Essentialism

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

By: Greg McKeown

Narrated by: Greg McKeown

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than one million copies sold! Essentialism isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.

“A timely, essential read for anyone who feels overcommitted, overloaded, or overworked.”—Adam Grant

Have you ever:

• Found yourself stretched too thin?
• Simultaneously felt overworked and underutilized?
• Felt busy but not productive?
• Felt like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people’s agendas?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.

Essentialism is more than a time-management strategy or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter.

By forcing us to apply more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy—instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.

Essentialism is not one more thing—it’s a whole new way of doing everything. It’s about doing less, but better, in every area of our lives. Essentialism is a movement whose time has come.

©2014 Greg McKeown (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Essentialism will give you richer, sweeter results and put you in real control, giving greater precision to the pursuit of what truly matters.”—Forbes

“In this likeable and astute treatise on the art of doing less in order to do better...McKeown makes the content fresh and the solutions easy to implement. Following his lucid and smart directions will help readers find ‘the way of the essentialist.’”—Success

“Do you feel it, too? That relentless pressure to sample all the good things in life? To do all the ‘right’ things? The reality is, you don’t make progress that way. Instead, you’re in danger of spreading your efforts so thin that you make no impact at all. Greg McKeown believes the answer lies in paring life down to its essentials. He can’t tell you what’s essential to every life, but he can help you find the meaning in yours.”—Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell is Human and Drive

Great book backed with knowledge and wisdom.

I think it's a must read for anyone. He gives many examples that support the view point throughout the book of course but I think they will really challenge you especially us very busy individuals.

An Essential book for success

Great book, in the busy work and life style of today, the rules in this book help you to choose what is really matter and can contribute to your goal and success.

A Lifestyle to Consider

What did you love best about Essentialism?

Essentialism consisted of several relevant arguments behind adopting this lifestyle and was very clear on the many benefits.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the various examples of how the essentialist lifestyle can improve upon whatever lifestyle you currently live.

Have you listened to any of Greg McKeown’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Achieving your truer purpose

Transforming Read

The best book ever for life evaluation it vigorously helps put first things first. I've read the book twice in the last 10 months.

Great read!

This book is a clear and conscience explanation of essentialism and what it means to be one and some sound advise on how to become one. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some answers on how to best balance their work, home, personal, and social life! Enjoy!

Essential

Essentialism is essential reading. I walked away knowing I will revisited this book again and then again because I believe this is essential for me, my business and my family.

Life changing

Greg McKeown has produced the most significant work of this century with this book. These principles can transform anyone's personal or career life and put you on track towards achieving your greatest potential.

Simple and powerful

This book was recommended by
Michael Hyatt. I can say that it is all that he said it would be and more. I have enjoyed it thoroughly and I believe I got a huge amount of value out of it. The narration was excellent.

Life changing

I was hesitant to listen to this as I'm more of a fiction gal, but my boss recommended it so highly that I just had to give it a try. The author is engaging as a narrator and the book is so well written that I was hooked immediately! There were many times I wish I could take notes as I listened while driving my commute. I'm sure I will listen to this over and over again. I'm so happy to have this book in my library!

One of the most important lessons you'll ever hear

If you don't believe it, go home and twice a day throw away something that you've owned for more than two months and when you reach the point where you can't immediately decide what to throw away, listen to a chapter of this book. If you don't come away with a clear idea of what to discard, then this book isn't for you