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Essentialism

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

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Essentialism

By: Greg McKeown
Narrated by: Greg McKeown
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Have you ever found yourself struggling with information overload?


Have you ever felt both overworked and underutilised?


Do you ever feel busy but not productive?


If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is to become an essentialist.


In Essentialism, Greg McKeown, CEO of a leadership and strategy agency in Silicon Valley who has run courses at Apple, Google and Facebook, tells you how to achieve what he calls the disciplined pursuit of less. Being an essentialist is about a disciplined way of thinking. It means challenging the core assumptions of "we can have it all" and "I have to do everything" and replacing them with the pursuit of "the right thing in the right way at the right time".

By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.

Using the experience and insight of working with the leaders of the most innovative companies and organisations in the world, McKeown narrates and tells you how to put Essentialism into practice in your own life, so you, too, can achieve something great.

© Greg McKeown 2014 (P) Penguin Audio 2015

Social Sciences Inspiring Thought-Provoking Career Business

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Critic reviews

Greg McKeown’s excellent new book is a much-needed antidote to the stress, burnout and compulsion to “do everything,” that infects us all. It is an essential read for anyone who wants to regain control of their health, wellbeing, and happiness
Do you feel it, too? That relentless pressure to sample all the good things in life? To do all the 'right' things? The reality is, you don’t make progress that way. Instead, you’re in danger of spreading your efforts so thin that you make no impact at all. Greg McKeown believes the answer lies in paring life down to its essentials. He can’t tell you what’s essential to every life, but he can help you find the meaning in yours.
Entrepreneurs succeed when they say "yes" to the right project, at the right time, in the right way. To accomplish this, they have to be good at saying "no" to all their other ideas. Essentialism offers concise and eloquent advice on how to determine what you care about most, and how to apply your energies in ways that ultimately bring you the greatest rewards
Essentialism holds the keys to solving one of the great puzzles of life: how can we do less but accomplish more? A timely, essential read for anyone who feels overcommitted, overloaded, or overworked—in other words, everyone. It has already changed the way that I think about my own priorities, and if more leaders embraced this philosophy, our jobs and our lives would be less stressful and more productive. So drop what you’re doing and read it.
As a self-proclaimed "maximalist" who always wants to do it all, this book challenged me and improved my life. If you want to work better, not just less, you should read it too.
Great design takes us beyond the complex, the unnecessary and confusing, to the simple, clear and meaningful. This is as true for the design of a life as it is for the design of a product. With Essentialism, Greg McKeown gives us the invaluable guidebook for just such a project.
All stars
Most relevant
Read by the author, who has a good voice.
Interesting concepts. I'll have to read it again.

Interesting concepts

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A book so full of essential knowledge, you will listen to it more than once. With an inspiring reading by the author.

Ask yourself this, what do I have to give up in order to read this book? I assure you that whatever it is will be with the trade off.

World Changing

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for me personally I would have enjoyed more life examples from the authors own experiences but there were many valid and applicable demonstrations from the history

good listen

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McKeown has a wonderful way of championing what really matters. Over the many chapters he helps the reader consider many of the things that we consider most important within a task. He then skilfully points to the priority behind the task helping the reader/listener better identify the true priority. An insightful and helpful book by a key thinker.

A fascinating commentary on less, but better.

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Recommend this book to busy, stretched folks who are struggling to prioritise. The book is well written and easy to read.

Great book

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