“Sometimes abundance is just another word for burden.And it’s crucial for our success and satisfaction that we learn to spot the difference.” That was one takeaway that Michael Hyatt, a leadership coach and best-selling business book author, says he learned from “Essentialism.”
“Each invitation, pitch and request feels special, seems flattering and promises more money, fun, or significance than we currently have. It’s just too good to pass up, we rationalize — forgetting that we’ve already excused several other yeses using the very same logic,” Hyatt writes in a blog post (MichaelHyatt.com). He calls McKeown’s book “the best guide I’ve discovered to dismantling these ‘yes bombs.’ ”
Hyatt offers these other valuable “realities” that he learned from McKeown.
The power of choice
When we forget we have the power of choice, we allow others to determine what fills our time instead of ourselves. Essentialists remain empowered by choice to determine what they do and don’t do with their time.
The momentum of focus
For every 10 things Nonessentialists do, Essentialists do one. Instead of diffusing their energy, they focus it and gain momentum to make more impact than they otherwise could. When we complain about being “spread too thin” at work, this is a sure sign we need to shed tasks and train our focus.
The importance of tradeoffs
To do one thing is to miss out on others — and maybe even essential things. The more we commit to doing, the more strained our schedules for the the things that are truly important, including family, rest and play. Essentialists weigh every opportunity against the potential tradeoffs.
The value of extreme criteria
Essentialists don’t consider the minimum requirements for a yes. They use extreme criteria: Is this exactly what I want?
Am I ideal for this opportunity? As McKeown says, “If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”
The role of the journalist
The role of a journalist is not to regurgitate facts, but to explain the meaning of those facts. Essentialists act as journalists of their own experience. Instead of allowing others to determine what matters and why, Essentialists make that determination for themselves.
The power of clarity
Essentialists pass on about 90 percent of opportunities. If we are clear on what we do, we can filter out a thousand things we shouldn’t. To gain this clarity requires asking hard questions, making difficult tradeoffs and exercising self-discipline.
The liberating possibility of no
By saying no to the many trivial requests, Essentialists are really saying yes to what matters most in their lives: their faith, their family, their health, their calling.
