It was a booklist. This substacker got me to sign up with the promise of a list of books that changed his life.

Yes please! (side note: would my substack readers like a booklist? Stay tuned!)

It was a nice booklist. I found one of the books at the library, and after a couple weeks on the waitlist I got it. ESSENTIALISM: The disciplined pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

I’m trying to read books again not just audio, now that my eyes aren’t as tired as they were on chemo. A business self-help-y serious book that I read with my eyes open is a familiar habit I’d lost.

His idea is that people must do fewer things, and only the things that are truly essential.

I remembered another old habit: arguing with the book I’m reading.

Ok, book. Hey, I am a fan of Peter Drucker too: “Do first things first, and second things not at all.”

…said no woman ever…

Which am I supposed to do, Mr. McKeown—Breathe or eat?

There are always competing things to prioritize. I kept reading and found a section I could vibe with better: “in every set of facts, something essential is hidden…finding it involves exploring those pieces of information and figuring out the relationship between them.”

Here is why I still want to read the book. We agree on this. That is a huge part of my career, and one of the things I like. What is the things that when linked make the essence?

The throbbing deficiency is the most important thing. 

Humble things can be unbearable in their absence. And the lack so quickly forgotten once it is filled, to be upstaged by the next hunger pain.

It’s true-ish, only focusing on the essentials. It’s kind of like trying to be perfect. I will never get there, but I never want to stop trying. And for what it’s worth, I haven’t finished the book.