We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice—a choice is an action. It is not just something we have but something we do.
Greg MckeownRead
Essentialism is not about how to get more things done, it's about how to the get the right things done. It doesn't mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Essentialism focuses on prioritizing the most important tasks rather than just doing more.
The essence of essentialism is to discern what truly matters and invest time and energy into those pursuits. Rather than maximizing productivity for its own sake, essentialism encourages individuals to concentrate their efforts on a few significant tasks that yield the highest contribution, aligning their actions with their values to achieve meaningful results.
Themes
EssentialismFocusProductivityPrioritizationTime Management
In practice
Example use cases
In a team meeting discussing project goals, referring to this quote can help emphasize the importance of prioritizing impactful tasks.
More from Greg Mckeown
All quotes →The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the non-essentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless.
Greg MckeownRead
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