Greg McKeown. Essentialism: the Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Crown Business. New York. 2014.

Applying your focus.

1. Essence - what is the core mind-set of an Essentialist?

   • The Essentialist
     • The Way of the Essentialist
       • thinks: less but better
       • does: the disciplined pursuit of less
       • gets: lives a life that matters
     • The Way of the Non-essentialist
       • if you don't prioritize your life, someone else will
       • why non-essentialism is everywhere
         • too many choices
         • too much social pressure
         • the idea that "you can have it all"
           1. explore and evaluate
           2. eliminate
           3. execute
         • road map
           1. explore - discern the trivial many from the vital few
           2. eliminate - cutting out the trivial many
           3. execute - removing obstacles and making execution effortless
         • an idea whose time has come
   • CHOOSE: The invincible Power of Choice
     • the invincible power of choosing to choose
     • how do we forget our ability to choose
   • DISCERN: The Unimportance of Practically Everything
   • TRADE-OFF: Which Problem Do I Want?
     • we can try to avoid the reality of trade-off, but we can't escape them

2. Explore - how can we discern the trivial many from the vital few?

   • ESCAPE: The Perks of Being Unavailable
     • space to design
     • space to concentrate
     • space to read
   • LOOK: See What Really Matters
     • the big picture
     • filter for the fascinating
     • keep a journal
     • get out into the field
     • keep your eyes peeled for abnormal or unusual details
     • clarify the question
   • PLAY: Embrace the Wisdom of Your Inner Child
     • a mind invited to play
     • of work and play
   • SLEEP: Protect the Asset
     • protecting the asset - enough sleep
     • shattering the stigma - sleep as much as you need
   • SELECT: The Power of Extreme Criteria
     • the 90 percent rule
     • selective, explicit, and also right
     • opportunity knocks - evaluating each
       • what are your minimum criteria for considering?
       • what are the ideal criteria for approving?
     • the best slice of pizza in Brooklyn
       • What am I deeply passionate about?
       • What taps my talent?
       • What meets a significant need in the world?

3. Eliminate - how can we cut out the trivial many?

   • CLARIFY: One Decision That Makes a Thousand
     • from "pretty clear" to "really clear"
       • pattern 1: playing politics
       • pattern 2: it's all good (which is bad)
     • essential intent - makes one decision that eliminates 1,000 later decisions
       • intersection of inspirational with concrete
       • stop wordsmithing and start deciding
       • ask "how will we know when we're done"
     • living with intent
   • DARE: The Power of a Graceful "No"
     • essentially awkward
       • separate the decision from the relationship
       • saying "no" gracefully doesn't have to mean using the word no
       • focus on the trade-ff
       • remind yourself that everyone is selling something
       • make your peace with the fact that saying "no" often requires trading popularity for respect
       • remember that a clear "no" can be more graceful than a vague or non-committal "yes"
     • the "no" repertoire
       • awkward pause
       • soft no: no,but
       • let me check my calendar and get back to you
       • use email bouncebacks
       • say "yes, what should I deprioritize"
       • say no with humour
       • you are welcome to X, I am willing to Y
       • I can't do it, but X might be interested
   • UNCOMMIT: Win Big by Cutting Your Losses
     • avoiding commitment traps
       • beware of the endowment effect
       • pretend you don't own it yet
       • get over the fear of waste
       • instead, admit failure to begin success
       • stop trying to force a fit
       • get a neutral second opinion
       • be aware of the status quo bias
       • apply zero-based budgeting
       • stop making casual commitments
       • from now on, pause before you speak
       • get over the fear of missing out
       • to fight this fear, run a reverse pilot
   • EDIT: The Invisible Art
     • editing life
       • cut out options
       • condense
       • correct
       • edit less
   • LIMIT: The Freedom of Setting Boundaries
     • their problem is not your problem
       • don't rob people of their problems
       • boundaries are a source of liberation
       • find your dealbreakers
       • craft social contracts
4. Execute - how can we make doing the vital few things almost effortless?
   • BUFFER: The Unfair Advantage
     • use extreme preparation
     • add 50 percent to your time estimate
     • conduct scenario planning
   • SUBTRACT: Bring Forth More by Removing Obstacles
     • produce more by removing more
       1. be clear about the essential intent
       2. identify the "slowest hiker"
       3. remove the obstacle
   • PROGRESS: The Power of Small Wins
     • forces on minimal viable progress
     • do the minimal viable preparation
     • visually reward progress
   • FLOW: The Genius of Routine
     • making it look easy
     • the power of the right routine
       • overhaul your triggers
       • create new triggers
       • do the most difficult thing first
       • mix up your routines
       • tackle your routines one by one
   • FOCUS: What's Important Now?
     • there is only now
     • multitasking versus multifocusing
     • how to be in the now
       • figure out what is most important right now
       • get the future out of your head
       • prioritize
     • the pause that refreshes
   • BE: The Essentialist Life
     • living essentially
       • majoring in minor activities
       • more clarity
       • more control
       • more joy in the journey
     • the essential life: living a life that really matters

• Appendix
  • Leadership Essentials
    • essentialist teams
    • the elements of leading as an essentialist
      • be ridiculously selective in hiring people
      • debate until you have established a really clear (not pretty clear) essential intent
      • go for extreme empowerment
      • communicate the right things to the right people a the right time
      • check in often to ensure meaningful progress
    • essentialist leader
      • less but better
      • ridiculously selective on talent and removes people who hold the team back
      • defines an essential intent by answering the question, "if we could only do one thing, what would it be?" Eliminates the nonessential distractions.
      • focuses on each team member's highest role and goal of contribution
      • listens to get to what is essential
      • checks in with people in a gentle way to see how he or she can remove obstacles and enable small wins
      • a unified team that breaks through to the next level of contribution
  • Notes
  • Acknowledgements
  • Index