizing the essential?
- Consider the long-term impact of neglecting your essential priorities. What opportunities might you miss out on? What values might you compromise? Use these insights to reinforce the importance of focusing on what truly matters.
- How can I create more space for the essential in my life?
- Brainstorm practical strategies for making room for the essential in your daily life. This might involve setting boundaries, delegating tasks, or reorganizing your schedule to prioritize what matters most.
- What steps can I take today to live more intentionally?
- Identify small actions you can take immediately to start living with greater purpose and intention. Commit to making incremental changes that align with your essential priorities.
I would encourage you to write down your answers. Consider the words on the page. Are they true of you? If they are not, start over. Answer the questions again. Do it until the answers are true of yourself. Consider involving other people as well. Those in your inner circle oftentimes know more about you than even you do!
Remember, essential does not mean everything else is unimportant. Essential simply means those things that are MOST important.
About the Author
John Claborn
Hi! I’m John. Author of the post you just read. I like to write about all things adventure. Mostly things to help people live more adventurous lives and care for their families in a more meaningful way. By day, I’m a COO. By night, I’m a rad dad of 4 kids that I don’t deserve and a husband to a woman I can’t understand how I got. My goal is to show freedom to people through adventure and experiences.
