<ul><li>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.</li><li>Essentialism is about deliberately distinguishing the vital few from the trivial many, eliminating the non-essentials, and then removing any obstacles so the essential things have a clear, smooth passage.</li><li>If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.</li><li>The Paradox of Success: the more options we have, the more we feel distracted from what would otherwise be our highest level of contribution.</li></ul>

Some big ideas from the book

To embrace the essence of Essentialism requires we replace these false assumptions with three core truths: <ol><li>“I choose to,” </li><li>“Only a few things really matter,” and </li><li>“I can do anything but not everything.”</li></ol>

What do you need to do?

Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.It is about giving ourselves few important choices and deliberately pursuing them in disciplined manner

What is essentialism?

“The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities.”“When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people – our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families – will choose for us, and before long we’ll have lost sight of everything that is meaningful and important.”

Origins of the word 'priority'

This is a book summary of Essentialism by Greg McKeown. Read this summary of Essentialism to review key takeaways and lessons from the book.

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Personal Development

Book Summary: Essentialism by Greg McKeown | Sam Thomas Davies

Lining up small tasks in one direction and consistently doing that creates a momentum which in turn makes the process seamless and eventually hit the bigger obstacle (or goal) is known as Domino Effect.Imagine what would happen if this kept going. If a regular domino fall is a linear progression, Whitehead’s would be described as a geometric progression. The result could defy the imagination. The 10th domino would be almost as tall as NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. By the 18th, you’re looking at a domino that would rival the Tower of Pisa. The 23rd domino would tower over Eiffel Tower.

The Domino effect and it's application.

Each standing domino represents a small amount of potential energy; the more you line up, the more potential energy you’ve accumulated. Line up enough and, with a simple flick, you can start a chain reaction of surprising power. And Weijers Domino Productions proved it. When one thing, the right thing, is set in motion, it can topple many things. And that’s not all.

Why it works?

When you see someone who has a lot of knowledge, they learned it over time. When you see someone who has a lot of skills, they developed them over time. When you see someone who has done a lot, they accomplished it over time. When you see someone who has a lot of money, they earned it over time. The key is over time. Success is built sequentially. It’s one thing at a time.

Observe it.

GETTING EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS So when you think about success, shoot for the moon. The moon is reachable if you prioritize everything and put all of your energy into accomplishing the most important thing. Getting extraordinary results is all about creating a domino effect in your life.

Why it make sense in your life?

A bit history before diving into the effect:-Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, on Domino Day, November 13, 2009, Weijers Domino Productions coordinated the world record domino fall by lining up more than 4,491,863 dominoes in a dazzling display In this instance, a single domino set in motion a domino fall that cumulatively unleashed more than 94,000 joules of energy, which is as much energy as it takes for an average-sized male to do 545 pushups.

Achieve massive results with this effect.

YOU WANT LESS. You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what's the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller pay cheques, fewer promotions-and lots of stress. AND YOU WANT MORE. You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends. NOW YOU CAN HAVE BOTH-LESS AND MORE. In The ONE Thing, you'll learn to cut through the clutter achieve better results in less time build momentum toward your goal dial down the stress overcome that overwhelmed feeling revive your energy stay on track master what matters to you The ONE Thing is the New York Times bestseller which delivers extraordinary results in every area of your life-work, personal, family, and spiritual. WHAT'S YOUR ONE THING?

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THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND THE ONE THING YOU NEED TO DO THAT WILL MAKE EVERYTHING ELSE EASIER - OR UNNECESSARY YOU WANT LESS You want fewer distractions and less on your plate. The daily barrage of e-mails, texts, tweets, messages, and meetings distract you and stress you out. The simultaneous demands of work and family are taking a toll. And what's the cost? Second-rate work, missed deadlines, smaller pay cheques, fewer promotions - and lots of stress. AND YOU WANT MORE You want more productivity from your work. More income for a better lifestyle. You want more satisfaction from life, and more time for yourself, your family, and your friends. NOW YOU CAN HAVE BOTH - LESS AND MORE. In The ONE Thing, you'll learn to * Cut through the clutter * Achieve better results in less time * Build momentum toward your goal * Dial down the stress * Overcome that overwhelmed feeling * Revive your energy * Stay on track * Master what matters to you The ONE Thing is the New York Times bestseller that delivers extraordinary results in every area of your life - work, personal, family, and spiritual. WHAT'S YOUR ONE THING?

Professionally, Gary’s ONE Thing is teaching. He excelled as a real estate salesperson by teaching clients how to make great buying and selling decisions. As a real estate sales manager, he recruited agents through training and helped them build careers the same way. As co-founder and chairman of the board, he built Keller Williams Realty International from a single office in Austin, Texas, to one of the largest real estate companies in the world by using his skills as a teacher, trainer, and coach. Gary defines leadership as “teaching people how to think the way they need to think so they can do what they need to do when they need to do it, so they can get what they want when they want it.

Gary Keller

Jay Papasan is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Jay Papasan 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. Jay Papasan's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Book Summary: Essentialism by Greg McKeown | Sam Thomas Davies

The One Thing

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

CURATED BY

Book Summary: Essentialism by Greg McKeown | Sam Thomas Davies

The One Thing

It's time to Read like a Pro.

CURATED BY

It's time to
Read like a Pro.