As a quote attributed to Victor Hugo, the French dramatist and novelist, puts it, Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
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
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...
We can reduce the friction of executing the essential in our work and lives simply by creating a buffer.
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.
Cuando tratamos de hacerlo todo y tenerlo todo, nos encontramos haciendo concesiones en los márgenes que nunca asumiríamos como nuestra estrategia intencional.
What is new is how especially damaging this myth is today, in a time when choice and expectations have increased exponentially.
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...
Recuerdo a un amigo que nunca se detenía a preguntar cómo llegar porque no era capaz de admitir que estaba perdido. Desperdiciaba
Ray credits this success to their highly disciplined focus on profitability. He has led the company as CEO for thirty-five years, and throughout that period Ray has followed an extraordinarily consist...
Once an Australian nurse named Bronnie Ware, who cared for people in the last twelve weeks of their lives, recorded their most often discussed regrets. At the top of the list: I wish I’d had the coura...
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...
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.
As John Lasseter, the chief creative officer at Pixar and now Disney, said, We don’t actually finish our films, we release them.
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...
Tendency to undervalue things that aren’t ours and to overvalue things because we already own them.
Science shows that even a nap can increase creativity. In