“The way of the Essentialist is the relentless pursuit of less but better.” – Essentialism

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” – Essentialism

This is meant to be more of a book report, than a review.  In particular, I want to highlight three key take-aways from the book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown, that I found impactful.  This also serves as a way for me to recall influential points in the book.

1. Trade-Offs & Boundaries

Trade-offs and boundaries are good things.  Acknowledging that everything is a series of trade-offs will help you not try to do it all and be more thoughtful about where you do spend your energy.This one is pretty intuitive for me, maybe because of my training as an engineer.

However, I can definitely work on setting better boundaries.  The pandemic and work from home have not helped keep clear boundaries.  This is one I will need to work on a bit.  

“Essentialists see trade-offs as an inherent part of life, not as an inherently negative part of life. Instead of asking, “What do I have to give up?” they ask, “What do I want to go big on?” The cumulative impact of this small change in thinking can be profound.”

“Mastering this Essentialist skill, perhaps more than any other in this section, requires us to be vigilant about acknowledging the reality of trade-offs. By definition, applying highly selective criteria is a trade-off; sometimes you will have to turn down a seemingly very good option and have faith that the perfect option will soon come along.”

“Essentialists, on the other hand, see boundaries as empowering. They recognize that boundaries protect their time from being hijacked and often free them from the burden of having to say no to things that further others’ objectives instead of their own.”

2. Priorities

However, before you can really evaluate trade-offs and set boundaries, you need to have a clearer sense of your priorities and values.  Without knowing what you want to focus on, want to accomplish, want to contribute etc., one cannot effectively prioritize.  

“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.”

“What if society encouraged us to reject what has been accurately described as doing things we detest, to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like? What if we stopped being oversold the value of having more and being undersold the value of having less?”

“The first type of nonessential you’re going to learn how to eliminate is simply any activity that is misaligned with what you are intending to achieve.”

I most definitely need to spend some time on this one.  Here were two good thoughts about figuring this out.

“To discern what is truly essential we need space to think, time to look and listen, permission to play, wisdom to sleep, and the discipline to apply highly selective criteria to the choices we make.”

3. Step Back And Apply An Editorial Mindset

There is a reason newspapers and book publishers use editors.  Sometimes, you need someone who can step back, look at the bigger picture, and apply a critical eye.  Editors use their judgement and guiding principles to apply selection criteria about what should be included and what should not.  And they strive to ensure the included content is accurate, truthful, and consistent with the voice of their publication.  And a good editor seeks to bring out the best in their published content.  We should all spend time applying those editorial areas of focus to our own lives.

“Doing less is not just a powerful Essentialist strategy, it’s a powerful editorial one as well.”

“What I mean is that a good editor is someone who uses deliberate subtraction to actually add life to the ideas, setting, plot, and characters.”

“Being a journalist of your own life will force you to stop hyperfocusing on all the minor details and see the bigger picture. You can apply the skills of a journalist no matter what field you are in—you can even apply them to your personal life. By training yourself to look for “the lead,” you will suddenly find yourself able to see what you have missed.”

I like dogs.  And most animals for that matter.  My wife tried to kill a spider in our bedroom the other night, and I yelled at her, and intervened to perform a rescue and recovery mission to the back porch. 

However, off-leash does not give your dog permission to sniff my crotch.  Or anywhere else on my body.  

My. Personal. Space. Is. My. Personal. Space.  Whether or not your dog is tethered to you.  

Your dog’s “way of saying hi” might intersect with my way of saying “stay away from me”.

I was a competitive distance runner long enough to have fought off a wide variety of four legged animals.  So, if your dog comes at me unexpectedly.  I am betting on the human to come out on top.  We have been doing it for thousands of years.  Keep that in mind, if your dog is not socialized and is not tethered to you.

Off leash does not equal out of control.  Just because McDonald’s has a playground, doesn’t mean my eight year old can eat your french fries.  Same goes with your dog in public multi-use spaces.

“Waiting for the right time is seductive. Our mind tricks us into thinking that waiting is actually doing something.”  – Farnam Street

Half way through 2021.

Updated stats through June:

Here are my most influential reads – in no particular order:

1. CDC eviction moratorium: Supreme Court leaves ban in place through July – “The ban has just been extended another month, until the end of July, and the Biden administration said it will end then.”
2. A Working Narrative – “The future of remote work is also, however, easily linked to general labor concerns, the role of work in American lives, corporatism and the social contract with our present system of capitalism.” SMS here: The current conversation at the executive level in my company seems to be missing the point that some portion of the employee population has now experienced remote work and does not want to go back to the office for that reason – unrelated to COVID concerns.
3. 20 of the Best Adventure Quotes of All Time, Courtesy of Author Bill Bryson – “What on earth would I do if four bears came into my camp? Why, I would die of course. Literally shit myself lifeless.”
4. On the Crisis and Inflation, Barron’s Shows How the Past Can Be Prologue – “Americans may take the chance to go on more vacations and go to more concerts and movies in the next few years, but they probably won’t be getting more haircuts or more takeout.”
5. Infrastructure Finally Gets Its Week. But Inflation and Jobs Haven’t Gone Away – “So, there’s the bipartisan package totaling $559 billion to fund unambiguously needed projects for transportation, power grids, broadband, and the like, which will be financed without tax increases but by unused past spending authorizations, increased IRS enforcement, and things like selling off part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.”
6. We Were Shocked – Shocked! – that Massive Stimulus Caused Inflation – “So clearly, the big mismatch between supply and demand in this cycle is the problem. And it isn’t just in used cars and trucks. It isn’t just in hotels and airfares. In fact, it is a myth that there is a small set of categories that are inflating wildly while other prices are inert.”
7. The Fed Pulls Back on Its Ultraeasy Stance. Volatility May Follow – “Yet the admission of this seemingly self-evident fact took markets by surprise.”
8. Overwhelming Moab – “The common theme is incredible recreational experiences and towns that are a bit off-kilter.”
9. ‘Revenge Travel’ Will Be All The Rage Over The Next Few Years – “The term is also retribution against COVID-19 and how it is losing its power to control our lives, including canceling travel plans.” SMS here:  You are not owed anything, and certainly not anymore than anyone else.
10. The remedy for high house prices is . . . high house prices – “As always, sales lead prices. If sales continue to trend much lower, expect prices to reverse course soon.”

Note: This is based on when I read the article, not necessarily when it was first published.  Unfortunately, my backlog of things I would like to read always seems to dwarf the amount of time I can devote to reading.