Today, technology has lowered the barrier for others to share their opinion about what we should be focusing on. It is not just information overload; it is opinion overload. THE
There are three deeply entrenched assumptions we must conquer to live the way of the Essentialist: I have to, It’s all important, and I can do both.
The way of the Essentialist rejects the idea that we can fit it all in. Instead it requires us to grapple with real trade-offs and make tough decisions. In many cases we can learn to make one-time dec...
The unintended consequence is that non-Essentialist managers try to get their teams to pursue too many things – and try to do too many things themselves as well – and the team plateaus in its progress...
Mastering this Essentialist skill, perhaps more than any other in this section, requires us to be vigilant about acknowledging the reality of trade-offs. By definition, applying highly selective crite...
MOST OF WHAT EXISTS IN THE UNIVERSE—OUR ACTIONS, AND ALL OTHER FORCES, RESOURCES, AND IDEAS—HAS LITTLE VALUE AND YIELDS LITTLE RESULT; ON THE OTHER HAND, A FEW THINGS WORK FANTASTICALLY WELL AND HAVE...
Less but better is
In just one example of many, Rosa Parks’s quiet but resolute refusal to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus at exactly the right moment coalesced into forces that propelled the civil right...
If you could do only one thing with your life right now, what would you do?
If the answer isn’t a definite yes then it should be a no.
Her story demonstrates a critical truth: we can either make the hard choices for ourselves or allow others – whether our colleagues, our boss, or our customers – to decide for us.
Henry David Thoreau (who wrote, I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; … so simplify the problem of l...
George Orwell’s classic allegorical novel Animal Farm we are introduced to the fictional character Boxer the horse. He is described as faithful and strong. His answer to every setback and every proble...
A powerful essential intent inspires people partially because it is concrete enough to answer the question, How will we know when we have succeeded? This
A colleague in New York uses a simple hack: whenever she schedules a meeting or phone call, she takes exactly fifteen seconds to type up the main objectives for that meeting, so on the morning of the...
2. The soft no (or the no but). I recently received an e-mail inviting me to coffee. I replied: I am consumed with writing my book right now :) But I would love to get together once the book is finish...
1. The awkward pause. Instead of being controlled by the threat of an awkward silence, own it. Use it as a tool. When a request comes to you (obviously this works only in person), just pause for a mom...
1) What risks do you face on this project? (2) What is the worst-case scenario? (3) What would the social effects of this be? (4) What would the financial impact of this be? and (5) How can you invest...
Trade-offs represent a significant opportunity. By forcing us to weigh both options and strategically select the best one for us, we significantly increase our chance of achieving the outcome we want.
To operate at your highest level of contribution requires that you deliberately tune in to what is important in the here and now.