Jeff Lerner Confronts Greg McKeown On Essentialism

What is essentialism? What does it mean for your life, happiness and success?

Jeff Lerner is a professor of management at the Harvard Business School. He is known for his work in “essentialism” and has been called one of the most influential thinkers in business today. In this interview, he confronts Greg McKeown on essentialism.

Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism, was recently interviewed on Jeff Lerner’s podcast. That is exactly what they spoke about. How to get more done with less effort. One of the first pieces of advice Greg gives is to safeguard the asset. You are a valuable asset. And if you don’t safeguard it, you won’t be able to make the greater contribution to the world that you want. So, if you believe it’s all about hundred-hour work weeks and recovery doesn’t important, you’re not going to last long. You’ll exhaust yourself.

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Yes, greater effort will bring you ahead in the short term, but in the long run, it is your capacity to recover faster than others, to maintain your thinking clearer and sharper, that will give you the edge. “Don’t do something today that you won’t be able to recover from by tomorrow.” That’s how he does things. And, although it may sound contradictory to the hustling culture we’ve all been indoctrinated with, it begins to make sense if you get the thesis of his book, which is that practically everything is noise and just a few things really important.

As a consequence, when you remove the non-essential, you’ll find that you can accomplish less, work less, and get greater outcomes. Isn’t it the simplest, smartest, and simplest approach to ten-fold your effectiveness? You can’t keep working 10 times harder forever, that’s for sure. “Overachievers have this narrative, this tale [that you have to do more all the time], and it’s essentially a fraud,” Greg says. “At the very least, it’s a sketch.” In terms of how we approach success, we need to enhance our complexity of thinking.”

Is it really necessary to “rise and grind” or “push harder than yesterday if you desire a different tomorrow” or whatever cheesy phrase is slapped on a black-and-white stock picture of a lion and shared on Instagram? If Mr. Essentialism has anything to say about it, it’s not going to happen. He’ll push you to do the exact opposite: tackle the critical few activities you must do each day with a “light and easy” strategy. Like that one golfer we all know who has that slow, smooth, easy swing yet still drives it 300 yards straight down the center.

“There are basically only two ways to execute, two ways to get outcomes,” Greg says. “One is the more difficult, weightier road. It may achieve results, but it comes with a slew of unforeseen consequences [for example, your health and relationships]. Then there’s a method that’s a lot simpler, lighter, and more easy. And when we begin to see there are two alternatives, not one, you realize, ‘Well, maybe there are certain key things I’d want to do that are attainable, and I don’t have to beat myself up to get there; I just have to make the way an easier one.’

Warren Buffett is the embodiment of a fundamentalist investor. He has previously said that his investing style is borderline sluggish. He’s not looking for seven-foot barriers to jump over, but rather one-foot fences he can stride over with ease. Yes, he works hard, but his efforts are considerably more strategic than the ordinary investor’s. There is no squandering of movement. To be sure, you’ll need to use some common sense in this situation. Greg isn’t advocating for a get-rich-quick mindset. It’s easy to take it too far and use what he’s saying as an excuse to avoid doing serious work. That is not something you should do.

The answer is somewhere in the center. You should put in sufficient effort, but not more than is necessary, and do it consistently over time. Find your flow state, where everything feels perfect, where you’re doing well, moving the needle, but not so fast that your engine blows up and you have to spend a week in the shop, you know? For further details, read Greg’s book and watch the complete interview on Jeff’s YouTube channel, where he plays devil’s advocate well.

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