The More the merrier. The bigger the better. Two common phrases pushing Americans every day. In theory, the phrases make sense. But why does it have to be that way? What if we started pursing less but better? As Greg McKeown puts it, “It is not about getting more things done, it is about getting the right things done.”
Often we find ourselves falling into the trap of pursing an idea or project in which we’ve invested too much to turn back or start over. “Abandoning a project you’ve invested a lot in feels like you’ve wasted everything, and waste is something we are supposed to avoid.
McKeown illustrates this point by sharing an example from a professor at Ohio State University. Imagine you bought a $100 ski pass for a trip in Michigan. Several weeks later you buy a pass for $50 for a trip in Wisconsin (both very bad ski states in comparison to home in SLC). You think you’ll enjoy the Wisconsin ski trip more than Michigan. As you put the pass in your wallet you realize the ski passes are for the same day. Which trip do go you on?
In every class the professor surveys, more than half will go with Michigan because they feel like they will be wasting money. Often we overemphasize our options over our power to choose. As humans we fundamentally have the option to chose, it’s how we discipline ourselves to pursing what’s essential that determines our trajectory in life.
McKeown goes through various ways to determine and follow what’s essential. One is to create disciplined routines. Michael Phelps famously followed this pre-swim routine before every race. By the time he entered the water for the race he had already successfully completed his routine, and this was just the final step of the total performance.
Phelps learned how to cut out distractions and focus on getting the best results. He eliminated his “slowest hiker.” Imagine you're a Scout Master and are taking your troop on a 10 mile hike and need to arrive at camp before sunset. They start out and of course some of the scouts are moving faster than others. Soon there is a huge gap between the slow and faster scouts. One boy, Herbie, is really behind everyone.
You stop the faster scouts and have them wait for Herbie. Now they are all together but within minutes the problem is recreated.
You decide to put Herbie in the lead and all others follow behind him. Problem fixed - right? No. Now they will never reach camp before sunset. How do you proceed?
Knowing Herbie is the key, you take all the stuff out of Herbie's pack and distributes it amongst the troop. Herbie can now move fast enough to get to camp by sunset but not faster than the others, and thus leads the group into camp on time.
In your life, who or what are your Herbies. To be a true essentialist, find a way to eliminate the things slowing you down. Focus on less but better pursuits, and soon you'll find the quality of work and relationships will be taken to the next level.
My Rating - 4/5
Should you read - A lot of the reviews I read mentioned the book should have followed suit by putting only the essentials in. There are things that are common sense, for instance sleep more. However, the basis of the book is good and I've applied some of what he mentions and have tried to cut off unessential items and feel more productive and happier. If you feel overwhelmed, can't say no to people, and are 'busy' all the time, then this book would be a good pick up for you.