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Notes from my February 2018 reading of Essentialism by Greg McKeown. This one is probably in my top three favorites in my book notes series.

  • pg 5 – Am I investing in the right activities?
  • Less is better
    • It not about getting more done, it’s about getting the right things done
  • pg 10 – If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will
  • pg 43 – More effort doesn’t always yield more results
  • pg 52 – Saying “YES” to an opportunity by definition requires saying “NO” to several others
  • pg 65 – Focus isn’t something we just have.  Focus is something we do.
  • pg 85 – Nothing fires up the brain like play
  • pg 121 -When there is a high level clarity of purpose, people thrive
  • pg 125 -Essential Intent – Clear, specific, concrete and inspiring goal that eliminates the need to make 1000 other decisions.
  • pg 137 – Denying the request is not denying the person.  Separate the decision from the relationship.
  • pg 146 – Sunk-cost Bias – “We’ve already invested X”
  • pg 151 – Status-quo Bias – “We’ve always done it this way.”
  • pg 161 -When Editing we have to understand the intent
  • pg 170 – How to find boundaries? write down every time you feel violated or put upon by someone else’s request
  • pg 181 – Extreme preparation.  Use your buffer and slack
  • pg 183 – Planning fallacy can be eliminated by getting estimates anonymously.
  • pg 200 – Minimal viable preparation.  What can I quickly do now to be more prepared later.  Open a file and start and outline, etc.
  • pg 205 – What routine am I establishing to achieve the success I seek?
  • pg 230 – Essentialism isn’t just about success.  It’s about living with purpose.  Do you want to look back on a life of a ton of meaningless accomplishments or a small list of very important accomplishments.

    FIND YOUR ESSENTIAL INTENT.