Less really is better (6 lessons from Essentialism)
In this post, I’m sharing the 6 lessons I’ve learned from Greg McKeown’s book, Essentialism. Some of these lessons are duh-hit-your-head obvious. And some are mindset shifting gamechangers.
Because less really can be better, especially when it comes to content creation + social media…
Have you ever found yourself running around, not sure what to focus on + stressed out to the max because you’re so busy?
That’s exactly how I felt in 2016 when Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown first fell into my lap. (Literally. It was included in a surprise package for a course I joined. I ripped open the brown paper envelope and Essentialism fell out!)
“The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”
And I’m not exaggerating when I say this book can change your business.
Heck. It can change your life.
As the inside cover of the book says: Essentialism isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.
“It’s a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.”
And it’s a way of thinking (a way of BEING) that I truly believe is CRUCIAL for us entrepreneurs (especially as we’re often tossed by the waves of inspiration).
To me, the principle of essentialism is what I’ve always wanted minimalism to be.
I don’t believe in less just for the sake of it, or having your home so pristine and all-the-shades-of-white that you feel like you’ve walked into a super luxe Airbnb. (Although if that’s your style – awesome. I just don’t think minimalism HAS to be like that.)
So that means, to me, minimalism and essentialism are interchangeable.
Less is only better if you get to keep the important things.
Cutting something out only works if it’s unnecessary.
And you can bring colour + life to your minimalist/essentialist journey if that sparks joy.
And that goes for your content too.
So in this post, I thought I’d share the 6 lessons I’ve learned from Essentialism. Because less really can be better, *especially* when it comes to content creation + social media.
1. Essentialism prevents (or helps you recover from) burnout
Content creation (like all creative processes) can be draining and exhausting.
You have to remember that it’s hard work for our brain to create something from nothing/scratch. And often, we act like we’re machines and think we can keep creating ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME without taking time to rest + recover.
But we need rest.
Running on the hamster wheel + having a million unfinished projects on the go at once quickly leads us down the road to burnout. Essentialism helps us jump off that hamster wheel and refocus our efforts on what’s really important.
Do you find yourself spending too much time on social media? Following the way of the Essentialist means less wasted time and more targeted, productive time on social media (that actually helps you build your brand). Instead of your attention being pulled in many different directions (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube…), you focus it on one or a few chosen social networks.
By targeting our efforts, we protect ourselves from burnout, we’re more productive + we finish a greater number of projects.
So what could the minimalist/essentialist approach look like in terms of content creation?
If you’re a blogger: You decide to blog twice a month.
If you’re on every social media platform in the known universe: You pick Instagram because it gives you options (feed, Stories, IGTV, live video OH MY) and get really good at it.
If you make videos, do webinars, write a blog, tweet, do live video, pin like a mad woman, scroll through Facebook, + Instagram like there’s no tomorrow: Maaaybe it’s time to slow down a bit, reassess what’s essential and choose to focus on a few of these and not ALL of them (all at once).
2. Essentialism resets your creative juices
Less content to create means it’s easier to focus on the subjects that really light you up – the stuff that you’re truly PASSIONATE about. (And let’s be honest – content creation is waaay more fun when it brings you joy.)
You’ll find yourself writing less of the stuff that you’re meh about, and more of the stuff that you really love (and that your audience really cares about).
And while this doesn’t mean that everything will always be rainbows + sunshine + fields of daisies (because you’re human and sometimes words are hard), it does mean that creating becomes simple (note: I didn’t say easy).
Deciding what’s essential (+ focusing only on those tasks and projects) gives you plenty of time to rest + recover in between. Which also happens to give you the space to cultivate those creative juices and get them flowing more easily (rather than constantly forcing things).
“In other words, being an essentialist lets you discover your natural rhythm.”
3. Essentialism means you (fully) show up
Because you aren’t distracted by (five) other social media platforms or pumping out monthly webinars whilst you’re also creating a new program or course (plus dabbling with a podcast!), it means that you take the time to engage with others and give more of you.
For social media this means: Taking the time to comment on and like the posts of others. Reply when comments are left on your posts. Strike up meaningful conversations on Instagram (and keep them going).
For blogging this means: You actually reply to comments that are left on your blog or replies to your newsletter. You read the blogs of others + support other online biz owners by leaving comments and sharing their posts when you’re moved by them.
For in-person, off-screen life this means: When you spend time with your family + friends, you actually spend the time with them. You’re not off in some other world, planning a launch, or worrying about how many new clients you need by the end of the month, or wondering if your new product will flop.
“Bottom line? Having less to focus on helps you be more present in the moment.”
4. Essentialism promotes quality over quantity
Since you’re focusing on less, you have more time to spend on each piece of content you create. (Within reason, of course! I’m not talking about hours of extra time on one blog post).
Fun (personal) fact: You’d think that having more time to spend on a particular piece of content would cause perfectionism to go into overdrive. But, in a strange way, focusing on quality over quantity seems to help perfectionism. I think it has to do with the fact you actually have time to produce quality in the first place + you aren’t just pushing out content for the sake of it.
“Sometimes, perhaps we descend into perfectionism because we’re trying to put too much out into the world at the same time + we can’t keep up with ourselves? Just a thought.”
5. Essentialism creates more space for the things that matter
Essentialism helps you ignore the temptation to “focus” on EVERYTHING AT ONCE (and believe that it’s actually possible to do that!). It means you can spend your time working on projects that will move the needle forward in your biz. (And not just doing “work” for the sake of work.)
You get back to connecting with people, rather than worrying about being “visible”.
You have the time + mental space to step back and assess what’s actually going on in your life and business (since you aren’t just running around being “so busy!”).
You realise where you’ve been spending your time + how much time is actually taken up by mindless scrolling on social media (that you’ve tried to convince yourself is “for research”).
You connect back with your life + the people you know and love outside of your laptop. You finally see the forest and not just the trees.
You finally see what’s essential + that the rest is, well, unessential.
6. We can try to avoid the reality of trade-offs, but we can’t escape them.
Of all the (amazing) chapters in Essentialism, my favourite is the chapter on trade-offs.
Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute: We don’t like to think about trade-offs.
We convince ourselves that we’re multitasking machines and that we can do it all. That having 27 tabs open at the same time (with music playing from somewhere that we can’t find) is perfectly normal.
“Sure! I can take on this new project. Yes, I’ll do that webinar. And while I’m at it, let’s start posting on Pinterest, start my own Facebook group, run an email challenge to grow my list, and post on my Instagram feed, Stories, Reels, oh and TikTok too!”
We may laugh, but how often do we find ourselves doing exactly that?
It’s the very nature of entrepreneurs… always adding more. Doing more. Creating more.
Despite what we may think, reality is very different from what we (often) tell ourselves. What we don’t realise is that we’re actually losing out. Big time. As Greg McKeown puts it, the truth is that we have to decide what problem we want to have. And although it’s extremely painful (recovering multitasker, right here), having to decide between two choices represents a significant opportunity.
It’s about weighing both options and strategically picking the best one for you right now. You can either pick A or B. But not both.
“An Essentialist produces more – brings forth more – by removing more instead of doing more.”
So, as Greg suggests in his book, ask yourself: What is the trade-off I want to make? What can I go big on?
As I said: I truly believe that Essentialism is a book that can change your business (and your life).
I hope these 6 lessons encourage you to work out what’s essential in your biz and focus on the things that matter.
And remember: Essentialism (or minimalism) isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done.
Want to add more simplicity and fun to your business by doing content your way? Check out my planners and workbooks and say hello to content that’s simple, fun and actually does something for you.