Paring Down...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I selected this book because it came up as a suggestion and LOVED it. Having the author read it made it especially enjoyable, as his passion for the topic of distilling life to the very best part comes through in his advice, his stories, his applicable tips. As I drive from client to client, appointment to appointment and commitment to commitment, this books struck a chord. I have suggested it to at least 10 people and suggest it to YOU as well.

What did you learn from Essentialism that you would use in your daily life?

If something isn't "hell yes" then it's a "no."

This book is definitely a "hell yes." Read it.

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71 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Multiple reads required

The book is well written, information dense, and well read. It is a must for business or personal improvement! It will require multiple reads to get as much information and might be worth a kindle/audible combo to write notes for later references.

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67 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Essential lessons for success

If you don't set your priorities, someone else will.
If you don't maintain your boundaries, nobody will.
If you don't chart your own course and stick to it, someone else will.
You can accomplish much more, by doing less.
This book is full of outstanding advice.

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56 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A consultant-style book: useless with bad examples

What would have made Essentialism better?

Frankly, something original and new. Also better anecdotes. This is a terrible book that exemplifies why consultants are terrible for our economies.

Has Essentialism turned you off from other books in this genre?

Frankly, the best aspect of this book is the list of citations, all of which are excellent writers and books.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Extremely disappointed. This book reminds me of an episode in "How I Met Your Mother," where one character described how to make a "winning" video resume: look like you are innovator and action-oriented (eg. riding horse and motorbike, says) and spill out big-sounding words, but don't actually do anything, because actually doing things gets you fired.

This book is exactly that. It spills big sounding words at you, like "essentialism" and "protect your assets" and "play" etc., but it actually does not say anything new. In fact, for a book about Essentialism with a writer who proclaims that he lives what he teaches, it is not very essentialist. An "essentialist" starts out as someone who deliberately chooses to focus on something. Sounds good? Then, that definition starts to grow hair and tentacles: an "essentialist" acquires properties like acknowledging trade-off, sleeping a lot, having boundaries, playing, planning ahead, etc. Meanwhile, essential issues are not addressed: how do you know what to focus on? how to see all trade-off? etc.

Any additional comments?

This book contains many very disturbing anecdotes, but they are told in such a casual tone that I can't decide between disgust, anger, or just pity.

For example, to demonstrate his "deliberation," the author recounted how he decided his life direction; one would expects (remember, deliberation) hours or days of analysis over pros and cons, or months of consideration and trying things out; instead, the story is about 5 minutes of writing out what he happened to want (at that point, of course). He then quit his school, uprooted from his country, and remade his life, based on a 5-minute decision. Frankly, this story should have been told this way: a guy made an impulsive decision, got lucky, and stuck with it. Deliberation? I think not.

Similarly, in an age when internal drive is highly value, the author cheerfully recounted how he decreased his kids' screen time by paying for them. Oh, and he encouraged the readers to do the same. Really?

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39 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Less But Better

The book can be summed up in the phrase "less but better." It provides guidance on pruning the trivial many to focus on the vital few. If you want to be an Essentialist (quality over quantity), you must be vigilant in saying "yes" to only those things and activities you love. Otherwise, you'll spread yourself too thin and be mediocre in many things. You won't be making any significant progress in the few things you truly want... you won't be living a meaningful and purposeful life.

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37 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Maybe my expectations were too high

Maybe my expectations were too high but I was a bit disappointed by this book. It felt like it was written over a weekend rather than something that was the result of years of deep thinking. I wish all the best for the author and Anna, his wife, since I feel like I've gotten to know them well. Maybe that's part of the problem. It feels more like a autobiography than anything else. It feels like the author has a lot that he wants to get off his chest but he didn't think long enough about what the reader needed from a book like this.

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33 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Call me an "Essentialist"

The message of 'less is better' isn't new to me, but there are fresh insights here. Greg McKeown also does a fantastic job narrating his own book.

If life feels cluttered and stressed, Essentialism is the (audio)book to get.

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30 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Great book for those looking to simplify

Do less, but better.

Okay I wanted to be simple, but I should expand. This book is essential for those of us who are overwhelmed by tasks. You'll hear why essentialism is important, how to decide was is essential, and what is not. Then it talks about how to apply it: how to stay focused, how to say no, and how to help those around you focus on what is important as well.

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28 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Great Message, Redundant At Times

Greg does a great job of narrating, but a good editor could have trimmed a fourth from this read.

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24 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Less, but better! Words to live by....

Would you listen to Essentialism again? Why?

I am on my second listening of this book. There is a lot of wisdom in these chapters. Much of the insight of the book are not new, but the presentation of the material and examples of how to incorporate these concepts into your business and life decisions makes it a worthwhile read/listen. I expect I will listen to this book many more times.

What does Greg McKeown bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Greg's reading of the book was pleasant and well paced. Many times the presenter of these types of books are very dry, despite the interesting nature of the material.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The last book I read 2x in a row was the "5th Discipline" by Peter Senge back in 1994. Like Essentialism, that book helped give me a language to articulate what I had been thinking and a framework for thinking through problems and making decisions.

Any additional comments?

Read/Listen to this book!

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22 personnes ont trouvé cela utile