GREG MCKEOWN’S ‘ESSENTIALISM’ Will Help You Declutter Your Workload
“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will,” writes Greg McKeown in “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.” When he set out to write the book, McKeown wanted to know what keeps skilled, driven people from achieving as much as possible. What he found was that many people suffer not from being lazy, but from allocating their time ineffectively. The impulse to “do it all” keeps folks from spending their time on the things that actually matter. The book, then, serves as a guide to cutting out the extraneous and focusing on the essential. “Life is not an all-you-can-eat buffet,” McKeown says. “It’s amazingly great food. Essentialism is about finding the right food. More and more is valueless. Staying true to my purpose and being selective in what I take on results in a more meaningful, richer, and sweeter quality of life.” This metaphor can be applied to your work life as well. There aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish every task. The essentialist works to spend their time diligently by pursuing what actually matters, rather than filling their days with meaningless busywork. Early in the book, McKeown uses famed Braun designer Dieter Rams as an example of an essentialist. He notes that Rams’ design philosophy can be characterized by three simple words: less but better. This, in essence, is what essentialists believe.
Doing your best work where it matters and cutting out the superfluous will allow you to better manage your time and increase your performance. As McKeown puts it, “It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at your highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.” Instead of having their energy spread out in a million different
directions, essentialists channel it into what really matters. McKeown also advocates for defining your purpose in order to accurately assess what’s essential and what isn’t. The more a task contributes to your purpose, the more essential it is. Many business owners and leaders struggle to let go of tasks that are best left to other employees. If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to manage a massive workload while resenting the fact that much of what you do is needless, then it’s time to pick up a copy of “Essentialism.”
JMMB at a Glance
Meet Ryan Chung
Ryan Chung joined the JMMB team in November 2017. JMMB was exactly what he was looking for: “A
Every day brings something new, which Ryan appreciates. “Each transaction has different challenges, and finding solutions to each of these is quite rewarding. In other words, no two transactions are ever the same.” Ryan also believes that whatever you do, you should do it to the best of your ability. It’s a philosophy that comes from the motto of his old school, Wolmer’s Boys’ High School — Age Quod Agis. This motto means “Do what you are doing,”
family-oriented organisation that empowers their employees for personal development,” as he puts it. “The capital markets team is very dynamic and possesses a wealth of knowledge. I enjoy the accessibility of the knowledge base, advice, and interactions within JMMB.” In the role of Senior Capital Markets Analyst, Ryan and his team assist corporate clients by giving them financing solutions to meet their capital needs. They do this while also making investment options available to the investor pool. On any given day, Ryan looks forward to the sense of accomplishment that comes with the position. Every step of the way, from executing a transaction from origination to providing the financing required by the client — Ryan gets to be a part of it.
but is more commonly known to mean “Do well whatever you do.” “Always put your best foot forward,” Ryan says. “Stay focused, work hard, work on your strengths, and work harder on your weaknesses.”
Contact Your Personal Portfolio Manager: 1. Alaine Samuels – 551 7739 2. Gillian Bernard – 550 8020 3. Mark Gilzeane – 552 4586 4. Melissa McKenzie – 552 4666 5. Nicole Henry-Dewar – 469 2704 6. Racquel Henry-Burke – 403 9550 7. Ian Belcher (RBO) – 551 0521 8. Joan Edwards – 877 5512
2
www.jmmb.com
Made with FlippingBook HTML5