Essentialism
Core Principle: Less But Better
Weniger aber besser (German: Less but better)
“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.”
The Power of Choice
“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.”
Without recognizing you have the power to choose, others will choose for you. Most of what exists has little value—a few things work fantastically well and have tremendous impact.
Warren Buffett Example: 90% of his wealth comes from just ten investments. He makes big bets on the essential few and says no to many merely good opportunities.
Trade-Offs and Strategy
“Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs. It’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”
Southwest Airlines succeeded by committing fully to a specific strategy rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Half-measures lead to mediocrity.
Creating Space for Thinking
“Without great solitude no serious work is possible.”
- Bill Gates: Takes “Think Week” twice yearly to read, study technology, and contemplate the bigger picture
- Daily practice: Read classic literature for twenty minutes to center your perspective
Essential Intent
“An essential intent is both inspirational and concrete, both meaningful and measurable. Done right, an essential intent is one decision that settles one thousand later decisions.”
Clear essential intent enables coordination and eliminates distractions. Martha’s team: “To get everyone in the U.K. online by the end of 2012” transformed their decision-making.
The Courage to Say No
“The only way out of this trap is to learn to say no firmly, resolutely, and yet gracefully.”
“People are effective because they say no.” — Peter Drucker
Drucker maintained a “VERY BIG waste paper basket” to handle invitations and protect his time.
Preparation and Buffers
“The Essentialist looks ahead. She plans. She prepares for different contingencies. She expects the unexpected. She creates a buffer to prepare for the unforeseen.”
Simple solution: Add 50% to your time estimates to account for the “planning fallacy.”
Progress Through Small Wins
“Instead of starting big and then flaring out with nothing to show for it other than time and energy wasted, to really get essential things done we need to start small and build momentum.”
Pixar’s approach: Iterate through storyboards hundreds of times in small cycles. “Done is better than perfect” doesn’t mean producing rubbish—it means avoiding perfectionistic obstacles.
Routine as a Tool
“Routine, in an intelligent man, is a sign of ambition.”
- Michael Phelps: Designed mental routines—visualization of the perfect race
- Jack Dorsey: Organizes week by theme (Monday: management, Tuesday: product, etc.)
Present-Moment Focus
“To operate at your highest level of contribution requires that you deliberately tune in to what is important in the here and now.”
When you are truly present, you are real. You are not lost in the past, future, projects, or worries. You are free.
The Essentialist Life
“To live as an Essentialist in our too-many-things-all-the-time society is an act of quiet revolution.”
Gandhi: “Reduced himself to zero,” owning fewer than ten items and spending a day each week without speaking.
“The life of an Essentialist is a life lived without regret. If you have correctly identified what really matters, if you invest your time and energy in it, then it is difficult to regret the choices you make.”