How many chapters in effortless

We are too quick to believe that work and progress requires the hard slog, that anything worthwhile will inevitably be difficult — we even wear o Wow.

We are too quick to believe that work and progress requires the hard slog, that anything worthwhile will inevitably be difficult — we even wear our struggles as a badge of honour. McKeown proposes a way to escape this and in doing so live a more enjoyable, productive and rewarding life. This book really spoke to me and utterly makes sense.

It takes lots of ideas, some that I have heard of, know well or seem familiar, and pulls them together with new clarity. How can it help us get around to the household tasks we put off, add enjoyment to the mundane or increase productivity in our working lives? And, most importantly, how do we achieve it?

How can we make these things feel more effortless? It suggests ways to successfully find the reward in the task - or add one - like listening to your favourite podcast as you exercise and much, much more.

It is in fact, three stages full of anecdotes and suggestions. It was invigorating to start thinking how I could apply this and I began to implement some of the learning in my day to day. What is probably most helpful in the book — and in keeping with the effortless journey — is how McKeown summarises the key learning at the end of each section pulling all the anecdotes, actions and good advice into a clear understanding that you can easily begin to implement in your life. I powered through the book for the purposes of the ARC review, but I will go back and spend a little more time with it now.

Section three could even be saved for a point where you have tried out all the learning and had chance to start feeling the change. May 02, Brenda Chen rated it it was amazing. Effortless state -Physically rested, emotionally unburdened, mentally energized -Aware, present, attentive, focused on what matters most with ease Invert -Ask, what if this could be easy?

Jul 12, Mathew rated it did not like it. I don't know why this has good reviews It's got the same boring anecdotes to illustrate each point as every other self help book, it's patronising, simplistic, and boring.

There was a story about someone saving lots of time by asking if some laborious work was really necessary or could be done more simply. It was supposed to illustrate subtraction as a means of simplifying your work life but you know what? It's the bare fucking minimum in your job to not waste your time on aimless tasks so than I don't know why this has good reviews It's the bare fucking minimum in your job to not waste your time on aimless tasks so thanks Greg for wasting my time.

May 10, Thomas Hefke rated it really liked it. An easy effortless read. When essentialism helped you find the right things to do, effortless will help you get these done. Compounding interest, going slow to go fast.

Making breaks. Breaking up task in micro chunks and just get going. Greg really has a great writing style. Jun 10, Laura Noggle rated it really liked it Shelves: , improvement.

This book is almost as good, and he presents an interesting thought in the age of glorified busyness: life doesn't have to be so hard. May 07, Venky rated it liked it Shelves: management-leadership. Greg McKeown, the best-selling author of Essentialism, a refreshingly optimistic and encouraging book, has come up with his highly anticipated second work, Effortless.

Even though lightning does not strike twice in this case unfortunately so , there are some unmistakably essential and compelling takeaways that the reader is left with to reflect upon. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi a Hungarian-American psychologist recognised and named the psychological concept of flow, a highly focused mental state conducive to productivity. The core philosophy underlying Effortless also involves getting the reader into an effortless state wherein by exerting minimal and almost spontaneous efforts, maximum results are obtained.

The book is divided into three segments. You are able to focus on what matters most with ease. This inversion principle that uses an indirect approach allows for expediting seemingly hard tasks in a simple and expeditious manner.

Coupled with the inversion principle are the facets of enjoyment, release, and rest. Combining tedious and passionate tasks would greatly assist.

Do not do more today than you can completely recover from by tomorrow. You stop procrastinating and take the first obvious step. You arrive at the point of completion without overthinking.

You make progress by pacing yourself rather than powering through. You overachieve without overexerting. Clearly defining what needs to be done would smoothen the process of effortless action. Progress: There is no point from shying away from a task.

There needs to be made a beginning. While striving to attain a state of effortless action, the trick is to simplify and subtract. Reduce the unnecessary steps from the task portfolio. You are achieving the results you want, more easily.

But now you want those results to continue to flow to you, again and again, with as little additional effort as possible. You are ready to achieve Effortless Results. The individual attains a level of expertise and traction which ensures that she need not put in unnecessary efforts to obtain the requisite results, every single time.

In order for effortless results to bear fruition the following attributes ought to be inculcated: Learn: Instead of getting inundated with facts and getting bogged down by methods, it would be appropriate to assimilate principles. This also results in creating a sustainable talent bank.

Tell stories that are easily understood and repeated. Do not try to automate what does not work and do not physically spend time working on stuff that you can easily automate. Design high-trust agreements to clarify results, roles, rules, resources, and rewards. Solve it before it happens. Seek simple actions today that can prevent complications tomorrow. Invest two minutes of effort once to end recurring frustrations. Catch mistakes before they happen; measure twice, so you only have to cut once.

But as reiterated in the preceding paragraphs, Effortless sincerely attempts to bestow upon its readers the gift of sustained positive outcomes by providing various handy tools which through constant practice can effectively be transformed into a veritable habit.

On this count, it makes for a very satisfying and contended read. Effortless didn't make as strong of an impression on me as Essentialism but I still enjoyed it greatly.

A lot of the ideas in this book I've run across before in other self-help books, youtube videos, or podcasts but it was nice to be reminded. I think the concept I'll take away and use the most is the "never less than x, never more than y" idea. This is basically putting a time minimum and maximum for something you want to make progress on without becoming burned out.

For example, for school I Effortless didn't make as strong of an impression on me as Essentialism but I still enjoyed it greatly. For example, for school I am doing the "never less than 2 hours a day, never more than 4 hours a day," so that I get work done but I never am spending an entire day working on school work.

It works with fun activities too. My reading for the day is "never less than 2 hours a day, never more than 5. Oct 28, Nopadol Rompho rated it it was amazing Shelves: my-favourite , personal-development.

One of the best books I've read. There is always an easy way to success. We just need to find it. Strongly recommended. Jul 08, Tori rated it it was amazing. Essentialism is one of my favorite books, and this follow-up book does not disappoint.

Some learnings: -Enjoy - enjoy essential activities by pairing them with enjo Essentialism is one of my favorite books, and this follow-up book does not disappoint. Some learnings: -Enjoy - enjoy essential activities by pairing them with enjoyable ones eat your favorite treat while reviewing your budget. PACE - Set an effortless pace: slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Recognize that not all progress is created equal.

What are Effortless Results? You are achieving the results you want, more easily. But now you want those results to continue to flow to you, again and again, with as little additional effort as possible. You are ready to achieve Effortless Results. Understand first principles deeply and then apply them again and again. Stand on the shoulders of giants and leverage the best of what they know.

Develop unique knowledge, and it will open the door to perpetual opportunity. LIFT - Use teaching as a lever to harness the strength of ten. Achieve far-reaching impact by teaching others to teach. Live what you teach, and notice how much you learn. Tell stories that are easily understood and repeated. Use checklists to get it right every time, without having to rely on memory.

Seek single choices that eliminate future decisions. Make the right hire once, and it will continue to produce results again and again. With brisk prose, great stories, and keen insights, it shows how to flip the script — and make the trivial stuff harder and the crucial stuff easier. In his inspiring and important follow-up to Essentialism, Greg McKeown masterfully flips this script, arguing instead that the more essential the task, the more effortless we should make its completion.

A much-needed corrective to burn out culture. In his new book, Greg McKeown offers the solution: instead of giving up, burning out, or sacrificing our sanity, we can find an easier path. As much as I loved Essentialism, I think this is even better and just what the world and at least I desperately needs at this moment.

On Sale Now! It may even be the only way. Daniel H. Purchase Effortless. Effortless does a good job of touching briefly on a lot of topics without any fluff.

Because most of the chapters take a broad view of each topic, you may want to do more reading on specific areas to get more detailed and actionable advice. For example, chapter 13 talks about automating tasks and creating checklists to systematize work. The broad concepts of using checklists are discussed, but I recommend reading The Checklist Manifesto for detailed advice on how to create and implement checklists.

I am experimenting with ways to provide easier navigation within my book summaries. Greg McKeown says he wrote this book to help you lighten your burdens, not to downplay them.