If I could go back in time, I would go back to 2014 to do one thing.
I would tell my younger self, “Don’t waste your time and energy talking to that hot Swedish girl. She will soon go back to her ex, as they always do. You were always her rebound guy, nitwit.”
I’m kidding. Not that one. But it would’ve been the second thing I would’ve done. What would’ve been the first thing?
I would tell my younger self, “I beg you. Please read the book called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown right now. And DO NOT — I repeat — DO NOT waste your time and energy talking to that hot Swedish girl. Why? Trust me. You don’t want to know.”
One of my favorite stoic quotes is this:
“Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment — Is this necessary?” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.24
Naturally, this made me curious about the book Essentialism, which has the same core philosophy. I had to finish the book in two days.
The author Greg defines essentialism in more than fifty ways. But I’ll give you one definition:
“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the RIGHT things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.”