Greg McKeown (@GregoryMcKeown) is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and the founder of McKeown, Inc, a company with a mission to teach Essentialism to millions of people around the world. Their clients include Adobe, Apple, Airbnb, Cisco, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Symantec, Twitter, VMware and Yahoo!, among others. Greg is an accomplished public speaker and has spoken to hundreds of audiences around the world, and in 2012, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Please enjoy! SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 200 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://bit.ly/2rYjUBr Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: http://bit.ly/17jDHw3 Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/1avYUxq Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/17d94TE Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2IfH37J Start [00:00] The fool’s bargain Greg McKeown made that led to the genesis of Essentialism. [07:38] Not a business phenomenon, but a human phenomenon. [09:51] Using the Endowment Effect to question and reframe priorities that may no longer serve us. [12:52] Greg walks me through an exercise from the Designing Life, Essentially course he co-created at Stanford. [22:30] A more productive mantra than “Don’t write a rubbish book.” [36:26] How can I apply Essentialism to writing my next book? [42:58] Finding the one decision that removes a thousand decisions: what non-essentials am I willing to give up? [49:00] The Planning Fallacy. [54:43] Don't take ownership of someone else’s problems. [57:56] Separating decisions from relationships. [1:01:27] Three rules to avoid taking on “floor angel” projects. [1:09:29] There is more than “yes” or “no” to a request. [1:15:30] How I’ll know that Essentialism is working. [1:16:26] The well-reasoned, polite decline. [1:17:32] A challenge for Type A personalities: say no to an opportunity so you can take a nap. [1:26:29] The strategic insights and benefits discovered by taking personal quarterly offsites. [1:28:02] Pausing to consider the legacies—both good and bad—of generations past and future. [1:34:40] What makes a good design partner? What makes a bad design partner? [1:41:01] Gaining perspective with a design partner using a Quaker technique. [1:47:02] Literature that helps Greg find his center. [1:48:27] The role of prayer in Greg’s life and how he can tell if it’s working as intended. [1:50:57] We have a choice. [1:56:05] What would Greg’s billboard say? [2:04:54] Parting thoughts. [2:07:42]