Good Read
February 2023

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

Oliver Burkeman
Four Thousand Weeks

Oliver Burkeman had tried every time-saving life hack in the book. Author of a productivity column at The Guardian, it was his job to find ways to help people make the most of their time. From experimenting with the Pomodoro Technique to scheduling his entire day in 15 minute blocks, Burkeman felt he was on the verge of reaching a nirvana of efficient, yet unhurried, productivity and contentment. Except that day never came.  Instead, he found himself more stressed and less happy, all while perhaps getting just a little bit more done. Worst of all, he found that the more he tried to conquer his to-do list, the more time he devoted to the least meaningful things.

Oliver Burkeman now has a new approach. In Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, he advocates for, not one more life hack, but embracing our finitude.  A time management book in name only, Four Thousand Weeks makes the case that accepting our limitations can be both freeing and illuminating, revealing what really matters. Drawing on the work of philosophers, psychologists, and even the occasional guru, Burkeman calls readers to reflect on the attitudes that drive them to hurried busyness in the first place. With surprising advice, like encouraging readers to celebrate missing out, he asks his audience to reflect on their mortality and cosmic insignificance, letting that transform how they approach their everyday lives.