Mckeown Greg

the basic value proposition of Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.

the pursuit of success can be a catalyst for failure. Put another way, success can distract us from focusing on the essential things that produce success in the first place.

studies have found that we tend to value things we already own more highly than they are worth and thus that we find them more difficult to get rid of

three questions: “What do I feel deeply inspired by?” and “What am I particularly talented at?” and “What meets a significant need in the world?”

our highest level of contribution: the right thing the right way at the right time

three core truths: “I choose to,” “Only a few things really matter,” and “I can do anything but not everything.”

when we surrender our ability to choose, something or someone else will step in to choose for us

while we may not always have control over our options, we always have control over how we choose among them

When people believe that their efforts at work don’t matter, they tend to respond in one of two ways. Sometimes they check out and stop trying, like the mathematically challenged child. The other response is less obvious at first. They do the opposite. They become hyperactive. They accept every opportunity presented. They throw themselves into every assignment. They tackle every challenge with gusto. They try to do it all. This behavior does not necessarily look like learned helplessness at first glance. After all, isn’t working hard evidence of one’s belief in one’s importance and value? Yet on closer examination we can see this compulsion to do more is a smokescreen. These people don’t believe they have a choice in what opportunity, assignment, or challenge to take on. They believe they “have to do it all.”

when we surrender our right to choose, we give others not just the power but also the explicit permission to choose for us.