You can do anything not everything. Which problem do you want? Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs. It’s about deliberately choosing to be different.
Anything Not Everything
In this episode, we talk about the fallacy in which we think we must do everything. The essentialist mindset, instead, realizes that we can do anything not everything.
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Not everything in life is important … just a few … the vital few. 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 tremendous impact.
Vital Few
We have been taught from a young age that hard work is key to producing results, and many of us have been amply rewarded for our productivity and our ability to muscle through every task or challenge the world throws at us. Yet, for capable people who are already working hard, are there limits to the value of hard work? Is there a point at which doing more does not produce more? Is there a point at which doing less (but thinking more) will actually produce better outcomes?
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Choice, this is the very first pillar … the first mindset we need to embrace Essentialism. It is the ability to choose that makes us human.
Choice
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.
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Before we embark on the study of essentialism in detail, let’s first give an essentialism overview. What is essentialism all about? What is the big picture?
Essentialism Overview
Greg McKeown did an excellent lecture at Linkedin over this very issue. We listen through Greg’s presentation in this episode as we prepare to land and explore the Essentialism landscape.
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Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized? Do you feel motion sickness instead of momentum? Does your day sometimes get hijacked by someone else’s agenda? Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then resented it?
Essentialism
If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.
The Way of the Essentialist involves doing less, but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution.
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