Less is more

Essentialism stands out as one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read—a feeling I can’t recall experiencing with many other books. Many of the ideas that Greg talked about deeply resonated with me and the way I want to conduct my life.

I have always complicated my life and felt like I was being pulled in a million directions whether it’s through my curiosities, friendships, social media algorithms, and so on. Simplicity and clarity are two things that I have been actively trying to find in life and after reading this book, I think essentialism might help me find them.

“Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.” I am a people pleasure by nature and am driven by the desire to support the people around me. I would like to have all the answers, be able to say yes to everything, and be everywhere at once but that just isn’t possible. However, in this disguised pursuit of perfection, I fail miserably to account for my own well being and desires. I lack clarity on where my priorities lie—a problem that I have struggled with for some time. Greg put it like this, “If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.” Seems plausible.

It is our job to filter through all of the noise in life and find out what works for ourselves. What do you truly value? In an age of abundant information, I believe this to be one of the most valuable things we can practice.

Once you have your values, you can begin to look at your life and ask yourself, “Am I investing in the right activities?” A good chunk of us suffer from decision fatigue: the more choices we are forced to make, the more the quality of our decision deteriorate. Greg says, “the way of an essentialist is to explore and evaluate a broad set of options before committing to any” which goes hand in hand with the idea of a slow yes and quick no.

I often struggle with saying quick no’s because I overthink the trade-offs. For example, choosing to decline a friend’s invitation to play basketball late on Monday night might mean missing out on time to connect. But by saying no, I can go to bed early, wake up refreshed, and start my day productively. This reduces my stress for the week, and I can always play with them on the weekend instead (something I wouldn’t forget if I was slow to say yes). It’s about setting clear boundaries with yourself and others. As Greg reminds us, “Essentialists accept that they cannot be popular with everyone all of the time.” I of course value my friendships and relationships but at the end of the day, I value my peace over playing basketball one extra time.

Much of my anxiety and fear are rooted in my future thinking mindset too. This past year I have made a conscious effort to be more present and focus on the now. It’s deciding to focus on what I can control today and not what is out of my control. “Instead of trying to accomplish it all—and all at once—and flaring out, the Essentialist starts small and celebrates progress.” Progress for me is one of the most powerful forms of motivation. I think that is true for many as well. When I wake up and go for my morning walk, I now like to ask myself a simple question. What is my biggest priority today? And if I completed this one single thing, it would mean that that day was a success. Notice priority isn’t plural. Filter out the nonessential trivial things and focus on the essential.

Essentialism to me is not about simplifying life down and doing less for the sake of less. It’s about doing less, but better. It’s about sifting through the noise and focusing on what truly matters. I think many of us can find true clarity and purpose through essentialism.

I’ll leave it at that and wish everyone some peace and purpose. Thank you so much for reading.