Essentialism

Book Review by Hirak Raval

Last week, I read one of the best book by Greg McKeown "Essentialism- The discipline pursuit of less". The book is all about designing and taking control of life.

Basic concept is when same amount of energy directed purposefully in some activity, your goal will be easy to achieve. It’s all about doing essential things and saying “No” to non-essentials to achieve target.

Book taught us about direct time and energy to create biggest impact where it matters the most.

One of the best learning from the book is “The difference between successful and really successful people is that really successful people say “No” to almost everything and works only on essential “Yes”.

Book has shown the path for essentialist. The 3 main concepts of book are the following:

1.     Explore – Explore essential habits, Be a journalist of your life-Create habits-Note your Patterns- Edit your Patterns- Broaden the range. To achieve this art , You need to master the art of saying “NO” or “This is not for me”. Remember when we say “Yes” which is non-essential for achieving your target, simultaneously we say “No” to many essentials. Be very selective in Saying “Yes”.

2.     Eliminate: Remove unimportant from life. Ruthless editing is important to achieve success in life. Always focus on long term satisfaction rather than short term comfort. Systematic discipline and optimum contribution to things which matters the most is the key to success.

3.     Execute: Protect your identified essentials. Reserve time to think on it and create momentum by taking small steps. Set boundaries and stay away from toxic people who can distract. Prioritize your essentials if you don’t prioritize your life, Someone else will”.

Ultimately it is worth read for new managers and entrepreneurs. I will rate this book 3.5/5.