You probably fall into the same trap I do. Over, and over, and over …

It's the siren call of priorities. The thought that you can have more than one priority – a foreign concept for centuries that has somehow made its way into the mainstream.

Can you create the space you need to discern what's most important when your daily to-do list has ten ranked items? Can you make your highest contribution, the one only you can make, when you're juggling more than a circus clown?

The answer to these questions is a resounding no according to my guest for this episode, Greg McKeown, the respected author of Essentialism.

Here's a person and a philosophy that does more than take it back to the basics. Greg and the way of the Essentialist intentionally moves things forward so you discern what's most important.

Bigger, faster, and busier has been a long-time mistaken path to fulfillment and it's not working for you and me. How about less, but better instead?

What would you do if you could do anything, but not everything? – Greg McKeown

If Greg can be a pastor, best-selling author, renowned public speaker, social innovation investor, and the father of four – well, then you can certainly enjoy the benefits of Essentialism, too.

Just press play and enjoy this fascinating chat with a fascinating fella.

You're about to Learn …

• Why you need to create s-p-a-c-e in your life to discern what's essential.
• How a “personal quarterly offsite” helps you find consistent clarity.
• What the best way is to become an Essentialist.
• Why Greg relies on inter-generational planning to build a legacy.
• How an Essentialist creates and manages to-do lists.
• Why we should stop talking about priorities and go back to the priority.
• How opinion overload can be worse than information overload.
• Why you need time, energy, and relationship buffers in your life.
• How to know the most important thing you could do in any moment.
• Why limiting your sleep is a guaranteed limiter of a great life.
• What happens when a gratitude journal and intentional trade-offs collide.

 

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Resources and Items Mentioned in This Episode:

• Websites:
  • GregMcKeown.com
• Resources:
  • Apply Essential (Greg's Deep Dive Offsite)
  • Designing Life Essentially (Stanford D School Class)
• Books:
  • Essentialism (affiliate link)
  • Give and Take
• Podcast Episodes:
  • The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (This Is Your Life)
• Where to find Greg on social media:
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Topics

• [06:44] Greg's seeds of awesomeness
• [11:04] Views on your highest form of contribution
• [15:11] The three parts of Essentialism and what comes first
• [17:10] How to conduct a personal quarterly offsite
• [23:10] Daily rituals to maintain a simple life
• [28:02] Our collective inability to adapt to the Internet
• [32:00] The principle of buffers and how Greg uses them
• [40:10] Trade-offs and techniques of becoming an Essentialist

Extra Gratitude and Special Mentions

First of all, a big ol' thanks to Richard for being a new Patreon supporter!

Second, SkySong45 wrote this review on iTunes and I wanted to share it with you: “I've been listening for about a month now, and I really love the diversity of the interviews. One of the best things I have gotten from the podcasts overall is learning the term ‘multipotentialites.' I have always called myself a renaissance woman, but I like this new way of looking at the world of eclectic talent and experiences.”

From one multipotentialite to another SkySong, I'm grateful!

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Transcript

The transcript will not be available until I find a new transcriptionist (if you know someone good, let me know).

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