
Essentialism
The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.43
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Greg McKeown
-
By:
-
Greg McKeown
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Have you ever found yourself struggling with information overload?
Have you ever felt both overworked and underutilised?
Do you ever feel busy but not productive?
If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is to become an essentialist.
In Essentialism, Greg McKeown, CEO of a leadership and strategy agency in Silicon Valley who has run courses at Apple, Google and Facebook, shows you how to achieve what he calls the disciplined pursuit of less. Being an essentialist is about a disciplined way of thinking. It means challenging the core assumptions of "we can have it all" and "I have to do everything" and replacing them with the pursuit of "the right thing in the right way at the right time".
By applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.
Using the experience and insight of working with the leaders of the most innovative companies and organisations in the world, McKeown shows you how to put Essentialism into practice in your own life, so you, too, can achieve something great.
©2015 Greg McKeown (P)2015 Random House AudioBooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Effortless
- Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most
- By: Greg McKeown
- Narrated by: Greg McKeown
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As high achievers, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is paved with relentless work. That if we want to overachieve, we have to overexert, overthink, and overdo. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. But lately, working hard is more exhausting than ever. And the more depleted we get, the more effort it takes to make progress. Stuck in an endless loop of “Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat”, we’re often working twice as hard to achieve half as much.
-
-
Laced with mistakes!
- By LEE on 04-28-21
By: Greg McKeown
-
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
- How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
- By: Gary Vaynerchuk
- Narrated by: John Hopkinson
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times bestselling author and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk shares hard-won advice on how to connect with customers and beat the competition. A mash-up of the best elements of "Crush It!" and "The Thank You Economy" with a fresh spin, "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" is a blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really works. When managers and marketers outline their social media strategies, they plan for the "right hook"—their next sale or campaign that's going to knock out the competition.
-
-
Deceptively outdated, don’t waste time or money
- By Tim on 12-05-23
By: Gary Vaynerchuk
-
TED Talks
- The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking
- By: Chris Anderson
- Narrated by: Chris Anderson, Tom Rielly, Kelly Stoetzel
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since taking over TED in the early 2000s, Chris Anderson has shown how carefully crafted short talks can be the key to unlocking empathy, stirring excitement, spreading knowledge, and promoting a shared dream. Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audience's worldview. Done right, a talk is more powerful than anything in written form.
-
-
One of the VERY Best!
- By C. Freeman on 05-08-16
By: Chris Anderson
-
Excellent Advice for Living
- Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier
- By: Kevin Kelly
- Narrated by: Philip Hernandez
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On his 68th birthday, Kevin Kelly began to write down for his young adult children some things he had learned about life that he wished he had known earlier. To his surprise, Kelly had more to say than he thought, and kept adding to the advice over the years, compiling a life’s wisdom into this book. Kelly’s timeless advice covers an astonishing range, from right living to setting ambitious goals, optimizing generosity, and cultivating compassion. He has wisdom for career, relationships, parenting, and finances, and gives guidance for practical matters ranging from travel to troubleshooting.
-
-
Don’t buy it
- By Ben A. on 05-02-23
By: Kevin Kelly
-
A Book of Five Rings
- The Strategy of Musashi
- By: Miyamoto Musashi
- Narrated by: Alec Sand
- Length: 1 hr and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary 17th century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi’s exposition of sword fighting, strategy and Zen philosophy. Required reading for any martial artist, business person or student of strategy. Includes the one hour Zen inspired soundtrack The Mysterious Sound of Wind in the Bamboo. Performed on authentic Japanese instruments.
-
-
Read all of it in one day, then read it once a day forever
- By Luis Roman on 08-08-17
By: Miyamoto Musashi
-
Business Adventures
- Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street
- By: John Brooks
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What do the $350 million Ford Motor Company disaster known as the Edsel, the fast and incredible rise of Xerox, and the unbelievable scandals at General Electric and Texas Gulf Sulphur have in common? Each is an example of how an iconic company was defined by a particular moment of fame or notoriety; these notable and fascinating accounts are as relevant today to understanding the intricacies of corporate life as they were when the events happened.
-
-
Interesting book
- By Jason on 01-31-15
By: John Brooks
-
Effortless
- Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most
- By: Greg McKeown
- Narrated by: Greg McKeown
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As high achievers, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is paved with relentless work. That if we want to overachieve, we have to overexert, overthink, and overdo. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. But lately, working hard is more exhausting than ever. And the more depleted we get, the more effort it takes to make progress. Stuck in an endless loop of “Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat”, we’re often working twice as hard to achieve half as much.
-
-
Laced with mistakes!
- By LEE on 04-28-21
By: Greg McKeown
-
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
- How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
- By: Gary Vaynerchuk
- Narrated by: John Hopkinson
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times bestselling author and social media expert Gary Vaynerchuk shares hard-won advice on how to connect with customers and beat the competition. A mash-up of the best elements of "Crush It!" and "The Thank You Economy" with a fresh spin, "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" is a blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really works. When managers and marketers outline their social media strategies, they plan for the "right hook"—their next sale or campaign that's going to knock out the competition.
-
-
Deceptively outdated, don’t waste time or money
- By Tim on 12-05-23
By: Gary Vaynerchuk
-
TED Talks
- The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking
- By: Chris Anderson
- Narrated by: Chris Anderson, Tom Rielly, Kelly Stoetzel
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since taking over TED in the early 2000s, Chris Anderson has shown how carefully crafted short talks can be the key to unlocking empathy, stirring excitement, spreading knowledge, and promoting a shared dream. Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audience's worldview. Done right, a talk is more powerful than anything in written form.
-
-
One of the VERY Best!
- By C. Freeman on 05-08-16
By: Chris Anderson
-
Excellent Advice for Living
- Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier
- By: Kevin Kelly
- Narrated by: Philip Hernandez
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On his 68th birthday, Kevin Kelly began to write down for his young adult children some things he had learned about life that he wished he had known earlier. To his surprise, Kelly had more to say than he thought, and kept adding to the advice over the years, compiling a life’s wisdom into this book. Kelly’s timeless advice covers an astonishing range, from right living to setting ambitious goals, optimizing generosity, and cultivating compassion. He has wisdom for career, relationships, parenting, and finances, and gives guidance for practical matters ranging from travel to troubleshooting.
-
-
Don’t buy it
- By Ben A. on 05-02-23
By: Kevin Kelly
-
A Book of Five Rings
- The Strategy of Musashi
- By: Miyamoto Musashi
- Narrated by: Alec Sand
- Length: 1 hr and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Legendary 17th century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi’s exposition of sword fighting, strategy and Zen philosophy. Required reading for any martial artist, business person or student of strategy. Includes the one hour Zen inspired soundtrack The Mysterious Sound of Wind in the Bamboo. Performed on authentic Japanese instruments.
-
-
Read all of it in one day, then read it once a day forever
- By Luis Roman on 08-08-17
By: Miyamoto Musashi
-
Business Adventures
- Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street
- By: John Brooks
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What do the $350 million Ford Motor Company disaster known as the Edsel, the fast and incredible rise of Xerox, and the unbelievable scandals at General Electric and Texas Gulf Sulphur have in common? Each is an example of how an iconic company was defined by a particular moment of fame or notoriety; these notable and fascinating accounts are as relevant today to understanding the intricacies of corporate life as they were when the events happened.
-
-
Interesting book
- By Jason on 01-31-15
By: John Brooks
What listeners say about Essentialism
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-10-17
life changing
great book. easy to follow with a clear message. thoroughly enjoyed working through this. I highly recommend this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 02-20-22
Best Book Period
It's the best book, best arguments, best sources, best facts, best way to live life
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 09-18-19
Nice one!
I’ve learn a lot from this book. Give it a try It won’t waste your time or credit I can promise you that!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sunil Kumar Singh
- 06-02-22
Less is more
It is not a new concept but the writer has taken great pain to explain its true meaning. He has quoted mostly from his own experience of dealing with great leaders as well as the result of his practice on himself.
He has explained the process and corrective measures to achieve essentialism. And at last it is not like a magic; one day affair, but an arduous repeated attempt to reach the goal. His candid admission that he too sometimes fall in trap of nonessentialism is highly encouraging to the starter. Overall it’s a great book with spending time.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-10-17
Well researched to bring you the best perspectives of history's inspirational figures
Thank you Greg McKeown for your work that is edited to perfection. It's made your message concise and clear; so your views and borrowed views are easily consumed. I've learnt a lot and look forward to reading it again to dissect more learnings to apply to my life. A tip for readers of this review, you may also enjoy Everything That Remains, by The Minimalists.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Andrew Carr
- 12-17-17
Self-help but smart
Self help books rightly have a poor reputation for lots of salesmanship and little substance. But this is a smart, nuanced and pragmatic book. There are lots of useful insights and practical hints that can be applied widely. The basic thesis itself (less but better) is fairly anodyne, but the focus on trying to apply this in a disciplined way is what makes the book stand out. I also enjoyed hearing the author read the book, to give it the personal touch.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 08-17-20
Absolutely fantastic!
I’ve already decided to listen to it again at least three times through! I really love the book and all of the concepts! It ties in minimalism, mindfulness and many other very important ways of living so smoothly and gives you a completely whole picture of the kind of life we need to continuously strive for. I’m so grateful to Greg for teaching me to say ‘No’. I really struggled with that before. I’ve gained back so much more time!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tomasf
- 09-30-21
Very useful but a little hard work
The overall advice here is very good, useful and clearly articulated. It has really helped shift my own thinking in productive directions. My main quibble is the lack of warmth and humour both in the writing and the author’s delivery. It’s all just a bit relentless. Warmth and humour are not ‘inessential’, as a university lecturer I know that they are essential for making learning engaging and memorable. In the absence of this it’s all just a bit serious all the points are delivered as if they are VERY IMPORTANT the whole time. This meant I listened in small doses to make it less stressful and more enjoyable. Also, a side point, as an academic, I work in teams where lots of people follow Greg’s advice and are very focussed on their own work to the exclusion of anything that isn’t their research. They make for poor colleagues. I realise he has some caveats to his argument, but I do wonder about what it means when everyone doesn’t take on stuff that isn’t core to their life’s purpose, my experience is that this makes them harder to work with for collective goals for the organisation. Just a thought.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ian C.
- 08-29-18
MY FAVORITE BOOK
Life changing! I would consider this book a must read for every single human. Especially considering we live in a society filled with distractions.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karin Joan
- 06-19-17
Absolutely awesome
And very essential indeed. Life changing. Getting me all set up and ready to make changes. Very motivating and actionable. Listening to chapters over and over.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!