Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Greg McKeown

Apr 2014 · Random House

About this ebook

Have you ever found yourself struggling with information overload?

Have you ever felt both overworked and underutilised?

Do you ever feel busy but not productive?

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

In Essentialism, Greg McKeown, CEO of a Leadership and Strategy agency in Silicon Valley who has run courses at Apple, Google and Facebook, shows you how to achieve what he calls the disciplined pursuit of less. Being an Essentialist is about a disciplined way of thinking. It means challenging the core assumption of ‘We can have it all’ and ‘I have to do everything’ and replacing it with the pursuit of ‘the right thing, in the right way, at the right time'.

By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.

Using the experience and insight of working with the leaders of the most innovative companies and organisations in the world, McKeown shows you how to put Essentialism into practice in your own life, so you too can achieve something great.

Ratings and reviews

It's awesome to know the perspective learnt from reading this book. In the beginning, it seems as though the concepts Greg talks about are pretty obvious things. However, as one delves deeper into the realm of Essentialism, it brings about a profound new vision of the world. You learn that it's not possible for anyone to "do-it-all". That's what everyone tries to do all the time. The only thing is that, I wish there was someone to coach me to stop doing it all, all the time.

I recommend everyone to read this book. It's sort of like life work balance which basically teaches you to invest your time into something substantial and remove all unecessary clutter which we all need in life and always forget that what is truly essential. It's a must read.

Never read so much nonsensical drivel in my life. Book is written in an insufferable pompous way in which the ordinary lay person will find difficult to understand. Good premise but awful delivery.

About the author

Greg McKeown was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He is the CEO of THIS Inc, a leadership and strategy design agency headquartered in Silicon Valley. He has taught at companies that include Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Salesforce.com, Twitter and VMware. Originally from London, he now lives in Menlo Park, California with his wife, Anna, and their four children. Greg holds an MBA from Stanford University.