Read the entire book “Essentialism” online - Greg McKeon - MyBook. Read the book “Essentialism” online in full - Greg McKeon - MyBook Rejection of the unnecessary, or “The presence of noise”

13.08.2020

In his book “Essentialism. The Path to Simplicity,” psychologist and writer Greg McKeon will teach everyone how to organize their lives.

Daily tasks and problems take up a lot of precious time. And then it’s not enough to be with your family or alone with yourself, it’s not even enough to stop for at least a couple of minutes while walking past the park, take a deep breath and enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of nature. People drive themselves into this trap; they understand that they are fully loaded. At the same time, many do nothing to get rid of this burden of affairs. After all, all this seems necessary, sometimes even necessary. Sometimes we do something because it is customary, although for us it does not matter at all.

The author of this book says that you need to learn to separate the important and the unimportant. It’s better to do less, but with better quality, than a lot, but at random. It’s better to pay attention to important things and do them quickly than to waste yourself for hours on nonsense. The writer does not just reflect on life and its values. He tells you how to change your life, how to make your path brighter and full of positive events, rather than drab routine and fatigue. He explains that it is not at all necessary to take on any obligations if you do not want to. You need to be able to say no.

When you read, you think that maybe you really shouldn’t waste time on those people with whom you don’t want to communicate. Or, for example, doing something you don’t like. What's the point of fiddling around with boring work longer than necessary if it doesn't change anything? After all, we live once, and only our choice determines how this life will pass: joyfully or sadly.

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Greg McKeon

Essentialism. The path to simplicity

Published with permission from The Crown Publishing Group and Synopsis Literary Agency

Legal support for the publishing house is provided by the Vegas-Lex law firm.

Wisdom is to remove everything that is unimportant from your life.

Lin Yutan

Graphic designer Tricia Morse had a simple rule in her work: do what you're asked to do. When people came to her with requests, she agreed without hesitation. She was pleased to hear the gratitude of her clients: “Thank you so much! You helped me so much!”

The trouble is that Trisha agreed to so many things at once that she soon began to get tired. Everything was getting out of control. Trisha worked around the clock to please every client, but her work only got worse and more errors occurred. After some time, both the customers and herself stopped liking her drawings.

Desperate to defend herself, Tricia began to say no. At first she lacked determination. When she received another order, she asked herself: “Will I be able to complete it in the specified time and with the available resources?” And if the answer was “no,” the offer had to be rejected. Trisha's clients were not happy about this, but they respected her for her honesty.

Every small victory added to Trisha's confidence. Now she evaluated orders using a more rigorous criterion: “Can I spend my time and resources on something better?”

And if the answer was “yes,” Trisha refused the task. At first it seemed to her that she couldn’t indulge her own desires like that, but gradually she created a free space for herself in which she was engaged in creativity. She no longer scattered herself between dozens of projects, but carefully planned each one, taking into account potential obstacles. The quality of her work has returned to its previous level.

Trisha began to follow this principle in everyday life. Instead of immediately reacting to any request, she gave herself time to think and decide whether she should agree. Trisha began to reject almost all offers and requests, leaving only those that were truly important. And then she properly planned the chosen tasks, prepared for them and eliminated all obstacles on the way to their implementation.

Surprisingly, after some time, clients began to trust Trisha even more. She became calmer in communication, and people understood that her words could be trusted. If she took on something, she really brought it to the end and put all her strength into it. In the end, Tricia's new approach benefited both parties. Her work became more enjoyable, and her clients received better quality results.

Now let's talk about you. How often have you answered “yes” to someone’s request, personal or work, without even thinking about what they actually asked you to do? How often have you hated what you do and thought, “Why did I even sign up for this?” How often have you agreed with someone just to please them or avoid problems? Or has “yes” become your universal answer to any question?

Think about it, have you ever suffered from overwork? Have you felt like you are working too much and not being effective enough at the same time? Why do you pay too much attention to the little things? Have you been constantly but fruitlessly busy? Did you feel like you were running as fast as you could, but weren’t moving?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then your only choice is to become an essentialist.

The Essentialist Path

Dieter Rams worked for many years as a senior designer at Braun. All his activities were based on the principle that there are only a few truly important things in the world, and everything else is noise. His task was to cut through this noise to the very essence of things. For example, at the age of 24 he was given the task of designing a gramophone. At that time, it was customary to cover gramophones with heavy wooden covers or even have them built into furniture. Instead, Dieter and his team created a turntable with a clear plastic cover, removing what they thought was noise from the design. This decision was so revolutionary that the company's managers began to fear bankruptcy. It seemed to them that such gramophones simply would not be bought. It takes a lot of courage to give up what you don't need. But in the 60s, the minimalist style began to gain popularity, and soon all turntable manufacturers were copying Braun's design.

Year: 2014
Age limit: 12+
Volume: 250 pages.
Genres: Personal growth, Foreign psychology

Greg McKeon is a renowned author and psychologist who offers self-development literature. His work “Essentialism: The Path to Simplicity” offers you ways to improve your life and organize it. In a simple and understandable language, the author tries to convey to each reader all the main aspects of human life, and also gives effective recommendations for getting rid of all life patterns.

The work makes us think about our life, about its main issues and problems. Greg McKeon explains in detail why most people cannot cope with tasks and problems, cannot relax properly and organize pleasant moments for themselves, since they are constantly busy. The main reason This incorrectly distributed time is the inability to distinguish important matters from unimportant ones. Reading the book “Essentialism: The Path to Simplicity” is a pleasure, because here you can find that important information that you cannot get elsewhere. Remember that it is better to do a little of everything than to take on many things and do them poorly.

“Essentialism: The Path to Simplicity” is a book for those who want to change their lives, but don’t know how. Greg McKeon will teach readers to look for the positive sides in all events, while taking on all important obligations, and refusing unnecessary ones, so as not to complicate life.

The author does not just philosophize on the pages of his work, he provides solutions to almost all problems. After reading it, you will be able to solve complex issues and find a path to creativity and relaxation. Critics who also studied this work could not find any flaws in it. The book “Essentialism: The Path to Simplicity” has earned a huge number of positive reviews. If you decide to read it, then be prepared for the fact that your life will now change beyond recognition. After reading this, many people do not understand how they lived before without understanding such simple things.

Works related to self-development and life improvement are intended for different segments of the population. Everyone will be able to find something new for themselves here, as a result of which they will be able to reach new heights. Due to the fact that there are no “abstruse” phrases in the work, absolutely everyone can read it. Greg McKeon was able to convey to every reader the importance of certain aspects of life and, conversely, was able to highlight everything that should not be paid much attention to.

“Essentialism - the path to simplicity” is a book that Valeria recommended to me, for which I thank her very much! I expressed my opinion in video format:

You can download the book by clicking on the button:

Description of the book

This book is for everyone who is bogged down in everyday worries and who does not have enough time for the most important things. The author of the book, writer and psychologist Greg McKeon, reminds you: your time and energy are priceless, they should not be spent on those things and those people that are not really important to you. You and you alone must determine what is worth your limited resources. Essentialism is a new approach that will allow you to do less but do better - in all areas of your life. He explains very clearly how to focus on what is most important and get rid of all the unnecessary things that surround you and prevent you from focusing on your priorities.

Published in Russian for the first time.

And as always, Lifehacker has a cool summary of the book:

Imagine your life and career as a closet. Then the things that are stored there are a list of daily tasks and responsibilities. If you're like most people, you probably have a lot of unnecessary stuff in your closet. You will never wear this jacket, you left several pairs of old trousers for walks in the forest (do you really go mushroom hunting that often?), and you generally keep that hat out of sentimentality. Is it time to do some spring cleaning?

Throw out everything unnecessary from your closet and from your life. A few tips from Greg McKeon's book will help with this.

What kind of essentialism is this?

Essentialism (from Latin essentia - essence) is a constant search for less, but better.

The essentialist path teaches us to see what is truly important, that is, to consider all existing options and choose only the most valuable ones. And remember: sometimes what you don't do is just as important as what you do.

So, let's get down to business!

1. Never forget about freedom of choice

Have you ever thought that you don't like your job? Or maybe you are studying to become a lawyer for the third year, although you have long realized that law does not interest you?

Ask yourself the question: “Can I change something?” Answer: absolutely.

Remember, you always have the right to choose. Once you realize this, you can proceed to the next step.

2. Set clear goals

Approximately and approximately are far from the same thing as clear and precise. A vague company mission statement can harm your workflow more than you think. This causes disorientation in the team: no one knows what exactly they are doing and why. Employees spend too much energy on unimportant tasks, forgetting about the main thing.

The same thing happens to every person. Try to clearly articulate what you want to achieve in your career and personal life. This determines how you will act. Having realized your true desires and values, you will stop scattering yourself on what you absolutely do not need.

3. Be peditor of your life

The Italian sculptor Michelangelo Buonarotti said: “I take a stone and cut off everything unnecessary.” This is exactly what you should do with your life.

Another interesting comparison:

Imagine that your life is an article in a magazine, and you are the editor-in-chief. Do you know what an editor will do with everything unnecessary, unimportant, meaningless, distracting? That's right - he'll cross it out.

You may have dozens of prospects, but you shouldn't grab every chance. Choose one - the one to which you are really ready to devote yourself. Going back to our closet, admit that you can get rid of 90% of the clutter without much damage.

4. Avoid Commitments

Have you ever played a game of chance and after spending a significant amount, you couldn't tell yourself to stop? It's about sunk costs. Most people find it difficult to give up something they have already invested money, energy and time into.

But is it worth persisting and making even more efforts if it is obvious that the project is futile? Of course no. Don’t fall into this trap, learn to give up your obligations in time.

Another pitfall is the endowment effect. When we are engaged in a project, we perceive it as our property, which means we value it much higher than it actually costs.

Always ask yourself: “If this task did not belong to me, what would I be willing to do to get it?”

This way you will see the true value of the business and can refuse it if the game is not worth the candle.

5. Say a decisive “no”

Have you ever had to answer “yes” to requests from colleagues, friends, or relatives, despite your wishes? If this has never happened to you, you are an exception. As a rule, we are afraid of offending someone, we are shy in front of our boss and try not to disappoint people. But this leads to the fact that we miss something more important: our own life.

We need to become courageous and learn to say no. If you were planning to devote your weekend to your family, you should not agree to your boss’s offer to work on Saturday. If you were planning to write the first chapter of your book, refuse to meet with your friends. You may feel a moment of awkwardness when you say no. But it's only a minute. You don’t want to waste an evening, a few days or even a year of your life solving other people’s problems?

6. Use the 90% rule

This rule must be applied in any choice situation. When evaluating an option, think about the most important criterion and give it points from 0 to 100. If any of the options receives a score below 90, forget about it. This way you will rid yourself of doubts and immediately discard unnecessary alternatives with scores from 60 to 70. Choose not good opportunities, but excellent ones. How many items in your wardrobe would you rate 90 points or higher? It's time for the rest to go to the dump.

7. Find mfood for thought

There is a secret hideout at the Stanford School of Design called the Noir Booth. It's a tiny room with no windows or distractions, and the walls are lined with sound-absorbing material. Any student can come there to be alone and reflect.

Try to find a place like this where you can retire and think calmly. There you will fully concentrate on the problem, analyze all the alternatives, determine the most significant ones and make an important decision.

Essentialists prefer to do less today in order to accomplish much more tomorrow. Yes, this is a concession. But in total, these small concessions lead to huge success.

Published with permission from The Crown Publishing Group and Synopsis Literary Agency

Chapter 1. Essentialist

Wisdom is to remove everything that is unimportant from your life.

Every small victory added to Trisha's confidence. Now she evaluated orders using a more rigorous criterion: “Can I spend my time and resources on something better?”

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then your only choice is to become an essentialist.

The Essentialist Path

Dieter's main design principle can be summed up in a short German phrase: weniger aber besser (“less but better”). And this is the most successful of all possible definitions of essentialism.

The Essentialist Path is a constant search for less but better. Discipline plays a decisive role. It is important not just to remember this principle sometimes, but to adhere to it in everything.

The Essentialist Path It’s not about promising yourself, “Starting January 1st, I’ll start saying “no” more often,” and it’s not about finally emptying out your inbox, or even about finding a new one for yourself. time management strategy. An essentialist constantly asks himself the question: “Is this what I’m doing?” There are so many opportunities and things to do in the world that we don’t have enough time or resources for everything. And although many of them seem interesting to us, only a few are truly necessary. The Essentialist Path teaches us to see what is really important, that is, to consider all existing options and choose only the most valuable ones.

Essentialism doesn't help you do more things, it teaches you how to choose the right activities. But at the same time, you don't do less just for the sake of doing less. Essentialism is the ability to wisely invest your time and energy in things that matter most to achieve maximum effectiveness.

The difference between an essentialist and a non-essentialist is shown in the table on the next page. Both people put in the same amount of effort. But on the left side of the table, these efforts are distributed among dozens of different tasks. This person is likely to progress very slowly in each of his endeavors and does not feel any satisfaction from his success. The person on the right side of the table spends energy on just a few tasks. As a result, he sees his progress in areas that are important to him, and this brings him joy. The Essentialist Path means giving up the belief that we can do everything. Instead, it requires us to look at things realistically and make tough decisions. But in many cases, one such decision will save you from thousands of choices in the future, which means you won’t have to ask yourself the same question over and over again.

An essentialist does not learn from his own mistakes, but carefully plans his life to avoid them. He does not make decisions instinctively, but consciously selects from dozens of tasks a few of the most important ones and strives to complete them. The Essentialist Path always straight and bright. In other words, essentialism is a disciplined and systematic approach to identifying the most effective points of effort. If you learn to do this correctly, then completing the tasks itself will be almost no difficulty.