Less, but better [Essentialism #QuoteNote21]

Here is the quote I would like to introduce this time!

You might think, 'Less, but better... isn't that a contradiction?' but actually, there are many things in the world where doing less is better.

✅ Who said it?

Greg McKeown

✅ What kind of person is he?

Greg McKeown is an author, speaker, and business strategy consultant from London, England. He currently lives in California with his wife and four children.

After earning a bachelor's degree in communications and journalism from Brigham Young University, he received an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He also holds a certificate in global leadership and public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is currently conducting doctoral research at the University of Cambridge.

In his career, he serves as the CEO of McKeown, Inc., a leadership and strategy design agency that bears his name. Previously, he was part of the Global Leadership Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, a global leadership consulting firm. He also has experience as an instructor at Stanford University's d.school.

His books and lectures advocate for 'Essentialism,' a way of thinking that focuses on living with less, but better. This is the idea of identifying what is essential and eliminating everything else that is unnecessary, in order to concentrate time, energy, and effort on the most important goals.

He has been named a 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum and has lectured at over 500 companies, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Nike. His podcast, 'The Greg McKeown Podcast,' is among the top five most popular in the self-improvement category.

His work and activities have been featured in many major media outlets, including The New York Times and Harvard Business Review.

✅ Essentialism

Less, but better

You can interpret this phrase as a slogan for the way of thinking that captures the core of 'Essentialism,' as advocated by Greg McKeown.

To break it down even further:

'Everyone is too obsessed with things that don't matter or things they don't need to do! Let's focus precisely on what is essential to improve productivity and efficiency! Let's look at what is essential not just in work, but also in human relationships like family and friends.'

That is how I would put it. (This is just my personal opinion, though.)

💡 1. Escaping Perfectionism and Essentialism

Essentialism pursues 'less, but better.' This means that instead of trying to do everything in pursuit of perfection, you focus on the few things that are truly important and achieve the best results there.

• The perfectionism trap: Perfectionism can cause you to spend a lot of time and energy on details, which in turn hinders your focus on what is important and delays action.

• The Essentialist approach: Essentialism prioritizes achieving essential goals over being perfect. Instead of aiming for perfection, it involves adopting a mindset of achieving a "good enough" state early on and improving from there. What matters is not creating something perfect, but creating meaningful progress.

• Related Essentialist principles:

  • Explore: Examine options with a broad perspective to determine what is truly important.

  • Eliminate: Boldly let go of what is not important to create space for focus.

  • Execute: Pour maximum energy into the remaining important tasks.

Moving away from perfectionism can be considered a prerequisite for practicing Essentialism, as it reduces wasted effort and allows you to focus on what is truly important.

💡2. Breaking dependency and Essentialism

Essentialism emphasizes autonomy and agency. Instead of being swayed by the expectations and demands of others, it recommends making choices based on your own values and goals.

• The pitfall of dependency: Depending on others can cause you to lose control of your own time and energy, potentially making it impossible to focus on what you really want to do or what you should be doing. Additionally, dependency on digital devices like smartphones and social media is a major factor that drains your time and energy.

• Essentialist approach: In essentialism, you clarify what your 'yes' is and have the courage to firmly say 'no' to other demands. It is important to take control of your time and energy, and act based on your own priorities rather than the priorities of others.

• Related essentialist principles:

  • Choose: Abandon the false premise that you must do everything, and cultivate the power to choose intentionally.

  • Say No: By clearly saying 'no' to unimportant things, you secure time and energy for what is important.

  • Boundary: Set clear boundaries to protect your time, energy, and attention.

Breaking dependency is an essential element for practicing essentialism and regaining control of your life.

💡3. Breaking self-sacrifice and essentialism

Essentialism emphasizes sustainable results. Working in a way that involves self-sacrifice may produce results temporarily, but in the long run, it can lead to exhaustion and burnout.

• The danger of self-sacrifice: Sacrificing everything to serve others can damage your own physical and mental health, ultimately making long-term contribution impossible.

• Essentialist approach: In essentialism, maintaining your own health and well-being is also seen as an important element. By taking care of yourself, you can contribute at a higher level and more sustainably. The key is to build a solid foundation for yourself in order to contribute 'less, but better'.

• Relevant principles of Essentialism:

  • Buffer: Create a margin in your time and energy to prepare for the unexpected.

  • Rest: Get enough rest to prepare yourself to perform at your best.

  • Play: Restore your energy and gain new perspectives through play and creative activities.

Moving away from self-sacrifice is a crucial mindset for practicing Essentialism in a sustainable way and continuing to achieve high results over the long term.

✅ Summary

This is the quote I introduced this time!

Less, but better

❓ Can you fight for 24 hours??

I first read "Essentialism" when I was in my early 30s, and it was quite a shock.

As of 2025, I am in my late 30s, and I am a person who, one way or another, carries the values of a bygone era—whether you call it Showa or Heisei.

Especially in terms of how I work, there were parts of that old-fashioned sensibility that I couldn't quite shake off. After all, when I was a child, commercials like "Can you fight for 24 hours? Regain!" were aired as a matter of course.

• Instructions from a boss are absolute

• It is natural to arrive at work somewhat earlier than the start time

• Unpaid overtime or taking work home is sometimes taken for granted

I worked under such fixed ideas.

But, in a way, this can also be interpreted as "thinking stopped."

• If you follow your boss's instructions, you don't have to think for yourself

• Arriving early is natural = not considering those who cannot arrive early due to circumstances

• Unpaid overtime and taking work home is natural = implicitly forcing colleagues and subordinates to work in the same way

Blindly following fixed ideas and past customs without questioning them is actually easy in a sense. You don't have to initiate change yourself, and if asked why you don't change your methods, you can retort, "Because that's how we've always done it, and no problems have occurred." (In reality, it's full of problems.)

While living days where I felt I had to adapt to the changing flow of the times based on those old-fashioned values, I encountered Essentialism, which advocates for "less, but better."

• It is okay to say no

• Set boundaries

• Focus only on what is important

I found these ideas to be very convincing, but when I thought about actually applying them to my own work style, to be honest, I didn't have a very concrete image of how to do it at first.

💡 Let's try using Essentialism

To start, I decided to try saying "I can't" to tasks that colleagues would occasionally ask me to do that clearly didn't take my capacity into account.

I still vividly remember the first time I refused a requested task, saying, "I can't. No, now is not the time to do that, so I won't."

It was a feeling I had rarely experienced before, a mix of anxiety that the other person might be disappointed, and a slight excitement that I was doing the right thing.

Once I actually tried turning down a colleague's request, I realized something.

It was that when you clearly communicate "I can't / I won't," the other person backs off much more easily than you would expect.

Surprisingly, most people in the world don't seem to consider whether the other person is in a state to accept a task when they ask for a favor. So, by firmly telling them "it's impossible," they will often take it back if it's not a major issue.

If they are a "taker" type (someone who prioritizes taking over giving) who persists even then, explain logically "why I cannot accept your request right now."

For example, "The biggest task I am currently handling is project A, requested by my boss Y, and the deadline for this is XX. In addition to this, the next most important task is B, and its deadline is also approaching on YY. I also have my regular duties. What is the importance and deadline of the task you are asking me to do? Is it absolutely necessary for me to work on it right now?"

Something like that. If they still persist after you've explained this much, they probably don't actually want help with a task. Since you can infer that the other person's true goal is something twisted, like wanting to cause you trouble, it is better to consult your boss immediately.

Of course, many people consider the other person's capacity when it comes to large projects or tasks, but when it comes to "just a quick chat" or "a small favor," so many people make requests with the mentality of "let's just ask anyway."

It is true that each one might be "small," but many small things add up. Just by finishing all those accumulated "small" things, the day ends, and the time to work on truly valuable, essential things is gradually whittled away.

That is precisely why the Essentialist mindset of "less, but better" is necessary.

💡 Essentialism is a reliable "pivot point"

I am truly glad that I encountered Essentialism in my early 30s. Of course, not everything written in the book can be used exactly as is for my own work style.

I tried things out little by little, and updated my work style to fit my values and workplace environment with the help of Essentialism. That is the way of putting it that feels most accurate.

With that experience, I think I am now able to work while understanding the values that are reasonably in line with the 2025 trends. Though I say it myself, my way of working is not that bad in terms of productivity, and I am able to continue achieving consistent results without mysterious early arrivals or unpaid overtime.

“Less, but better”

This phrase captures the essence. While ideas regarding how we work will continue to be updated with the times, the essence of “less, but better” should remain unchanged. I intend to keep it in my heart forever and rely on it as an “axis” that I can return to whenever I feel lost or troubled.

📢 Announcement

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