How many times have you heard the phrase “Less is more” or maybe “less but better?” How many times have you struggled with the idea of being incredibly busy but not actually produced anything of quality?
I definitely have.
Sometimes it is difficult saying no and we tend to split our focus on too many things at once, thus lessening the quality of our overall performance. I recently picked up a copy of Essentialism by Greg McKeown and simply could not put it down. It’s an answer to a prayer, really.
McKeown is extraordinarily insightful in this book as he teaches us how to get the right things done; how to “filter through all those options and selec[t] only those that are truly essential” (page 17*). I cannot stress enough how important this one little statement is. We can’t do it all; it’s just not possible. By that, I mean that we can’t do it all and expect everything to be the best quality. It’s called picking and choosing your battles. When you focus all of your energy onto one important project, instead of trying to do five random projects, you will see a tremendous increase in overall contribution. Now you are creating things worthwhile!
I honestly believe everyone should read this book because it applies to more than just your business life. If you can take these principles and apply them to your day-to-day, you will lead a happier, more fulfilled life simply because you won’t be bogged down by unnecessary noise.
The moral of the story is that you have to be disciplined and discerning in your decision making process. You can’t just say no (or even yes for that matter) to everything; you have to evaluate what matters most (the absolute essential) and actually devote time and energy into creating something amazing.
This is obviously just a small insight into an entire novel. My main purpose in writing this particular blog was to give you a taste of the book; just a small dip into an incredible message. I highly recommend picking up a copy, whether it be an Ereader or a hard copy. Happy reading, friends.
*I read the book on an Ipad; page numbers may vary on print.
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