Essentialism
The disciplined pursuit of less, applied to a career and a calendar
McKeown's 2014 book, built on one claim: almost everything is noise, a few activities produce nearly all the results, and most people respond by trying to fit more in rather than cutting. The method runs in three stages. Explore and evaluate a wide field before committing to anything. Eliminate what does not survive a deliberately severe test. Execute by building systems so the few things left happen without a fight each morning. Along the way it supplies scripts for declining requests, a case for treating sleep as the asset the rest depends on, and the argument that priority was a singular word for five centuries. A 10th anniversary edition arrived in 2024.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Greg McKeownRecommends
Author · Essentialism
His 2014 book, and the argument the rest of his work rests on: almost everything is noise, a few things produce nearly all the results, and the discipline is in cutting rather than fitting more in. Explore, eliminate, execute, in that order.
Source: gregmckeown.com: Essentialism
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under productivity, focus or stress.
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Clear Thinking
Parrish on the ordinary moments where a decision is really made
Backed by 1 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - Book$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Effortless
Make the most essential activities the easiest ones to do
Backed by 1 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Vision setting
Write down a specific picture of who you are becoming, then filter decisions through it
Backed by 2 of 54 stacks: 2 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
5 Second Rule countdown
Count 5-4-3-2-1 out loud and move before hesitation talks you out of it
Backed by 1 of 54 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Automatic rules
Decide the behavior once, as a rule, so it is not decided in the moment
Backed by 1 of 54 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Positive framing
State the outcome you want instead of the one you are trying to avoid
Backed by 1 of 54 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Book entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.