Essentialism:
Living Better by Doing Less
PREPARED BY JUSTINE MCCORMICK
GenZailing Through Life
Essentialism: Living Better by Doing Less
“There are two ways to think about Essentialism. The first is to think of it as something you do occasionally. The second is to think of it as something you are. In the latter, it is a different way—a simpler way—of doing everything. It becomes a lifestyle.” - Greg McKeown
Essentialism
It is the relentless pursuit of
less but better.
“Essentialism is not one more thing — it’s a whole new way of doing everything.”
Essentialism
“The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default.”
Essentialism
MINIMALISM VS ESSENTIALISM
Less is more.
Less is better.
MINIMALISM VS ESSENTIALISM
Minimalism is the deliberate removal of all physical and non-physical items, as well as persons, that do not serve or aid in creating the life one desires.
Essentialism is not about how to get more things done and not about doing less for the sake of less either. It is about how to get the right things done.
MINIMALISM AND ESSENTIALISM
They are both a pursuit of simplicity that brings them to a deep understanding of what leads to a happy and meaningful life.
Why is it important to follow Essentialism as your lifestyle?
Essentialism and Deep Work
First, what is deep work?
“Professional activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” - Cal Newport
Essentialism and System-setting
So, what is a system?
As defined in Atomic Habits, a system is a process that leads to obtaining one's desired results.
Essentialism and Contribution
"Through essentialism, you can find your creative freedom to make a bigger contribution."
Mistakes and Barriers
Consequences of being a Non-Essentialist
Working 24/7
Having zero social life
Sleep deprivation
No proper meals and/or meal-time
Anxiety
How to live like an Essentialist?
To live like an Essentialist, first, you need to realize that you have a choice.
3 Steps to Essentialism
EXPLORE AND EVALUATE
ELIMINATE
EXECUTE
1
2
3
SPEND TIME EXPLORING
Explore and Evaluate
“Essentialists spend as much time as possible exploring, listening, debating, questioning, and thinking. But their exploration is not an end in itself. The purpose of the exploration is to discern the vital few from the trivial many.”
DESIGN SPACE IN YOUR LIFE TO ESCAPE
Explore and Evaluate
“Without great solitude no serious work is possible.”
— Pablo Picasso
SLEEP
Explore and Evaluate
“...Sleep is what allows us to operate at our highest level of contribution so that we can achieve more, in less time.”
DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE
Eliminate
“Creating an essential intent is hard… Yet it is worth the effort because only with real clarity of purpose can people, teams, and organizations fully mobilize and achieve something truly excellent.”
FOCUS ON THE VITAL FEW
Eliminate
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
— Stephen R. Covey
SAY “NO”
Eliminate
“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.”
— Josh Billings
BE THE CEO — CHIEF EDITING OFFICER
Eliminate
“Becoming an Essentialist means making cutting, condensing, and correcting a natural part of our daily routine—making editing a natural cadence in our lives.”
CREATE A SYSTEM BY STARTING SMALL
Execute
REMOVE
OBSTACLES
Execute
CELEBRATE YOUR PROGRESS.
Eliminate
“‘Everyday progress — even a small win’ can make all the difference in how people feel and perform. ‘Of all the things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work.'”
— Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer
DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN THROUGH A ROUTINE
Eliminate
“There is a huge body of scientific research to explain the mechanism by which routine enables difficult things to become easy.”
Questions You Can Ask Yourself
What aspects/values of life mean most to me at this moment?
Questions You Can Ask Yourself
What is something essential in life that I am under-investing in?
Questions You Can Ask Yourself
What am I over-investing in?
Essentialism: Living Better by Doing Less
“There are two ways to think about Essentialism. The first is to think of it as something you do occasionally. The second is to think of it as something you are. In the latter, it is a different way—a simpler way—of doing everything. It becomes a lifestyle.” - Greg McKeown
Book Recommendation
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
by Greg McKeown
(Download the eBook on 1lib.ph)
Podcast Recommendation
Camp Confidence: Minimalism, Essentialism, and making space for the important things
(Scan the code on Spotify)
“10 Life Hacks from ‘Essentialism’ (Book Summary).” Sloww, 27 Dec. 2017, www.sloww.co/essentialism-book/. Accessed 17 July 2021.
Bridges, Frances. “The 3 Steps of Essentialism: How to Achieve More by Doing Less, according to Author Greg McKeown.” Forbes, www.forbes.com/sites/francesbridges/2018/11/29/the-3-steps-of-essentialism-achieving-more-by-doing-less-according-to-greg-mckeown/?sh=2c9c29a21b9b. Accessed 17 July 2021.
“Deep Work: The Complete Guide (Including a Step-By-Step Checklist).” Ambition & Balance, 2 May 2019, blog.doist.com/deep-work/.
References
“Essentialism—a Better Way to Describe Minimalism?” SMART Living 365, 23 May 2014, www.smartliving365.com/essentialism-better-way-describe-minimalism/. Accessed 17 July 2021.
Harchandani, Dhiren. “Five Ways Entrepreneurs Can Enhance Their Productivity with Essentialism and Deep Work.” Entrepreneur, 4 June 2021, www.entrepreneur.com/article/373678. Accessed 17 July 2021.
Langevin, Mathilde. “Minimalism vs Essentialism.” Medium, 15 July 2020, medium.com/simpler/minimalism-vs-essentialism-8e723d6a9b50. Accessed 17 July 2021.
Mckeown, Greg. Essentialism : The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. New York, Currency, An Imprint Of Crown Publishing Group, 2014.
References
Naujalyte, Beatrice. “Essentialism | How I’m Committing to the Important Things.” YouTube, 17 July 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp6dof5NUBI. Accessed 17 July 2021.
Tsai, Rowena. “How to Get Your Life Together: The Most Important Productivity & Self Care Habit You Need (Week 3).” YouTube, 13 Dec. 2020, youtu.be/WZIlVnw54IA. Accessed 17 July 2021.
---. “The One Habit That Is Changing My Life: Set Systems rather than Goals.” YouTube, 25 Jan. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK-sZjuXA6A. Accessed 17 July 2021.
Xu, Aileen. “Essentialism: How to Do Less & Have More Impact.” YouTube, 8 May 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xdfkhJiFh8. Accessed 17 July 2021.
References