Thinking that we can have it all, and somehow smartly do it all, has run its course. So says Greg McKeown in his book: Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less. In essence, he paints the way of the Essentialist – the person who does less, but does it better. The central concept is to apply more selective criteria to what is essential, and focus your mind and energy on that which really matters to you. A truly disciplined pursuit is perhaps not as easy as it first might sound, but over time it allows us to regain a sense of control. Doing less but better frees us up to make our highest possible contribution.
Shane Parrish from The Knowledge Project fame posed a question on his Twitter feed this morning. I think it is one of many questions that prompts some essentialist thinking as we head into 2021.
If you fired yourself today and took over your life from scratch, what would you stop doing?
