{"id":73644,"date":"2019-08-28T03:00:50","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T02:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/?p=73644"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:31:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T13:31:42","slug":"the-philosophy-of-essentialism-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/blog\/the-philosophy-of-essentialism-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Philosophy of Essentialism, Part 1 &#8211; The Essentials"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"73644\" class=\"elementor elementor-73644\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6cf4efe elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6cf4efe\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5990bcd\" data-id=\"5990bcd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8ceb174 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"8ceb174\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;No headings were found on this page.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;,&quot;h4&quot;,&quot;h5&quot;,&quot;h6&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;numbers&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__8ceb174\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-down\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__8ceb174\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-chevron-up\"><\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__8ceb174\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<i class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fee378f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fee378f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c5ee4d4\" data-id=\"c5ee4d4\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-50d7526 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"50d7526\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Once in a while, you come across a book and while you\u2019re reading it, you find yourself nodding your head all the time. For me, one such book was \u2018Essentialism\u2019 by Greg McKeown. I found myself nodding my head because what was written there were many ideas that I had thought of myself.<\/p><p>Great minds obviously think alike.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The essence of the book is that you should limit yourself to one or two essential things, don\u2019t spread your attention thin, don\u2019t try to do everything at once. A focus on the few moves things forward, being drawn toward the many keeps you floating in place.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So here I am going to do a quick book review, explain all the key points, and then direct you to read the rest of the book yourself.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-26deb09 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"26deb09\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-36ca37b\" data-id=\"36ca37b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-442338f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"442338f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Let\u2019s Start with the Essential<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8f95096 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8f95096\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f767481\" data-id=\"f767481\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7469d80 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7469d80\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Let\u2019s Start with the Essential<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The writer starts his book with a definition: \u2018what is the mindset of Essentialism?\u2019 The definition is important, for it serves as a foundation for all the rest that is to come.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Essentialism is defined as a way of thinking. It is a way of doing everything. At the core, there are three non-Essentialist convictions that stand in the way of becoming an Essentialist.<\/p><ul><li>\u2018I have to\u2019 (you don\u2019t)<\/li><li>\u2018It\u2019s all important\u2019 (it isn\u2019t)<\/li><li>\u2018I can do both\u2019 (you can\u2019t)<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The above assumptions are seductive, and they make you think you can do anything and you\u2019re some kind of all-knowing, all powerful, multitasking productivity robot. Unfortunately, you\u2019re not.<\/p><p>Essentialism is a philosophy that acknowledges your limits and makes you <a href=\"https:\/\/focusme.com\/blog\/how-to-harness-the-power-of-minimalism-to-become-more-productive\/\">more productive<\/a> because of it.<\/p><p>It replaces the above three non-Essentialist tenets with it\u2019s own three part creed:<\/p><ul><li>I choose to<\/li><li>Only a few things really matter<\/li><li>I can do anything, but not everything<\/li><\/ul><p>By implementing agency, choice and focus, we\u2019re free to pursue the things that really matter and do them well.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d109598 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d109598\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-13a9480\" data-id=\"13a9480\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a39be4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a39be4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Choice \u2013 You Get to Pick What You Want to Do, Nobody Else<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2a94c37 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2a94c37\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-111a87e\" data-id=\"111a87e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-999188f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"999188f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>At many times in our lives, we have to make a choice. This implies two things.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">First of all, it means we have a choice. We have a certain freedom to pick the road we\u2019re going to follow. This can be a blessing (not everyone has the privilege of having lots of choices), but can also be a curse, because choosing can be hard and even heartbreaking at times. Imagine your parents separating as a child, and having to choose who you\u2019re going to live with (if you have that choice at all).<\/p><p>Talk about first world problems<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This brings us to the second element of a choice: it is not just something we have, it is something we do. It is an action, and unfortunately, too many options to choose can actually lead to inaction.<\/p><p>But that\u2019s nothing. What\u2019s worse, is that sometimes we can even forget we have a choice, that we can make one.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The author attributes this to \u2018learned helplessness\u2019, at some point in their life, people become convinced that whatever they do in life, it doesn\u2019t make a difference at all. Somebody studies real hard for a test but they fail anyway. If this sort of thing happens often enough, they start to think that their actions and their choices make no difference whatsoever.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This leads to two different outcomes. Someone who acquires a sense of learned helplessness will start to do one of two things.<\/p><ul><li><strong>First option:<\/strong> they stop trying and do nothing at all<\/li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Second option:<\/strong> they do the complete opposite. They accept every opportunity that is presented to them, and they try to tackle every possible challenge. In other words, they try to do everything.<\/li><\/ul><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">At first glance, the latter does not seem like learned helplessness. After all, would someone try to do all that stuff if they really believe nothing will come of it?<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Here\u2019s the catch: these people act this way because they don\u2019t believe they have a choice in the matter. Whatever opportunity, assignment or challenge comes their way: they believe they have to do it all. They can\u2019t choose not to. They\u2019re literally helpless. Their actions and their choices do not matter at all. The outcome is always the same.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Let\u2019s be honest, choices are scary. Whatever you choose, you always feel like you lose a bit. Let\u2019s say you get to go to college. It\u2019s a pretty big privilege, even if we don\u2019t always realize it.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But you have a ton of options. You can go to law school, but that means you lose your chance to become a surgeon, someone who saves lives. Or an architect, who designs magnificent buildings.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saying no to something is hard, but at the same time, being able to say no is also incredibly liberating. It allows you to free up time to spend on things that matter more. It\u2019s hard to say no when people ask us to do them a favor, because we want to help them and not be an asshole. It feels like you have no choice. You\u2019re helpless to say no.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But in reality, you do, and this is a core element of what it means to be an Essentialist. Becoming one means that you have to become aware of your ability to choose, so you can regain the power of control over your own life and achieve success.<\/p><p>A non-Essentialist feels he has to. An Essentialist knows he can choose to.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ee9ab5b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ee9ab5b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4aeaad3\" data-id=\"4aeaad3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb0f5dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"eb0f5dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Be Able to Figure Out What\u2019s Important and What\u2019s Not<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-241d087 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"241d087\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8e02c38\" data-id=\"8e02c38\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1bdee90 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1bdee90\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Being an Essentialist also requires you to figure out what\u2019s essential (it\u2019s in the name) and what\u2019s not.<\/p><p>Imagine wanting to become a novelist. How do you go about getting your first book on paper.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some people start by getting the best computer to write on, downloading the ideal word processing software, figuring out the best environment to work in, reading books about writing, following creative writing courses.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">What they don\u2019t do is just sit down and getting their daily word count on paper. And in the end, that\u2019s the only thing that counts.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Or imagine this scenario: someone wants to start an online business. They spend an insane amount of money and time on their website, optimizing the design, getting the perfect logo, starting Twitter and Facebook accounts (that no one cares to join or follow), optimizing their website for SEO, getting their page to load 0.1 second faster. That kind of stuff.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">What they don\u2019t do, is actively go after leads to turn into customers. They don\u2019t spend time creating and refining a great product. In the end, these are the things that really matter. All the rest is \u2018nice to have\u2019, but not essential.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2cfc8a5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2cfc8a5\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c5bf935\" data-id=\"c5bf935\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0549e40 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"0549e40\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e53d350 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e53d350\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"419\" src=\"https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-1-1024x536.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-73647\" alt=\"Warren Buffett\" srcset=\"https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-1-1024x536.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-1-300x157.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-1-768x402.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-1-1000x524.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-1.jpeg 1910w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ee7d012 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"ee7d012\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-108f713\" data-id=\"108f713\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b04fa8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4b04fa8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is what the economist Vilfredo Pareto called the 80\/20 rule: 20 percent of our efforts produce 80 percent of all results. The author Tim Ferriss described this in his book \u2018The 4-Hour Workweek\u2019: he found that 80 percent of his business came from about only 20 percent of his customers.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The decision he made when learning of this was drastic yet effective: he decided to cut out the other 80 percent of customers, those that accounted for only 20 percent of his profits. Doing so, he freed up a massive amount of time, at only a relatively small price.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Warren_Buffett\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Warren Buffett<\/a>, commonly seen as the greatest investor of all time, applies a similar logic: he only chooses a few businesses that he is completely sure of, and invests in those companies, even if there are many other \u2018good\u2019 opportunities.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5c1d60c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5c1d60c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-974be84\" data-id=\"974be84\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0fcd861 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0fcd861\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to Become a Multi-Billionaire. Step 1: Become an Essentialist.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9dabeb2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9dabeb2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5393749\" data-id=\"5393749\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-93bf3d5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"93bf3d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This mindset creates a major difference between those who fail and those who succeed.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The non-Essentialist thinks almost everything is essential, and thinks all opportunities have equal merit. The Essentialist, on the other hand, knows that almost everything is non-essential. He spends his time distinguishing \u2018merely good\u2019 opportunities from \u2018truly great\u2019 ones.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">By distinguishing the \u2018vital few\u2019 from the \u2018trivial many\u2019, it\u2019s easily possible to increase your output by a factor of 10, 100, or even 1000.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The final element of what makes an Essentialist is the knowledge that you only have limited resources. As we said earlier, you have a choice, but you have to make it too.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Businesses usually have something they call \u2018unique selling points\u2019. This is a specific trait that they use to distinguish themselves from their competitors, to make them stand out in the marketplace.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>An example<\/strong>: a chain of clothing stores might opt for having the lowest prices. This is how they advertise themselves: you\u2019re never going to be able to buy cheaper clothes than at our stores.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This choice will have consequences. They\u2019re going to attract a certain type of customer: most likely the low-income segment, or those that are really stingy with their money.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But that also means there are trade-offs. If they want to have the lowest prices, they\u2019re not going to be able to sell classy luxury clothes. They\u2019re not going to sell 2000 dollar Armani suits or other expensive clothing brands. They will forego another segment of the market, who will most likely not shop with them: the fashionista\u2019s, the CEO\u2019s, the movie stars.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Still, their strategy is sound. By having a unique selling point, they achieve their goal: being the lowest cost and having a loyal customer base that is likely to buy with them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e524d91 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e524d91\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c4715d7\" data-id=\"c4715d7\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c6d70d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2c6d70d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Either Aspire to Be Arnold<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a2eb2b9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a2eb2b9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2716dd2\" data-id=\"2716dd2\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b34e5e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"b34e5e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6cd0d64 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6cd0d64\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-3-1024x683.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-73649\" alt=\"Muscular man lifting a barbell in a gym\" srcset=\"https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-3-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-3-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-3-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-3-1000x667.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-3.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8489056\" data-id=\"8489056\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61cbdef elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"61cbdef\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Imagine the alternative: the store tries to sell luxury clothes, but at moderately lower prices. By cutting costs and overhead, they\u2019re able to sell the 2000 dollar Armani suits at only 1500 dollar.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Let\u2019s be clear: this is a strategy that is doomed to fail. They will not attract the lower income customer, because he still doesn\u2019t have that much money to spend on a suit.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">They\u2019re not going to be able to attract the high income customer either. For these people, 500 dollars isn\u2019t a really a big difference. They have loads of cash to throw away. And because the store tries to cut costs, this is to the detriment of the shopping experience. The store isn\u2019t decorated as nice as the luxury stores, instead, it\u2019s some poorly lit warehouse far from the city center.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That\u2019s a problem, because it\u2019s exactly this experience what fashionistas, movie stars and executives gladly spend money on. They want a glass of champagne while shopping, they want personalized styling advice from the store clerks, all things that the low-price store doesn\u2019t offer.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b35549f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b35549f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5fbaa5e\" data-id=\"5fbaa5e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33613d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"33613d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In economics, there\u2019s also something called the Veblen effect, where the demand for luxury goods rises as its price increases, and vice versa. These types of goods are also called Giffen goods. In this case, by lowering the price of the suit, you\u2019ll also lower the demand for it, thereby reducing your profits.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So what happens here is that the store doesn\u2019t really cater to anyone\u2019s needs. Maybe there are a few people who would really like an Armani suit but don\u2019t want to spend too much on it. Still, it\u2019s a very small demographic and not a sound foundation for a viable business model.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4796543 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4796543\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d89c6aa\" data-id=\"d89c6aa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b4f875c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b4f875c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Try to Win the Us Open. but Don\u2019t Do Both.<\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Or take an athlete, for example. Imagine someone trying to be a world-class tennis player and a top bodybuilder at the same time. Trying that strategy will only make you moderately good at both, but won\u2019t make you win the US Open, and you\u2019ll never be Mr. Olympia either.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The big idea behind all this, is that you have to be willing to make trade-offs. There should be no such thing as \u2018priorities\u2019, only \u2018a priority\u2019, singular.<\/p><p>Only by making a trade-off and going all-in on one option can you achieve the big wins.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This principle isn\u2019t merely limited to business. The same goes for your personal life. You can choose to dedicate your life to making money and building a career, or choose to have an amazing family and social life.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-45a9e82\" data-id=\"45a9e82\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f9f48a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6f9f48a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-4-1024x682.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-73650\" alt=\"Young male tennis player hitting a forehand shot\" srcset=\"https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-4-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-4-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-4-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-4-1000x666.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/focusme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/word-image-4.jpeg 1880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f25b1c3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f25b1c3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7c4fee8\" data-id=\"7c4fee8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63a75e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"63a75e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"#modalPdf\" rel=\"modal:open\">Download this article as a PDF<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bb71e14 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bb71e14\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fe5e2aa\" data-id=\"fe5e2aa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0f5ee6a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0f5ee6a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Spending 50 % of your time on each of them won\u2019t make you a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and at the same time you won\u2019t be Superdad who\u2019s able to spend lots of time with family and friends.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This does not mean that you have to decide between either having a family and a great job. But at some point in your life, you\u2019re going to face choices that will force you to prioritize one over the other. Are you going to your son\u2019s birthday party or attend a meeting with an important client? You can\u2019t be at two places at the same time, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A typical non-Essentialist way of solving this problem would be to spend an hour at the birthday party and then leaving for the meeting, causing you to be fifteen minutes late.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Let\u2019s be honest: choosing this route is not going to score you a lot of points with either your boss or your child. In fact, your boss might even lose respect for you because you don\u2019t seem to care for your family a lot.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A non-Essentialist thinks he can do both, and tries to figure out a way to do it all, but the Essentialist knows better. He makes a trade-off and goes all-in on the choice he makes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-36faac2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"36faac2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1deb938\" data-id=\"1deb938\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60d5bc9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"60d5bc9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cut the Fat and Move Forward<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bdf2b56 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bdf2b56\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1c50c46\" data-id=\"1c50c46\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ff23c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4ff23c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In this article, we talked about what it means to be an Essentialist, and covered the basics.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Applying the philosophy in practice, in truth, will be hard. It\u2019s hard to choose, it\u2019s hard to make trade-offs and it\u2019s hard to be honest about what is essential and what is just fluff.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But making those choices really pays off. Choosing to be an Essentialist will help you free up your time, relieve you of stress, and allows you to get better results in whatever you do.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-256b160 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"256b160\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1aceaf1\" data-id=\"1aceaf1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f5b9c40 elementor-align-center buttom_home button_margin-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-124151 elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"f5b9c40\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjUxNzExNCIsInRvZ2dsZSI6ZmFsc2V9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">GET STARTED NOW<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-06aa6f8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"06aa6f8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-51b06f9\" data-id=\"51b06f9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-04847d8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"04847d8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-563f1af elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"563f1af\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f7f42cd\" data-id=\"f7f42cd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7fa3e41 elementor-widget elementor-widget-accordion\" data-id=\"7fa3e41\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1331\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1331\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">What is the core idea of essentialism?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1331\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1331\"><p>Essentialism is the disciplined approach of focusing only on what truly matters and eliminating everything else. It\u2019s about doing fewer things, but doing them better.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1332\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1332\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">What is the difference between an Essentialist and a non-Essentialist?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1332\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1332\"><p>An Essentialist prioritises the vital few tasks that create the most impact, while a non-Essentialist tries to do everything and ends up spreading their efforts too thin.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1333\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1333\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Why is it important to recognise that you have a choice?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1333\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1333\"><p>\u00a0Essentialism emphasises that you always have the power to choose. Recognising this allows you to take control of your time and focus on what truly matters instead of reacting to every demand.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1334\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"4\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1334\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">What are the common misconceptions that prevent essential thinking?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1334\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"4\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1334\"><p>Some key misconceptions include believing \u201ceverything is important\u201d, \u201cI have to do it all\u201d, or \u201cI can handle everything at once\u201d. These ideas lead to overwhelm and reduced effectiveness.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1335\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"5\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1335\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">How does essentialism relate to the 80\/20 rule?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1335\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"5\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1335\"><p>Essentialism aligns with the Pareto Principle, which suggests that a small percentage of efforts produce the majority of results. Identifying and focusing on those high-impact tasks is key.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1336\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"6\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1336\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Why is saying \u201cno\u201d important in essentialism?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1336\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"6\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1336\"><p>Saying no helps protect your time and energy. Every \u201cyes\u201d to something unimportant takes away from something that truly matters, so boundaries are essential.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1337\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"7\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1337\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">What role do trade-offs play in essentialism?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1337\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"7\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1337\"><p>Essentialism recognises that you can\u2019t do everything. Making conscious trade-offs allows you to fully commit to what matters most rather than doing multiple things poorly.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1338\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"8\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1338\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">How does essentialism improve productivity?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1338\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"8\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1338\"><p>By focusing only on high-value tasks, you reduce wasted effort and achieve better results with less time and energy, leading to more meaningful progress.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1339\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"9\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1339\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Why do people struggle to practise essentialism?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1339\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"9\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1339\"><p>Many people find it difficult because of social pressure, fear of missing out, or discomfort with making choices and letting go of opportunities.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-accordion-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-13310\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"10\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-13310\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon elementor-accordion-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-accordion-icon-opened\"><i class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-accordion-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Is essentialism about doing less work?<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-13310\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"10\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-13310\"><p>No, it\u2019s about doing the right work. The goal is not to be less productive, but to focus your efforts on what delivers the greatest results.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Once in a while, you come across a book and while you\u2019re reading it, you find yourself nodding your head all the time. For me, one such book was \u2018Essentialism\u2019 by Greg McKeown. I found myself nodding my head because what was written there were many ideas that I had thought of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":73645,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,22],"tags":[76,77,10,32],"class_list":["post-73644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-productivity","category-habits","tag-good-habits","tag-lifestyle","tag-productivity","tag-time-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73644"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":520094,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73644\/revisions\/520094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}