In this episode, I talk to bestselling author Oliver Burkeman about his latest book Four Thousand Weeks. On the surface, it’s easy to mistake it for another self-help book on time management. But instead of enthusing about productivity hacks, Oliver challenges his readers to confront the finite nature of humanity. By doing so, he argues we can live fuller lives—without having to always carry the fear of missing out. We also touch on the topics of procrastination, positive psychology, flow, realism, deep time, and patience.
Bio
Oliver Burkeman is a journalist for The Guardian. From 2006 to 2020, he wrote the popular weekly column on psychology called “This Column Will Change Your Life”. He is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking and Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done. In 2015, he won the Foreign Press Association’s Young Journalist of the Year award, and has been short-listed for the Orwell Prize. His most recent book is Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.
Website: www.oliverburkeman.com
Twitter: @oliverburkeman
Topics
- The efficiency trap
- Accepting human limitations
- Why we handicap ourselves
- How to be a better procrastinator
- Each activity is paid for with your life
- The joy of missing out
- Harness more deep time
- The common theme of Oliver’s books
- Realism and doing the impossible
- Productivity and self-worth
- Embracing boredom instead of acceleration
- Developing a taste for problems
- Radical incrementalism
- “Originality lies on the far side of unoriginality”
- How time management distracts us from wonder
- Oliver’s approach to new year resolutions