The New York Times bestselling author of Essentialism takes on the holy grail of human performance: How can we make it easier to get the right things done?

Is there a goal you want to make progress on, if only you had the energy? Do you assume that anything worth doing must take tremendous effort? Have you ever abandoned a hard but important activity for an easy but trivial one? Are you often overwhelmed by the complexity that's expanding everywhere?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you might be making life much harder for yourself than it needs to be.

In the New York Times bestseller Essentialism, Greg McKeown urged readers to eliminate nonessential activities and focus on the few that truly matter. He's since talked with thousands of readers about the challenges they face in putting those ideas into practice. The problem, he's found, is that the complexity of modern life has created a false dichotomy between things that are "essential and hard," and things that are "easy and trivial." But what if the trivial tasks became harder and the essential ones became easier? If the important projects became enjoyable, while the trivial distractions lost their appeal entirely?

In Effortless, McKeown offers proven strategies for making the most important activities the easiest ones. For example:
- Streamline your process by mapping out the minimum number of steps.
- Prevent problems later by solving them before they happen.
- Let Go of perfectionism by finding the "courage to be rubbish."
- Accelerate your learning by leveraging the best of what others know.

By making the toughest tasks just a little bit easier, we can accomplish more of what matters, without burning out.

Reader Reviews

Sebastian Gebski

(2/5)

Apr 28, 2025

I've picked it up because I've really enjoyed 'Essentialism' (the previous book by the same author).Theoretically, this book is a reasonable follow-up: first, you learn about WHAT to do (and what NOT to do) and then you learn about HOW to do it efficiently.That's the theory, in practice, I didn't enjoy this one even half as much as the previous one. The message (and its 'crispiness') wasn't equally striking and the model proposed (effortless state -> effortless action -> effortless results) wasn...

Brenda Chen

(5/5)

Effortless state-Physically rested, emotionally unburdened, mentally energized-Aware, present, attentive, focused on what matters most with easeInvert-Ask, what if this could be easy?-Find indirect approachesEnjoy-Pair most essential with most enjoyable-Work & play together-Turn tedious into meaningful ritualsRelease-Release emotional burdens-Focus on what you have to get what you lack-Each time you complain to say something you are grateful forRest-Art of doing nothing-Essential work into 3 x 9...

Rachael | Booklist Queen

(3/5)

Not as effortlessly inspiring as EssentialismWhat if you could achieve more without overexerting and overthinking? McKeown stresses the importance of simplifying processes to get effortless results. McKeown focuses on how to get yourself in the right mindset, how to simplify your actions, and then how to automate them to reach even greater results. When I read McKeown's Essentialism last year, its simplicity spoke to me in a way few books have. Needless to say, my expectations for Effortless wer...

Oliver Webb

#Effortless Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review! Simplicity is key.Effortless is filled with intriguing examples of people finding shortcuts or ways to make things easier. This is an inspiring book about not giving up and instead finding easier, “effortless” ways of doing things that once seemed difficult. McKeown focuses on the theme of working smarter not harder, using interesting case studies and giving gems of advice along the way....

Bagus

The main point of this book could be described simply as: “Do not work harder, but work more effectively.”This book came out of fruition after the author experienced burn-out following the success of his debut book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. He attempted to live in his theory of essentialism, to only strive for the essentials after eliminating non-essential activities and thoughts. But it turns out even after removing the non-essentials, he still felt overwhelmed. Frankly, I...

Denver Public Library

It’s been a tough year or so, and now that so many of us are contemplating the “new normal,” there are lots more things to make us anxious. And anxiety can cause us to just shut down. Greg McKeown’s Effortless is just the guide you need to help ease you into recognizing that instead of “pushing yourself harder, you find an easier path.” McKeown sets the tone in the introduction, titled “Not Everything Has to Be So Hard” (which I love, and have adopted as my internal mantra). The rest of the book...

Tonya Dalton

Greg McKeown set the bar high with his first book, Essentialism so when I got an opportunity to read an advance copy of Effortless, I jumped at the chance. Effortless is a solid follow up to for anyone who loved reading Essentialism as it builds off the foundation McKeown built of living a life focusing on what's essential. That said, this book also stands alone on its own merit--you don't have to have read his first book to be able to shift your thought patterns or take action on the many piece...

Annie

(4/5)

This book is filled with excellent advice on focusing on the essentials and finding simpler ways of doing things. I suggest reading the summary at the end of the chapter and then start at the beginning of the chapter. Some of the concepts are better summarized at the end than described in the chapter with analogies that don't quite fit. A good tip to try is to replace "why is this so hard" with "how can this be easier". So instead of fixing something that was poorly designed, come up with someth...

Laura Tremaine

I like the way McKeown writes and presents ideas. Even if it’s something I’ve heard before, the way he shares it resonates with me. Effortless wasn’t as game changing (for me) as Essentialism, but I still took a lot from this one. It has me looking at everything throughout the day and wondering if there’s a way to make it easier.

Laura Noggle

Love, love McKeown — Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less was one of my favorite books of 2018. 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. Simplicity is key. Reframe the outlook/question from "Why is this so hard?" to "How can this be easier?"

Nopadol Rompho

One of the best books I've read. There is always an easy way to success. We just need to find it. Strongly recommended.

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Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

More books from Greg McKeown

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less & Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World 2 Books Collection Set

Essentialism / The One Thing / Deep Work / Getting Things Done

The One Thing / Essentialism / So Good They Cant Ignore You / Deep Work

The One Thing / Essentialism The Disciplined Pursuit Of Less

Effortless: Wie man sich mühelos auf das Wichtigste konzentriert

एसेंशियलिज़्म : Essentialism

Dritto al sodo (Italian Edition)

Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

Sin esfuerzo [Effortless]: Facilita lo que me importa [Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most]

Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

Sin esfuerzo: Facilita lo que me importa

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Tamil Edition)

Есенциализъм: Фокусиране върху същественото

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