How to Focus on the Essentials (And Eliminate Everything Else)

Nov 22, 2017

Best-selling author, teacher, and speaker Greg McKeown published Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less three years ago, but the book still resonates powerfully today. In the spirit of sharing ideas worth spreading, Accelerate managing editor Nick McGregor digs in to Essentialism鈥檚鈥淟ess is better鈥� ethos.

Nick McGregor | 3 minutes

Consider the main question that prefaces Essentialism: 鈥淗ave you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized?鈥� Most of us would answer with a resounding 鈥淵es!鈥�, verifying the back-cover blurb by Wharton professor Adam Grant, who suggests that Greg McKeown鈥檚 book is 鈥渁 timely, essential read for anyone who feels overcommitted, overloaded, or overworked鈥攊n other words, everyone.鈥�

Still, Essentialism does more than just provide a soapbox to shout from. A potent antidote to that very specific 21st-century feeling of FOMO, or the fear of missing out, McKeown鈥檚 modern tome helps us say no. It helps us prune away everything that doesn鈥檛 contribute directly to our wellbeing and our success at work. It helps us identify the core driver of our happiness, along with the happiness of those around us.

But is it really possible, as Essentialism insists, to get more done in less time? Can we dispassionately apply disciplined thinking to our own lives, discerning what is absolutely essential (and then eliminating everything that is not) in the process? McKeown believes it鈥檚 possible, and backs up his arguments with insightful thinking from behavioral economists, management consultants, Silicon Valley CEOs鈥攅ven Rosa Parks and Mohandas Gandhi.

Rather than 鈥渕ajoring in minor activities,鈥� Essentialism lays out a concise plan for trimming the fat from everyday life. Below are a few of McKeown鈥檚 main points, all of which can serve as inspiration for those of us wanting to do less while accomplishing more.

1. DON'T JUST RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF CHOICE - CELEBRATE IT

Discernment and patience are key; does the choice you鈥檙e presented with inspire you deeply? Does it meet a significant need in the world? Is it the most important thing you could be doing with the time and resources available? Consider the four E鈥檚 when making a choice: Explore the possibilities, Eliminate obstacles to decision making, Execute your decision with confidence, and make sure your choice aligns with the core Essence of who you are.

2. GIVE YOURSELF ROOM TO PLAY, SLEEP, LOOK, READ, AND ULTIMATELY SELECT

Although these functions may seem trivial, they can also help you separate the trivial many from the vital few. Escaping the constraints of crowded calendars, constant communication, and the overwhelming pace of modern life can help you clear your mind and identify that big transformative idea. Don鈥檛 underestimate the power of creative expression, personal health, and mindfulness, all of which can help you 鈥減rotect the asset鈥� (that鈥檚 yourself) and achieve peak performance.

3. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS BY EMBRACING YOUR INNER EDITOR, IDENTIFYING ESSENTIAL INTENT, AND EMBRACING THE FREEDOM OF BOUNDARIES

McKeown endorses the idea of using explicit criteria to assess opportunities鈥攊n other words, if your measured and informed response to something isn鈥檛 a decisive yes, it should be a decisive no. With the strong internal clarity that results from such an exercise, we can differentiate between 鈥渕ultitasking鈥� and 鈥渕ultifocusing鈥� and erect boundaries that can be liberating and limits that can be limitless.

4. EFFORTLESSLY EXECUTE BY EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED, BUILDING UP BUFFERS, CELEBRATING SMALL WINS, AND FOCUSING ON WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT

Extreme preparation may seem counterintuitive to the Essentialist life, but instead it allows us to remove obstacles and reduce friction in everyday life. As corporate leadership expert John C. Maxwell quips, 鈥淵ou cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.鈥� Subtracting can clear the unimportant from our pathway, delivering incremental progress that helps to build momentum in a meaningful way. Getting into a flow (or 鈥淭he Genius of Routine,鈥� as McKeown鈥檚 puts) can help us visualize success, while following the timeless concept of 鈥淏e here now鈥� (yes, it extends from antiquity right up to modern-day Zen Buddhism) gives us the space to manifest happiness and maintain focus.

5. THINK OF ESSENTIALISM NOT AS SOMETHING YOU DO BUT AS SOMETHING YOU ARE

Whether you want to follow McKeown鈥檚 words to the letter or develop your own interpretation of Essentialism, think of it as a choice鈥攜our choice. By asserting more control over your life, you can savor the joy in the journey. What it really all comes down to is basic: before making a choice or deciding on a path forward, ask, 鈥淲hat is essential?鈥� or 鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 already have this opportunity, what would I be willing to do to acquire it?鈥� Then, act accordingly, based on the inner clarity you鈥檝e achieved.

McKeown finishes the book with a powerful quote from Indian activist Ela Bhatt: 鈥淲hen character is beautiful, you are beautiful. That is the beauty of simplicity.鈥� Essentialism may not represent a cure-all for our modern struggles, and implementing many of its ideas requires considerable fortitude and self-discipline. But the book鈥檚 enlightening, empowering tone helps us hone in on what鈥檚 really important.