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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
2,236 global ratings
5 star
69%
4 star
21%
3 star
7%
2 star
2%
1 star
1%
Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

byGreg McKeown
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Top positive review

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edsetiadi
5.0 out of 5 starsHow to do things effortlessly
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 9, 2022
How can we become effortless in what we do? There are so many things covered by this book, but these are the essentials:

Make the most essential activities the easiest ones. Stop filling our head with unnecessary thoughts or needless emotional burdens, clear up the clutter in our head and heart. Make our tasks fun to do. Rest properly and don’t overload ourself or push ourself to burnout. Break our tasks down into several steps and make the first step very easy to do. Set a manageable pace. Start with trash and edit as we progress forward.

Moreover, get rid of unnecessary add-ons. Simplify. Automate functions that can be automated. Have a checklist or a cheat sheet. Seek to understand the principles of things (the why and the how) rather than only the isolated info (the what). Write clear messages that are hard to misinterpret. Leverage trust. Prevent problem before it happens. Define what “done” looks like. Produce residual results. Find ways to make every day a little easier.

McKeown then ends the book with a very moving story that completes it in a full circle, story that inspired him to produce the effortless principles, which prompted him to conclude that “Whatever has happened to you in life. Whatever hardship. Whatever pain. However significant those things are. They pale in comparison to the power you have to choose what to do now.”

Indeed, whatever tasks or challenges we have in front of us we can choose to tackle them by overcomplicate things or we can decide to do them effortlessly. The way we respond is still within our control. And this is deep, coming from his own personal experience.

“The Effortless State is an experience many of us have had when we are physically rested, emotionally unburdened, and mentally energized. You are completely aware, alert, present, attentive, and focused on what’s important in this moment. You are able to focus on what matters most with ease.” McKeown couldn’t summarize it any better. Hope Eve can recover and get back into her old vivacious self.
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27 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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T.Lee
3.0 out of 5 starsNot as strong as the first.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 3, 2022
The writing style is still the same, digestible and easy to follow. And the breakdown at every chapter is helpful to recap the contents.

But this book is more of a string of colloquial anecdotes and business jargon. It feels like any other Self-help/Business Improvement book. Not like Essentialism, which felt nuanced and original. Didn't captive my imagination.

Read every couple of years, or just the highlights at the end of each chapter, when needed. Still worth checking out though.
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2 people found this helpful

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From the United States

edsetiadi
5.0 out of 5 stars How to do things effortlessly
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
How can we become effortless in what we do? There are so many things covered by this book, but these are the essentials:

Make the most essential activities the easiest ones. Stop filling our head with unnecessary thoughts or needless emotional burdens, clear up the clutter in our head and heart. Make our tasks fun to do. Rest properly and don’t overload ourself or push ourself to burnout. Break our tasks down into several steps and make the first step very easy to do. Set a manageable pace. Start with trash and edit as we progress forward.

Moreover, get rid of unnecessary add-ons. Simplify. Automate functions that can be automated. Have a checklist or a cheat sheet. Seek to understand the principles of things (the why and the how) rather than only the isolated info (the what). Write clear messages that are hard to misinterpret. Leverage trust. Prevent problem before it happens. Define what “done” looks like. Produce residual results. Find ways to make every day a little easier.

McKeown then ends the book with a very moving story that completes it in a full circle, story that inspired him to produce the effortless principles, which prompted him to conclude that “Whatever has happened to you in life. Whatever hardship. Whatever pain. However significant those things are. They pale in comparison to the power you have to choose what to do now.”

Indeed, whatever tasks or challenges we have in front of us we can choose to tackle them by overcomplicate things or we can decide to do them effortlessly. The way we respond is still within our control. And this is deep, coming from his own personal experience.

“The Effortless State is an experience many of us have had when we are physically rested, emotionally unburdened, and mentally energized. You are completely aware, alert, present, attentive, and focused on what’s important in this moment. You are able to focus on what matters most with ease.” McKeown couldn’t summarize it any better. Hope Eve can recover and get back into her old vivacious self.
27 people found this helpful
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Eric
5.0 out of 5 stars Mental effort is optional
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
If you are someone that has a limiting belief that all worthwhile things must be hard, then this book is for you.

I once had this naive belief that all things worthwhile must be hard, when in reality that is not the case. How much mental effort we put into something is completely up to us.

Now only caveat is at first this does sound like BS, and initially when starting out it will feel hard to change the belief. But once you accept that the mental difficulty is completely up to you, then you have the power to make changes in your life.
3 people found this helpful
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Rmes
5.0 out of 5 stars Two winners in a row!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
It's pretty rare that an author in this genre comes out with one life changing book (Essentialism), and then their second book is *totally different* and also completely transformative. But Greg McKeown has done it again. This book is everything. It is that one long exhale of a breath you've been holding for years.

After a year of trying sooooo hard, I'm left with more work than I could ever complete, and a medical condition caused by the combination of stress and bad posture (I'm literally writing this review from the doctor's office). I've been waiting for this book for months, and it definitely delivered.

Most of these things are ideas that you might have heard somewhere before, but seeing them all codified into a single trajectory is immensely helpful. I used to read Essentialism, his first book, every year or two since it came out -- I will definitely be reading Effortless over and over again as well.

Interestingly: there are some people who write books because they have a detached, breezy mastery of their subject. This is not the case here. You get the sense that this author has struggled and still struggles with everything he talks about. Which I think makes the book incredibly effective, because he's laying out a practical, tested method that he himself has had to use. He's writing from lived experience.
133 people found this helpful
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Lovee
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful! Not Jus Another Business Book
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
I’m speechless! . . . I was thrilled to see that there was another book following on the heels of the life changing Essentialism that I read last year during lockdown. I’m still listening to and applying that one. As soon as I saw that Effortless was to be released, I pre-ordered it. I have been reading it since it arrived on my Kindle. I tried to stretch it and apply it, but I couldn’t put it down.

I gave it five stars because it deserves so much more. In addition to being very well written, it is also very human. It’s popular in business circles, but it’s so much more it’s about life. He explains how to make it easier to do what is essential to us because he has done so. Those who have read Essentialism will not be disappointed. Those who have not will want to read both books more than once. One thing, though, is that the first one has professional narration available with whisper sync. I hope this becomes available for Effortless, because it makes re-reading practically effortless. You will want to read it again. It’s so human! Read the book!
102 people found this helpful
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Novel Teen
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring book
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
I initially checked out this book from my library because a friend recommend it to me, and I enjoyed it so much I had to buy my own copy. It spoke to the work-o-holic, overachiever in me and gave me some good tips to make life easier. Two that come to mind are:

• When I catch myself complaining, turn it into something I’m grateful for, and
• When I catch myself ruminating over past situations where I felt wronged, ask myself what I’ve hired that grudge to do for me. Odds are I’m wasting needless energy on something I need to let go of. 😬

Greg McKeown says that the effortless way isn't the lazy way. It's the smart way. And while not every hard thing in life can be made easy, we can make it easier to do more of what matters most. 🙌🏻

I highly recommend this book. It encouraged me. ♥️
106 people found this helpful
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SM ❤️
5.0 out of 5 stars Effortless: Make it Easier to Do What Matters Most
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
After reading Essentialist from him, I was expecting something spectacular in his next book and Greg Mckeown accomplished my expectations.
It’s easy to read, enough introspective to think about it and easy to apply step by step in an ordinary life.
Effortless is an inspiration and the confirmation about what I believe is life: a path of non resistance.
4 people found this helpful
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Vivian
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great book if you're looking for help managing your life, in general
2 people found this helpful
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Wayne Mullins
5.0 out of 5 stars Busyness is NOT a badge of Honor
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
We live in a world that never sleeps. There is always something (or someone) vying for our time and attention. But what happens when we simply have no more to give… When we reach the point of burnout?

Do we step back to analyze and evaluate what needs to change? Or do we (like so many others in our society) wear our burnout as a badge of honor, as something to prove our abilities and work ethic?

Before the book really begins - in the Introduction - McKeown points out, “Burnout is not a badge of honor.”

We know this to be true, and yet we still struggle to “fit it all in,” and to out “hustle” the next person. It’s as if we’ve been conditioned to burnout - and then brag about it.

Fortunately, Effortless offers us a chance to reprogram our thinking and challenge our assumptions. McKeown provides a clear roadmap for not only discovering what’s essential, but for ensuring we are doing them in the right way: Effortlessly.
Customer image
Wayne Mullins
5.0 out of 5 stars Busyness is NOT a badge of Honor
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 3, 2021
We live in a world that never sleeps. There is always something (or someone) vying for our time and attention. But what happens when we simply have no more to give… When we reach the point of burnout?

Do we step back to analyze and evaluate what needs to change? Or do we (like so many others in our society) wear our burnout as a badge of honor, as something to prove our abilities and work ethic?

Before the book really begins - in the Introduction - McKeown points out, “Burnout is not a badge of honor.”

We know this to be true, and yet we still struggle to “fit it all in,” and to out “hustle” the next person. It’s as if we’ve been conditioned to burnout - and then brag about it.

Fortunately, Effortless offers us a chance to reprogram our thinking and challenge our assumptions. McKeown provides a clear roadmap for not only discovering what’s essential, but for ensuring we are doing them in the right way: Effortlessly.
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133 people found this helpful
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Jonathan Godwin
4.0 out of 5 stars Another winning book from Greg McKeown
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 30, 2022
Verified Purchase
I was such a fan of Essentialism when it came out. I wasn’t sure if I would like this book as much, but immediately after finishing it, I can say that it was just as full of great information and helpful tips for establishing a rhythm of working smarter. As an entrepreneur I continually seek ways to do more with less effort, so I feel like this book and the highlighted passages will be useful to me for quite some time.
19 people found this helpful
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Barbermommy
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I needed!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
Effortless is the exact message I needed at this moment. More and more often It feels like the only answer is to accomplishing the endless responsibilities we all face is to simply power through - to work harder, longer, with more effort. Effortless offers an alternate path by asking the question, "What if this could be easy?"

It seems simple, but just that tiny shift in thinking has already changed the way I approach my most important tasks - and it really works. The idea that important tasks don't have to be grueling challenged my current thinking. What I love most are the quick, actionable ideas. Today, I've already paired working out with listening to my favorite podcast.

I'm starting a new project this week and instead of being overwhelmed by everything I have to do, I've identified what done looks like and the first action I need to complete.

If you want to make your most important tasks easier - you need to read this book.
134 people found this helpful
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