Author Greg McKeown challenges the concept of success and emphasizes the undisciplined pursuit of more. Essentialists focus on the signal in the noise, journaling as a key practice for self-discovery. Regularly reviewing what's essential in life and work every 90 days is crucial for prioritizing effectively.
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Quick takeaways
Being a journalist of your own life will force you to stop hyper-focusing on all the minor details and see the bigger picture.
Success is a poor teacher and may lead to the undisciplined pursuit of more.
Deep dives
Navigating Success and Overwhelming Options
Success often leads to overwhelming options, creating a challenge known as the success paradox. Greg McEwen highlights how success can become a poor teacher, potentially hindering growth in turbulent times. The undisciplined pursuit of more, as mentioned by Jim Collins, can distract from meaningful progress. McEwen's Essentialism philosophy focuses on discerning what truly matters amidst an abundance of choices.
Learning from Kodak's Mistake
McEwen illustrates the Kodak problem, where past success can blind organizations to critical changes, leading to missed opportunities. Despite their innovative role in digital photography, Kodak's focus on traditional film impeded adaptation. The story emphasizes the importance of shedding outdated mindsets and recognizing when past success becomes a barrier to future innovation.
Start Small with Essentialism
Essentialism is portrayed as an approachable path to focus and effectiveness. McEwen debunks the misconception that essentialism is challenging, contrasting it with the harder nonessentialist approach. Encouraging simplicity, he suggests starting with minimal commitments to gradually build essential practices. By beginning with small, consistent steps, individuals can ease into essentialism and sustain progress.
The Power of Gratitude and Reflection
Practicing gratitude and reflection through journaling enables individuals to detect hidden positives and prioritize essential aspects in their lives. McEwen emphasizes the impact of weekly and quarterly reviews to identify significant wins and opportunities for growth. By focusing on what is working and building on strengths, individuals can navigate complexity and make meaningful progress.
Greg McKeown: Essentialism
Greg McKeown is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less*. His book is frequently listed as #1 Time Management book on Amazon and challenges the core assumptions about achievement to get to the essence of what really drives success.
His writing has appeared in or been covered by The New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, HuffPost, and many others. He is among the most popular bloggers for the Harvard Business Review and LinkedIn’s Influencers group: averaging a million views a month.
In this conversation, Greg and I discuss why success can be such a poor teacher and how to avoid what Jim Collins calls, “The undisciplined pursuit of more.” We explore how the principles of journalism can help us arrive at what’s essential and why journaling may be the place to start.
Key Points
Being a journalist of your own life will force you to stop hyper-focusing on all the minor details and see the bigger picture.
Success is a poor teacher and may lead to the undisciplined pursuit of more.
Essentialists listen for what is not being explicitly stated. They read between the lines.
Nonessentialists hear what is loud. Essentialists listen for the signal in the noise.
Journaling is a useful practice to begin reviewing what is coming up in your life and discovering the leads you may be missing.
Make time every 90 days to review and determine what’s next.
Resources Mentioned
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less* by Greg McKeown
Essentialism podcast
Simple Productivity: How to Accomplish More With Less with Greg McKeown
Book Notes
Download my highlights from Essentialism in PDF format (free membership required).
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