Ep170: How to Avoid Burnout and Live a More ‘Effortless’ Life | with Greg McKeown

Optimize Yourself

"There are two kinds of people in the world - people who are burned out, and people who know they are burned out."

- Greg McKeown

There is an epidemic of exhaustion and burnout in not only Hollywood but globally across countless industries. The culture of overwork and exploitation specifically in the entertainment industry is beyond toxic at this point, and something needs to change. My theory is that many of the people at the top in Hollywood did not get there because they are always the best at what they do or because they are great leaders. I believe a lot of those who dictate how the industry works got where they are today because they have simply been willing to endure the most abuse, and they are the ones willing to maintain the status quo - i.e., saving money at the expense of saving lives.

“The Great Resignation” is evidence that people are fed up with the status quo. The old model of “work longer and harder” is not a tenable model anymore. There are no more hours left in the day to work harder, therefore finding a way to work smarter is the only solution left. Luckily, there is a new model already out there, and my guest today, best selling author Greg McKeown, is here to tell us all about how to live not only an essential but also an effortless life.

Greg is a return guest who made his first appearance on the show to talk about his book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (which I thought so highly of I included it as core curriculum in my Focus Yourself program). His latest book, Effortless: Make it Easier to do What Matters Most, picks up where Essentialism left off. After making his own life "essential" and achieving great success from his book, Greg found that ironically he could no longer even fit just the essential things in his life anymore. He was doing all the right things, but he was doing them the wrong way. And in today’s conversation Greg and I discuss how we all can apply his Effortless model to both make our lives easier while also having a positive effect on our work culture as a whole.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Recap of Essentialism for the uninitiated.
• How the success of Essentialism led him to a new problem and his new book.
• How to apply the concept of the three rocks to you life.
• Why the old way of thinking that working harder is what will get you success is not sustainable anymore.
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Ask yourself "how am I making this harder than I need to?"
• Greg reveals his true feelings and best insights of the culture of Hollywood based on his experience working in a wide variety of industries.
• Why Greg believes competition against Hollywood is a good thing.
• How the pandemic has led to more burnout than ever before.
• Greg’s mindset for adapting to the pandemic and how it led to greater success in his career.
• The pandemic created an experience of involuntary essentialism for many people.
• An illustration of how the effortless way led to greater success in a race to the South Pole.
• The importance of knowing your lower bounds and upper bounds of any particular task or endeavor.
• How I changed my ANW workout routine to make it more effortless and the results I achieved from it.
• Greg explains the difference between running hard and running fast.
• Why we should reject the motto: No pain. No gain.
• How gratitude helped Greg make dealing with his daughter's illness easier.
• One simple rule for practicing gratitude.
• The advice he received that inspired the idea of effortless.

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Greg McKeown - Essentialism Advocate | Inspirational Speaker | Bestselling Author

Ep34: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less | with Greg McKeown

Effortless - Greg McKeown

Essentialism - The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Amundsen vs Scott: The Deadly Race to the South Pole - Life in Norway

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Our Generous Sponsor:

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Guest Bio:

Greg McKeown is a speaker, a bestselling author, and the host of the popular podcast What’s Essential. He has been covered by The New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, Politico, and Inc., has been interviewed on NPR, NBC, Fox, and The Steve Harvey Show, and is among the most popular bloggers for LinkedIn. He is also a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum. McKeown’s New York Times bestselling book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less has sold more than a million copies worldwide. Originally from London, England, he now lives in California with his wife, Anna, and their four children.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).