Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown

Greg McKeown. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. New York: Crown Business, 2014. 260 pages. ISBN 9780804137386.

As I've written on the blog before, I enjoy books that are intended to help me manage better, whether it's managing my home, my time, my things, or my job. Greg McKeown's Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less provides a useful way of looking at the commitments that we take on, whether at home or at work. By trying to be all things to all people we end up weakening and diluting our own contributions. McKeown shares techniques to help readers say no to requests that would divert us from our main purpose, whether that's in life or at work.

The book is organized into four sections, addressing the core mind-set of people that McKeown calls "Essentialists," how to discern the trivial from the vital, strategies for cutting out the trivial, and ways to make this new approach more effortless. It will provide readers with the strategies and tools they need to identify what's most important to them and focus on those things only.

There are two minor elements of the book that I was less fond of. First of all, McKeown uses a monstrous size font when he's trying to make a significant point, to the extent that a short sentence takes up half a page. I found this unnecessary and slightly obnoxious. Secondly, during the transition from one section to another, black paper with white print is used. I suppose it's intended to make the book snazzy and hip, but I didn't like reading those pages; it was distracting and harder to read than the traditional black on white print. But these are minor points.

Overall I found the book readable and a useful contribution to the self-management literature. I would recommend it to those who want to make more effective and meaningful contributions to work or other areas of their lives.

Note: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.