---
aliases: ["Essentialism"]
Is A: Note
Author: "Greg McKeown"
Topics: ["[[topic-productivity-systems]]"]
URL: "https://example.com/essentialism"
---
# Essentialism
*Greg McKeown*

McKeown's thesis is deceptively simple: if you do not prioritize your life, someone else will. Essentialism is not about getting more done in less time -- it is about getting only the right things done. The book draws a sharp distinction between the "non-essentialist" who tries to do everything and makes a millimeter of progress in a million directions, and the "essentialist" who makes a focused effort on the few things that truly matter and achieves significant results. For indie founders, who face an almost unlimited number of things they could be doing at any given moment, this is a critical mindset shift.

The most useful framework in the book is the idea of a strict "hell yes or no" filter for commitments. If something is not a clear, enthusiastic yes, it is a no. This sounds extreme, but McKeown argues persuasively that our default mode is to say yes to too many things out of social pressure, FOMO, or a misguided sense of obligation. Every yes to a mediocre opportunity is an implicit no to something that could be great. Applied to a content business, this means being ruthless about which projects, partnerships, sponsorships, and features deserve your time, and saying no gracefully to everything else.

McKeown also makes an important distinction between being busy and being productive. Many founders wear busyness as a badge of honor, but busyness without direction is just motion without progress. The essentialist approach is to step back regularly, evaluate what is actually moving the needle, and have the discipline to eliminate or delegate everything else. This requires a kind of courage -- the courage to disappoint people, to leave opportunities on the table, and to trust that less really can be more.

## Key takeaways

- "If it's not a hell yes, it's a no" -- apply a strict filter to every commitment, project, and opportunity
- The non-essentialist tries to do everything; the essentialist does fewer things but does them exceptionally well
- Saying no is a skill that must be practiced -- most of us default to yes out of social pressure or fear of missing out
- Being busy is not the same as being productive; busyness without strategic direction is just motion
- Trade-offs are real and unavoidable -- pretending you can "have it all" leads to mediocrity in everything
- Regular reflection and pruning of commitments is essential to prevent scope creep in your life and work
- Protecting space for thinking and planning is itself a productive activity, not a luxury

## How I apply this

- Every quarter, I review all my active commitments (newsletter, product work, sponsorships, side projects, social obligations) and explicitly cut anything that is not clearly contributing to my top two priorities. This pruning exercise is uncomfortable but consistently frees up 5-10 hours per week.
- I use the "hell yes or no" filter for sponsorship inquiries and collaboration requests. Before reading this book, I would accept almost any reasonable offer. Now I only work with sponsors whose products I genuinely use and believe in, which has improved both my credibility and my own satisfaction.
- I schedule a weekly "think day" on Fridays where I do no execution work -- only reflection, planning, and strategic thinking. McKeown convinced me that this is not wasted time but the most leveraged activity in my week.

## Related

- [[on-founder-energy-management]]
- [[on-consistency-in-creative-work]]
- [[small-teams-scale-through-systems]]
- [[the-real-job-of-a-newsletter]]
- [[note-deep-work]]
- [[note-the-effective-executive]]
- [[note-makers-schedule-managers]]
- [[topic-productivity-systems]]
- [[topic-content-strategy]]
