<ul><li>The number one lesson that we should learn after reading essentialism is that we need to do fewer things better. We should focus on a select number of things rather than trying to do everything at once.</li><li>Rather than becoming overwhelmed by the 20 things that we're trying to get done, we can live to the fullest by working on our five favourite things. These are the things that give us life and purpose.</li></ul>

DO FEWER THINGS BETTER 

<ul><li>To practice essentialism, we need clear boundaries. How are we going to remove things from our lives if we aren't willing to set boundaries around our wants?</li><li>Unfortunately, saying 'no' is a weak spot for many of us. Prior generations have taught us to do what's expected and to let no one down. While it's great to help people out, it's not so great if that detracts from our lives.</li><li>Setting boundaries is a fairly new thing for our generation. If there's someone who always expects you to be available for them, it's time put an end to it. You deserve more than being bossed around by someone else.</li></ul>

SET CLEAR BOUNDARIES

<ul><li>First and foremost, you need a place to escape, Whatever place we choose will be our safe space.</li><li>As you're choosing your space, you should be picky. Your area needs to be good enough to help you focus while completing your daily tasks. Not just any space will do.</li><li>Having the right room for you will improve creativity while boosting productivity. With that in mind, it may take a while to build the space you want to use for your personal and professional projects.</li><li>Finding your get-away room is the first step to achieving what you want in life without cluttering reality.</li></ul>

DESIGN A PLAN TO ESCAPE

<ul><li>Find your life purpose, so you can work on that one thing, If you know that there's one thing for you to do, why would you work on anything but that one thing for the rest of your life?</li><li>For example, your mission statement may be to help people live their lives to the max. With this mission in mind, you can decide what is and isn't worth your time.</li><li>As you're practicing decision making, you may find that you're saying 'no' more often than 'yes.'</li><li>Putting  ten items on your plate instead of forty can make a big difference. You'll be able to give more of yourself to the things that matter.</li></ul>

DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE

Essentialists see trade-offs as an inherent part of life, not as an inherently negative part of life. Instead of asking, "What do I have to give up?" they ask, "What do I want to go big on?" The cumulative impact of this small change in thinking can be profound."

<ul><li>Getting enough sleep may seem out of the blue, Sleep is essential to essentialism. Sleep is the dividing factor between talented people who do and don't get the work done.</li><li>Whether we get all of our sleep at night or break up our rest into two long naps, we need to get enough deep sleep to help us drive ourselves through the day.</li><li>Getting enough sleep isn't just about getting 7 - 9 hours a night. We need to get quality sleep for those hours to count. </li><li>Sleeping 10 hours in one night will do nothing if only one of them is a quality hour to sleep.</li></ul>

GET ENOUGH SLEEP

"If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will."

<ol><li>What am I deeply passionate about?</li><li>What taps into my talent?</li><li>What meets a significant need in the world?</li></ol><ul><li>Applying more rigid criteria to decision-making process will make it more likely for us to pick higher level choices. If we challenge how we think about a question, we're more likely to get a straight answer.</li><li>If someone asks you to do something you're not interested in, your answer should be "NO" If someone asks you to do something that doesn't fit your talents, the answer should be "NO"</li><li>Looking at things through a binary lens can help  decide faster. It frees up time for things that matter.</li></ul>

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS:

<ul><li>Essentialism is a systematic, disciplined method for identifying our greatest areas of contribution and for making those activities nearly effortless.</li></ul>

ESSENTIALISM

"Entrepreneurs succeed when they say 'Yes' to the right project, at the right time, in the right way. To accomplish this, they have to be good at saying 'No' to all their other ideas. Essentialism offers concise and eloquent advice on how to determine what you care about most, and how to apply your energies in ways that ultimately bring you the greatest rewards"

<ul><li>DESIGGN A PLACE TO ESCAPE</li><li>ESSENTIALISTS HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAN NON-ESSENTIALISTS.</li><li>IF IT ISN'T A CLEAR YES, THEN IT'S A CLEAR NO</li><li>DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE </li><li>GET ENOUGH SLEEP</li><li>MAKE A DAILY ROUTINE.</li><li>SET CLEAR BOUNDARIES</li><li>DO FEWER THINGS BETTER.</li></ul>

KEY INSIGHTS OF ESSENTIALISM

<ul><li>Often, we fall somewhere between 'Yes' and 'No' on decisions we need to make. We want to avoid saying 'Yes' but we don't to rule it out either for fear of missing out altogether.</li><li>We should stop this back and forth. We should decide whether to say "Yes" or "No" unequivocally.</li><li>We can't keep deciding on things half-heartedly. We're either in or out. There's no in-between with essentialism.</li></ul>

IF IT ISN'T A CLEAR YES, THEN IT'S A CLEAR NO

<ul><li>Non-essentialists get excited by many things, leading them to react to everything in life. These individuals become distracted by their pursuit of anything and everything.</li><li>Essentialists go all out for the things that light a fire within them. They don't focus on things that they care little about.</li><li>To make time for exploration, you must use the private room you've created like Newton who quarantined inside his home for a year during the Great Plague. During this time, he formulated gravitational theory and became a famous mathematician.</li></ul>

ESSENTIALISTS HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAN NON-ESSENTIALISTS

<ul><li>Essentialism is about everyday progress. Its the small steps that lead toward significant differences. We have to be patient enough to wait for the improvement to happen.</li><li>The only thing that matters is that you're making forward progress towards the things you want to do. No one said that we have to finish our entire to-do list today.</li><li>Essentialists design daily routines that yield more significant results in a shorter time. They still work as hard as others, but deliver better results. Between their motivation and time management, essentialists can do more than  non-essentialists.</li></ul>

MAKE A DAILY ROUTINE

"Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized? Are you often busy but not productive? Do you feel your time is constantly being hijacked by other people's agendas? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the way out is the way of the Essentialist. Essentialism isn't about getting more done in less time. It's about getting only the right things done. Only once we discern what is absolutely essential and eliminate everything else can we make our highest possible contribution toward things that truly matter. By forcing us to apply more selective criteria for where to spend our precious time and energy, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices, instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us. Essentialism is not one more thing to do. It's a whole new way of doing less, but better, in every area of our lives"--Back cover.

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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.   Featuring the new Essentialism 21-Day Challenge • “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.

Greg McKeown is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Greg McKeown has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Greg McKeown's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

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