Essentialism- The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
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Web ID: 12620642This was for a college writing assignment :)
The book Essentialism is a novel written by Greg Mckeown which demonstrates a great amount of both research and a personal understanding of what it means to fufill the path of essentialism. Mckeown does a great job of making advanced concepts easy to read and gives specific steps for his readers to follow. He does a fantastic job of drawing you in with both imagery and questions such as, “do you feel like you are constantly in motion but never getting anywhere?” These questions draw readers in primarily because I think this is something the majority of us can relate to. Mckeown shares his experiences while correcting more “non- essentialist” behavior in a very non-condescending and supportive way. I enjoyed gathering what his takes are on my daily habits and how to correct them. However, my biggest complaint with Mckeown’s work is how truly repetitive it is. The structure of the book is well in place but the actual contents repeat themselves SO much. It probably could have been just as well written in ⅕ of the pages. I understand as an author you need to stretch ideas out in order to sell your work, but the more I read, I honestly got less and less impressed because the ideas I was consuming were no longer new to me anymore. For example, in chapter 1 there is a comparison between cleaning out one’s closet to getting rid of mind cluttering and useless activities in our own lives. At least 20 times throughout the book Mckeown says “Remember in chapter 1 when we talked about the wardrobe...” and goes on to talk about the same advice he has given many times before. Overall the book is very informative and motivating, but to those who have little tolerance for extremely repetitive books, I would recommend a short summary on Reddit. ;)
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
How to focus in an increasingly complex world
Today’s world is an increasingly complex place. Many of us feel like we live disintegrated lives and are pulled in many directions. Yet people who have the highest societal impact tend to have the ability to focus, and throughout the centuries, writers like Henry David Thoreau have reminded us to simplify instead of complicate. In this book, McKeown seeks to convey these timeless philosophical lessons in a more contemporary format, geared around modern business lives and personal well-being. Some might say that there is nothing new in this book, and in one sense, they will be right. Most “self-help” books focus on finding the good and amplifying it as much as possible. This book does the same. Yet its examples are very interesting and fit more with contemporary life than many of the more classic works. Indeed, McKeown cites many of the classics along with modern scientific examples. McKeown is a business writer who seeks to better the lives of modern workers. He also seems to genuinely care for his family and uses this philosophy to carve out a healthy space for them. He’s from the UK and holds an MBA from Stanford. The book itself seems to coalesce with his course taught at Stanford. His message especially tries to help executives and executive teams work better together by focusing on less instead of more. This book has made an obvious impact on the business community, but that should not limit it. McKeown’s take borders on behavioral psychology and philosophy. Researchers who try to carve out a specialist’s niche will find this book relevant. The focus is more about getting the most out of life and work instead of how to benefit the bottom line. Because of this, even religious readers might find some benefit from reading this book. Thus, a wide variety of audiences can be engaged. In many ways, this book embodies McKeown’s philosophy: By focusing on less (i.e., the essence), it reaches a broader audience than it could by doing more. By my reading, it does its job with excellence.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Learning focus was never so easy--or so hard.
The book can be summarized as "Live life deliberately." Then McKeown gets down to how to do this and while he gives direct ideas, those ideas never become more than the principle, and I think this is key. It leaves room for differing priorities, differing philosophies, and differing personalities while still keeping "the main thing the main thing." Part of me feels like this should be a five-star review, and once I go back through my book (I listened on audio) and begin marking it up and taking notes, I may choose to adjust my rating. But right now, I REALLY like this book... don't love it... but I might. The more I think about it. Considering the impact it's making on how I think, I suspect essentialism might just be the means by which I give myself permission to focus only on those things that I consider eternal. For those who struggle with nonfiction, there are enough anecdotes and stories that support McKeown's theories, and he really does write in a very conversational style. It's a perfect blend of intelligent and approachable writing that leaves all pretentiousness behind. Yeah. I'm going to just change that star rating now. I'm an idiot.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com