Greg McKeown Quotes & Sayings

Remember that if you don't prioritize your life someone else will. — Greg McKeown

I think we've been oversold the value of more and undersold the value of less. — Greg McKeown

Done right, a strategic intent is really one decision that makes 1,000 decisions. — Greg McKeown

It would have been easy to think of the jobs in terms of that ratio between time and reward. But I knew what really counted was the relationship between time and results. — Greg McKeown

We overvalue nonessentials like a nicer car or house, or even intangibles like the number of our followers on Twitter or the way we look in our Facebook photos. As a result, we neglect activities that are truly essential, like spending time with our loved ones, or nurturing our spirit, or taking care of our health. — Greg McKeown

I think we are in a non-essentialist bubble - everything seems important - so of course nothing is. — Greg McKeown

The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities. Illogically, we reasoned that by changing the word we could bend reality. Somehow we would now be able to have multiple "first" things. — Greg McKeown

In a piece called "No More Yes. It's Either HELL YEAH! Or No," the popular TED speaker Derek Sivers describes a simple technique for becoming more selective in the choices we make. The key is to put the decision to an extreme test: if we feel total and utter conviction to do something, then we say yes, Derek-style. Anything less gets a thumbs down. — Greg McKeown

Discern the vital few from the trivial Many. — Greg McKeown

Play stimulates the parts of the brain involved in both careful, logical reasoning and carefree, unbound exploration. — Greg McKeown

To discern what is truly essential we need space to think, time to look and listen, permission to play, wisdom to sleep, and the discipline to apply highly selective criteria to the choices we make. Ironically, — Greg McKeown

Essentialism is not about how to get more things done, it's about how to the 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. — Greg McKeown

The awkward pause. Instead of being controlled by the threat of an awkward silence, own it. Use it as a tool. When a request comes to you (obviously this works only in person), just pause for a moment. Count to three before delivering your verdict. Or if you get a bit more bold, simply wait for the other person to fill the void. 2. — Greg McKeown

The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage. In other words, Essentialism is a disciplined, systematic approach for determining where our highest point of contribution lies, then making execution of those things almost effortless. — Greg McKeown

I realized that journalism was not just about regurgitating the facts but about figuring out the point. It wasn't enough to know the who, what, when, and where; you had to understand what it meant. And why it mattered. — Greg McKeown

by abolishing any chance of being bored we have also lost the time we used to have to think and process. — Greg McKeown

The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away-it can only be forgotten. — Greg McKeown

There should be no shame in admitting to a mistake; after all, we really are only admitting that we are now wiser than we once were. — Greg McKeown

Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is important this very second. — Greg McKeown

The ancient Greeks had two words for time. The first was chronos. The second was kairos. The — Greg McKeown

The life of an Essentialist is a life lived without regret. If you have correctly identified what really matters, if you invest your time and energy in it, then it is difficult to regret the choices you make. You become proud of the life you have chosen to live. — Greg McKeown

Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft in their book Make Space, — Greg McKeown

The word priority was singular for 500 years - what does priorities mean - 'many many first things.' — Greg McKeown

We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice - a choice is an action. It is not just something we have but something we do. — Greg McKeown

Research has shown that of all forms of human motivation the most effective one is progress. Why? Because a small, concrete win creates momentum and affirms our faith in our further success. — Greg McKeown

Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter. — Greg McKeown

I'd rather be honest and lose than be dishonest and win — Greg McKeown

As John Maxwell has written, "You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything."9 — Greg McKeown

One of the best ways to seed an opportunity is to allow someone to discover the opportunity for him- or herself. — Greg McKeown

If I didn't already own this, how much would I spend to buy it? — Greg McKeown