I’d recommend starting with his previous book (Essentialism).
This is a great book for type-A people who feel they are close to burning out. The book will be a great resource for people who’ve been embracing the “hustle hard” mentality but are wondering if they are going to have to keep it up for the rest of their lives.
It will be a great read for achievers, overachievers, people who struggle with letting go, but are looking for a better and smoother way of being successful.
Flow: 5/5
Actionability: 4/5
Mindset: 4/5
Some of My Highlights:
“The marginal return of working harder was, in fact, negative.”
“I didn’t write this book to downplay these burdens; I wrote it to help you lighten them.”
“Essentialism was about doing the right things; Effortless is about doing them in the right way.”
“Perfectionism makes essential projects hard to start, self-doubt makes them hard to finish, and trying to do too much, too fast, makes it hard to sustain momentum.”
“With residual results you put in the effort once and reap the benefits again and again.”
“How can I make it easier to do what matters most?”
“And because our brains are programmed to prioritize emotions with high ‘affective value’ -like fear, resentment, or anger- these strong emotions will generally win out, leaving us with even fewer mental resources to devote to making progress on the things that matter.”
“But lighter also means more full of light. When you remove the burdens in your heat and the distractions in your mind, you are able to see more clearly.”
“The Effortless State is one in which you are physically rested, emotionally unburdened, and mentally energized.”
“Free of the assumptions that make your problem look hard, you would be surprised how often an easier solution appears.”
“It’s also our collective delusion that overwork and burnout are the price we must pay in order to succeed.” – Arianna Huffington
“In Buffett’s words, “I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.”
“Momentum grows with the force of gravity. Execution becomes more effortless.”
“Why would we endure essential activities when we can enjoy them instead? By pairing essential activities with enjoyable ones, we can make tackling even the most tedious and overwhelming tasks even more effortless.”
“Rituals make essential habits easier to sustain by infusing the habits with meaning.”
“How when Beethoven prepared his coffee each morning, he would count, one by one, exactly sixty beans for his cup.”
“Stormtroopers take many forms: regrets that continue to haunt us, grudges we can’t seem to let go of, expectations that were realistic at some point but are now getting in our way.”
“Positive emotions open us to new perspectives and possibilities. Our openness encourages creative ideas and fosters social bonds.”
“…to create a habit we simply need to look for something we already do and then attach a new behavior to it.”
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou