19 Frameworks Introduced in Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Finding yourself constantly overwhelmed?
Do you never have the time to do the things you know make you happy and energized?
Consider Essentialism by Greg McKeown.
Here are the 19 frameworks introduced in the popular book:
1) Choose: We must choose what we want to do with our time or somebody else will choose for us.
2) Discern: Separate what is important to you from everything else.
3) Trade-Off: You can’t do both. Until we accept we have to make trade-offs, we’re doomed to straddle too many choices and make less progress.
4) Escape: Create space for yourself to think, feel, and live in the moment. Thinking requires time set aside.
5) Look: We hear so many things and take in so much information every day. It pays so much more to look past the noise. Look deeper and hear what isn’t said.
6) Play: Play enables your mind to explore what it wants to explore. When we are creative with no limits we can create wonderful things. Let yourself play.
7) Sleep: Sleep is a subject I want to look into more. Ideas such as waking up to light naturally and sleeping in 90-minute intervals are well known. Find a sleep pattern that works for you and stick to it for the greatest productivity.
8) Select: Opportunities arise in life. Some we create for ourselves, and others come unexpectedly. Determine which of these opportunities are in the top 10% of your goals in life, and commit to them. If an opportunity doesn’t incite a clear yes response in you, treat it as a clear no. But don’t be limited by your comfort zone. Stretch yourself.
In today’s Daily Stoic episode, one viewer proposed doing one discomforting thing every week for a year. This can help explore yourself. Often we worry more in imagination than reality. By stretching your comfort zone, you can have power over yourself and your mind.
9) Clarify: Whatever you believe fits into your life, have a strategy and plan to achieve this. This strategy should stick to your life values, which in turn should energise you. I use Ray Dalio’s Principles to figure out my life values. I’d recommend downloading the app to do this.
10) Dare: I used to struggle with saying no. I’d take on things I didn’t want to do, out of fear of disappointing others. This was me not choosing what I want to do with my time, and so others chose for me. Now, I say no kindly, but firmly. At first, it creates a shock. But over time, your boundaries are respected more. Say yes to things you want to do, the things you find essential.
11) Uncommit: Knowing when to quit can be tough. In my investment decisions, I have a clear plan for when I get out of my positions. I assess this quarterly, and certain criteria can lead to a change in the time when I close positions. If a project no longer energizes you, and if it's not completely essential, then be comfortable with cutting your losses. How much would you commit to the project if it was brand new today?
12) Edit: Sometimes to make things better, you take something away. Drop things that add very little progress or joy. The Pareto Principle rings true here. 80% of outputs come from 20% of inputs. Find your most productive inputs.
13) Limit: Sometimes we think we can do it all. Boundaries are a good thing. They enable us to live true to ourselves, and not as others want us to. Over time, these boundaries are clear to others, and saying no doesn’t even become necessary. Setting limits can sometimes bring more freedom.
14) Buffer: I can see why some people might think I’m crazy for this, but I have a worst-case scenario document. It details a plan for every bad thing I can think of happening to me. It would also explain to others what I believe the best chance of navigating the scenario is. This could panic some people, but to me it's essential, and also calming to be prepared. If you’re prepared for everything, how can anything surprise you? Be prepared and be prepared earlier than you need to. Things are often not as bad as we can imagine, but they’re often not as good as they seem either.
15) Subtract: Obstacles restrict our progress and productivity. Removing them is like taking out a few bricks from a heavy load you’re carrying. Once you have no bricks left, you could run a marathon. Produce more by removing obstacles, not doing more.
16) Progress: We overestimate what we can do in a day, but underestimate what we can do in a year. If we set small, interconnected goals, we will achieve more in a year than we ever thought possible. Keep smashing through small goals and celebrate when you do.
17) Flow: I love my morning routine. It's as simple as a coffee and sitting in the garden listening to the Daily Stoic podcast. But it makes me happy and energizes me for the day. Find the morning routine that makes you get out of bed straight away. Having a morning routine immediately brings essentialism into your life. You have a purpose, all stemming from your first actions of the day.
18) Focus: As I rambled earlier about the next decade of potential crisis, it can be difficult to remember the present. Focus your mind on the present and find what is important to you right now. When you find what’s important, do it. Don’t be limited by others’ negative opinions. Enjoy the moment. Don’t be waiting for it to end. Live in it and relax your mind in the present.
19) Be: Greg McKeown describes essentialism as something you are, not something you do. Adopt it in every aspect of your life, to live to your full potential. Adopt “less but better”. Look back at your life, and be proud of how you spent it.
Thanks for reading! The Essentialism book details a 21-day challenge to incorporate this into your life and see if it helps you find structure and happiness.