Greg McKeown — The Art of Effortless Results, How to Take the Lighter Path, the Joys of Simplicity, and More (#510)

Illustration via 99designs

“If you focus on what you have, you gain what you lack. And if you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have.”

— Greg McKeown

Greg McKeown (@GregoryMcKeown) is the author of the new book Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most and a previous book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, which hit The New York Times bestseller list and has sold more than a million copies. He is also a speaker and the host of the popular podcast What’s Essential.

Greg has been covered by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Fast Company, Fortune, Politico, and Inc., has been interviewed by NPR, NBC, Fox, and The Steve Harvey Show, and is among the most popular bloggers for LinkedIn. He is also a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum. Originally from London, England, he now resides in California with his wife, Anna, and their four children.

Please enjoy!

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The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear the last time Greg was on the show? Check out our conversation in which we discussed applying Essentialism to project hurdles, making allowances for poor planning, separating decisions from relationships, a third option when processing a “yes” or “no” response to someone’s request, what happens when we decide not to make a choice, and much more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Greg McKeown:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most by Greg McKeownEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeownWhat’s Essential PodcastGreg McKeown — How to Master Essentialism | The Tim Ferriss Show #355How to Say “No” Gracefully and Uncommit | The Tim Ferriss Show #328M.K. Gandhi Is Forcibly Removed from a Whites-Only Train Carriage | South African History OnlineWhen Gandhi’s Salt March Rattled British Colonial Rule | HistoryThe Death of Mohandas K. Gandhi | SquaducationPhoenix Settlement and Gandhi Trail | South African History OnlineThe Listener by James Christensen | The Collection ShopA General Note About “She Will Find What Is Lost” | Brian KershisnikGreg’s Family Dancing in the Kitchen | Greg McKeown, InstagramStanding for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes by Gordon B. HinckleyTeachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley, Chapter 3: Cultivating an Attitude of Happiness and a Spirit of Optimism | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsThe 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard KochThe “Big Rocks” of Life by Dr. Stephen R. Covey | Apple SeedsTonic-Clonic Seizures | Epilepsy FoundationA Piece of String by Guy de Maupassant | East of the WebJim Dethmer — How to Shift from Victim Consciousness, Reduce Drama, Practice Candor, Be Fully Alive, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #434My Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464“Sometimes It Is Entirely Appropriate to Kill a Fly with a Sledge-Hammer.” -Maj. I. L. HoldridgeLyme Disease | CDCCourage Is the Most Important Virtue, Says Writer and Civil Rights Activist Maya Angelou at Convocation | Cornell ChronicleThe Conscious Leadership GroupThe Center for Nonviolent CommunicationThe Work by Byron KatieWorld’s Toughest MudderTools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim FerrissCovert Contracts: The Relationship Killer | The Inspirational LifestyleStar Wars: Return of the Jedi (Theatrical Version) | Prime VideoWhat It Feels Like to Be a Stormtrooper by Ralph Morse | Great Big StoryTiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg, PhDAn Essential Intervention with BJ Fogg | What’s Essential #10An Overview of Broaden and Build Theory | Verywell MindReal Mind Control: The 21-Day No-Complaint Experiment | Tim FerrissA Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted by Will BowenThe Fastest Way to Reach Eagle Scout: A 2-Year Timeline | ScoutSmartsEx-Apple Insider’s Blog Gets to Core | The Denver PostThe Vasa MuseumThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. CoveyBenjamin Hardy on The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals | What’s Essential #37Novus Homo | Oxford Reference

SHOW NOTES

Note from the editor: Timestamps will be added shortly.

We begin with some thoughts on Gandhi and four words he said that neatly sum up Essentialism.On the power of symbols and a story about how they helped Greg’s family through a profoundly difficult time.What prompted Greg to write his latest book, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most?How Effortless is like three books in one — covering effortless state, effortless action, and effortless results — and what we can learn from them.Why holding grudges and dreaming up ways to even the score when we feel wronged by others is a huge waste of time and energy, and what we might accomplish instead by spending this time and energy more constructively.Greg demonstrates how life experiences can unwittingly write scripts that hurt us more than they serve us, and I talk about what I’ve done to close the loops on my own grudges and overwhelming need to right perceived wrongs.The three questions from Byron Katie’s The Work that I ask myself when I cross paths with — and need to cope with — one of my biggest peeves: entitlement.An estimation of the wasted energy I’ve spent holding on to grudges and other useless hangups, and what Greg suggests to those of us seeking to lower our electric bill, so to speak.The real lesson of observing gratitude, and the “habit recipe” BJ Fogg uses to make gratitude actionable.The star chart game Greg and his family have used to get through pandemic lockdown together.How Greg helped his son use effortless action to accomplish a not-so-effortless goal: to become an Eagle Scout by age 14.To avoid unnecessary steps, sometimes you’ve just got to start from zero. Just ask Mike Evangelist how Steve Jobs taught him this valuable lesson.The tragedy of the Vasa and what the King of Sweden learned about making a project impossible to finish by constantly redefining what “finished” should look like.What’s the difference between effortless action and effortless results?Sometimes the right question to ask is “Who?” not “How?”A powerful example of effortless, residual results.What does Greg’s editing process look like, and is there anything that got left on the cutting room floor that was particularly difficult to omit from the final book?Greg shines a little more meaning on his previous answer to the billboard question.Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Mahatma GandhiGeorge C. MarshallAlbert EinsteinJames C. ChristensenPablo PicassoAnna McKeownGordon B. HinckleyLarry KingJim DethmerBruce LeeMaya AngelouByron KatieAmelia BooneBJ FoggBarbara FredricksonWill BowenMike EvangelistSteve JobsGustav IIHenrik HybertssonHein JacobssonStephen CoveyBenjamin HardyNaval RavikantStephen L. RichardsIrene Smith Merrill RichardsJohn Covey