Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

theoretical work, for which the end goal is truth.

The way of the Essentialist is different. The Essentialist looks ahead. She plans. She prepares for different contingencies. She expects the unexpected. She creates a buffer to prepare for the unforeseen, thus giving herself some wiggle room when things come up, as they inevitably do.

The way of the Essentialist is the relentless pursuit of less but better. It doesn’t mean occasionally giving a nod to the principle. It means pursuing it in a disciplined way.

When faced with so many tasks and obligations that you can’t figure out which to tackle first, stop. Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is most important this very second—not what’s most important tomorrow or even an hour from now.

SEPARATE THE DECISION FROM THE RELATIONSHIP

My preference is for inspirational literature, though such a choice is a personal one. But for the interested, here are some to consider: Zen, the Reason of Unreason; The Wisdom of Confucius; the Torah; the Holy Bible; Tao, to Know and Not Be Knowing; The Meaning of the Glorious Koran: An Explanatory Translation; As a Man Thinketh; The Essential Ga

clarity of purpose so consistently predicts how people do their jobs.

On December 29, 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over one hundred passengers.2 It was the first-ever crash of a wide-body aircraft and one of the worst airline crashes in U.S. history. The investigators were later shocked to discover that, in all vital ways, the plane had been in perfect working condit