When Greg McKeown’s new book, Effortless, hit the shelves, I couldn’t wait to read it. Who wouldn’t want to read a book promising to “make it easier to do what matters most”? I checked it out of my local library and spent two weeks devouring every word. Immediately, I knew I had to go back and read Essentialism again.
If you aren’t familiar with Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, it is the million-copy international best seller that McKeown released in 2014. I first read it in 2018. At the time, I was decluttering my house and reading all the books on minimalism I could find. But Essentialism was unlike the other books I had read. It had more to do with decluttering your mind and your life, not your house. I enjoyed the book, but I wasn’t exactly sure how I could apply its teachings in my life. In retrospect, I just wasn’t ready for it.
Since then, I’ve moved on from decluttering my house to decluttering my mind. I’ve been practicing several of the key concepts from Essentialism (sometimes without even realizing it). After reading the book a second time, I can honestly say it’s one of my all-time favorites. Today, I’d like to share seven key ideas from Essentialism with you and briefly highlight how Effortless is the next level of teaching for the essentialist’s journey.
Make intentional choices
When we don’t make an intentional choice, we choose by default. For example, someone recently told me she has spent the past year trying to decide whether to move to a bigger house. She hasn’t made an intentional choice, but by default, she has chosen not to move 365 times.
Additionally, sometimes we limit ourselves by thinking, “I have to,” instead of looking at all of our options and saying, “I choose to.” Committing to essentialism often means going against cultural norms. McKeown says, “In many ways, to live as an Essentialist in our too-many-things-all-the-time society is an act of quiet revolution.”
Accept the reality of trade-offs
We can’t do it all. When we try to straddle the fence and devote energy to two pursuits at the same time, we don’t give our best to either of them. The essentialist, on the other hand, aims for quality over quantity, with a willingness to give up many lesser opportunities in favor of the single best opportunity.
Making trade-offs becomes easier when we have clearly defined values. Next, we’ll look at the process of determining those values.
Prioritize what matters most
Essentialists are always looking for what is most important and meaningful in life. This means identifying our highest values, goals, and aspirations. We must focus on what really matters, then engage in activities that align with our mission. McKeown explains, “The way of the Essentialist isn’t just about success; it’s about living a life of meaning and purpose.”
Identify the highest point of contribution
“Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies,” says McKeown. Our highest contribution is revealed when we utilize our talents and skills to perform our most meaningful activity. This is the point where we stop being busy and start being productive. So, ask the question, “If I could be truly excellent at only one thing, what would it be?”
Focusing our efforts on that one thing requires us to forego other pursuits. Now we’ll look at ways we can make those essential edits to our lives.
Say “no” firmly and gracefully
If we’re going to make trade-offs and focus on what matters most, saying “no” is inevitable. Although it may be uncomfortable, we must learn to say “no” to people, activities, and habits that detract from our ambitions. Setting boundaries is crucial to protect our time, our energy, and our health. McKeown says, “We can either make our choices deliberately or allow other people’s agendas to control our lives.”
Remove obstacles
Eliminate obstacles, including physical and mental clutter, distractions, and decisions. “Instead of focusing on the efforts and resources we need to add, the Essentialist focuses on the constraints or obstacles we need to remove,” says McKeown.
For me, decision fatigue is a big obstacle, and McKeown has great advice for dealing with this challenge: make one decision that eliminates many future decisions. For example, let’s say I decide I will be home when my kids arrive home from school in the afternoon. Therefore, I will automatically reject any activity that would interfere with that 3:00 boundary in my schedule. I don’t have to think about it because the decision was already made.
Live by design, not by default
Living by design means making intentional choices that set us up for future success. First, McKeown suggests giving ourselves a “buffer” (which I often refer to as “margin”). This could mean allowing extra time for a commute, building extra money into a budget, or doing additional preparation for a potential emergency. These choices can turn a major crisis into a minor inconvenience.
Additionally, create habits, rituals, and routines that support who we want to be and what we want to accomplish. McKeown says, “If we create a routine that enshrines the essentials, we will begin to execute them on autopilot.” I can attest to this because reading Essentialism prompted me to read several books about habits, which have changed the way I spend my time and helped me emphasize what matters most in my daily life.
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After reading Essentialism a second time, I felt better prepared to digest McKeown’s newest release. Effortless certainly stands on its own, but I would recommend reading Essentialism first for maximum benefit.
Effortless is organized into three parts entitled: Effortless State, Effortless Action, and Effortless Results. It seems to me that practicing essentialism is the way to achieve an “Effortless State.” From there, we can move to “Effortless Action,” which builds on key essentialist ideas. Finally, we can experience “Effortless Results.” These outcomes aren’t a 1:1 ratio of effort to result. McKeown defines them as residual results, where “you exert effort once and reap the benefits again and again.”
There’s a lot to unpack in these books, so I appreciate how well-organized they are. I highly recommend them for anyone who is seeking more clarity of purpose in life. With so many demands and distractions in our modern world, taking time to focus on the essential is a delightful and worthwhile endeavor.
