Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Almost everything is noise, and a very few things are exceptionally valuable

the first step toward making things effortless is to clear the clutter in our heads and our hearts.

Aristotle talked about three kinds of work, whereas in our modern world we tend to emphasise only two. The first is theoretical work, for which the end goal is truth. The second is practical work, where the objective is action. But there is a third: it is poietical work.

He spent a day each week without speaking.

Tom Stafford, “Why We Love to Hoard … and How You Can Overcome It,” BBC News, July 17, 2012, www.bbc.com/future/story/20120717-why-we-love-to-hoard

Perfectionism makes essential tasks hard to start, self-doubt makes them hard to finish, and trying to do too much too fast makes it hard to sustain momentum.

A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men. – Roald Dahl

if you are determined to prioritise your own life you can.

Stacy Cowley, “A Guide to Jack Dorsey’s 80-Hour Workweek,” CNNMoneyTech, November 14, 2011, http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/13/technology/dorsey_techonomy/index.htm.

When I ask people, “What do you really want out of your career over the next five years?” I am still taken aback by how few people can answer the question.