Essentialism Audiobook By Greg McKeown cover art

Essentialism

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

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Essentialism

By: Greg McKeown
Narrated by: Greg McKeown
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than one million copies sold! Essentialism isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.

“A timely, essential read for anyone who feels overcommitted, overloaded, or overworked.”—Adam Grant

Have you ever:

  • Found yourself stretched too thin?
  • Simultaneously felt overworked and underutilized?
  • Felt busy but not productive?
  • Felt like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people’s agendas?

If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.

Essentialism is more than a time-management strategy or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution toward the things that really matter.

By forcing us to apply more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy—instead of giving others the implicit permission to choose for us.

Essentialism is not one more thing—it’s a whole new way of doing everything. It’s about doing less, but better, in every area of our lives. Essentialism is a movement whose time has come.

*Includes a downloadable PDF featuring the 21-day Essentialism Challenge

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 Greg McKeown (P)2014 Random House Audio Career Success Decision-Making & Problem Solving Inspiring Thought-Provoking

Editorial reviews

Editors Select, April 2014 - At times we all feel the pressure to take on more than we can handle – to pack our schedules full and be all things to all people. We may think we’re doing the right thing, but as Greg McKeown lays out in his new book, ultimately this behavior leads us to feel stressed out, overworked, and under-satisfied. Essentialism is a call to arms to stop the craziness and apply a structured discipline that will help to identify and foster what matters. By cutting out the nonessential, we can in-turn achieve productivity, fulfillment, and success. Regina, Audible Editor

Critic reviews

“Essentialism will give you richer, sweeter results and put you in real control, giving greater precision to the pursuit of what truly matters.”—Forbes

“In this likeable and astute treatise on the art of doing less in order to do better...McKeown makes the content fresh and the solutions easy to implement. Following his lucid and smart directions will help readers find ‘the way of the essentialist.’”—Success

“Do you feel it, too? That relentless pressure to sample all the good things in life? To do all the ‘right’ things? The reality is, you don’t make progress that way. Instead, you’re in danger of spreading your efforts so thin that you make no impact at all. Greg McKeown believes the answer lies in paring life down to its essentials. He can’t tell you what’s essential to every life, but he can help you find the meaning in yours.”—Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell is Human and Drive
Transformative Narratives • Relatable Examples • Practical Applications • Personal Journey Elements • Compelling Framework
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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.

Essential lessons for success

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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.

Great book for those looking to simplify

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He presented his researched-based, logical information so well and in an engaging way, so many powerful stories, that all that's left is to begin putting into practice (the hardest part), and that's exactly what I'm doing. Still a novice (and such a nonessentialist), but I now have hope for better ways and a better, less overwhelmed life! Thanks so much, Mr. McKeown! This can be a life-changing book if I let it.

Beginning to see the light

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McKeown distills the essence of a millennium of wisdom for consumption through the straw that is modern life. By identifying the drivers of our madness, he points the way to sanity. Before the text was finished I knew that I would need to listen through at least once more, aware that decades of nonessential habit and distraction will require more of his elegant and eloquent teaching. I will gift this book.

Known but avoided

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Helps with understanding the importance of living a simple life. Will reread and move on to a book that better helps break down how to simplify different aspects of my life

👍🏾

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I have read and re-read this book. It's so life changing. I must read!

A must read and personal life style

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I was wary when I saw that this was only around 6 hours, but this book is really rich with the learnings, good examples and great rhetoric. Amazing!

In essence...amazing!

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In this era of hyper connectivity and information overload, if you are operating at your fullest without being an essentialist then you must be a super human. Unmissable book.

Life changing.

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This book is a game changer!! If you hope to get the most out of your life then this is definitely for you!

Awesome book!

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Overall, this a great book, though rather verbose for a book on essentialism. If it were half the length, with out sacrificing content, it consider it essential reading/listening. It is quite practical for both professional and private life with excellent examples and exercises for both.

I do think that this book seems mostly geared for a work/life balance seminar for corporate execs and the legions of those aspiring to join the ranks.

Except it isn't just about them. Having worked in corporate settings, it's almost unthinkable what most people in such environments will eagerly sacrifice to achieve a measure of currency. Almost all of them.

Given that reality, it's peculiar when such books use examples of people with values wildly opposite of corporate culture and commercialism. Naturally, this book does that too, but it it's the most balanced example I've experienced to date.

Verbose Essentialism

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