The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. 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.
— Greg McKeown, Essentialism
The Model
| Nonessentialist | Essentialist | |
|---|---|---|
| Thinks | All things to all people “I have to.” “It’s all important.” “How can I fit it all in?” | Less but better “I choose to.” “Only a few things really matter.” “What are the trade-offs?” |
| Does | The undisiciplined pursuit of more Reacts to what’s most pressing. Says “yes” to people without really thinking. Tries to force execution at the last moment. | The disciplined pursuit of less Pauses to discern what really matters. Says “no” to everything except the essential. Removes obstacles to make execution easy. |
| Gets | Lives a life that does not satisfy Takes on too much, and work suffers. Feels out of control. Is unsure of whether the right things got done. Feels overwhelmed and exhausted. | Lives a life that really matters Chooses carefully in order to do great work. Feels in control. Gets the right things done. Experiences joy in the journey. |
The Way
| 1. Explore | How can we discern the trivial many from the vital few? |
| 2. Eliminate | How can we cut out the trivial many? |
| 3. Execute | How can we make doing the vital few things almost effortless? |