Book Review: Essentialism

I don’t remember what persuaded me to get this book. I do know I had to order it and get on the waiting list for some time before it arrived(thus adding to the lack of remember). Before I cracked it open, it was on the book review stack and then as I started reading I thought…weekend workshop. But as I finished Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown, I feel like it’s one of those rare books where the sum is greater than it’s parts. To break it down and distill his message in a weekend blog post would cheapen the work.

I will however share a little something that fascinated me. Everyone has heard of K. Anders Ericsson’s study of violinists, even if you don’t know who did the study, you’ve heard 10,000 hours to achieve mastery, that the best violinists practiced the most. What I had never heard and I bet you hadn’t either, is that the second most important factor was sleep. The best violinists slept 8.6 hours per night on average and napped 2.8 hours per week on average. They were better rested and therefore able to make the most of those practice hours to become the best.

I definitely enjoyed this book. It is well written. It is repetitive in those areas where he is trying to get your attention, which works well for a non fiction book. It is both an easy read and a book I would advise against breezing through. Take your time. Read it slowly. Allow the ideas to percolate in between chapters.

The theme of doing less better is not a new one. I’ve read other books along that path. I find those books tend to find me when I am already feeling overwhelmed. It’s always a nice reminder to slow down and think about what really matters, then adapt accordingly.

℘℘℘℘ – Four pages. Quite enjoyed it. Read it a bit faster than I think was ideal but certainly heard what I needed to hear.