Many capable people are kept from getting to the next level of contribution because they can’t let go of the belief that everything is important. - Greg McKeown

A non-Essentialist approaches every trade-off by asking, “How can I do both?” Essentialists ask the tougher but ultimately more liberating question, “Which problem do I want?” An Essentialist makes trade-offs deliberately. She acts for herself rather than waiting to be acted upon. As economist Thomas Sowell wrote: “There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs.

To avoid diminishing returns on your time and effort, establish clear conditions for what “done” looks like, get there, then stop.

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.