Time Management for Mortals

Four Thousand Weeks

Oliver Burkeman

Cover of Four Thousand Weeks
Four Thousand Weeks
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Four Thousand Weeks

Time Management for Mortals

Portrait of Oliver Burkeman
Written byOliver Burkeman

Oliver Burkeman reminds us that an average life lasts about four thousand weeks, and offers a kinder, more honest way to think about time and productivity.

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  • Published2021
  • GenreProductivity
  • Key ideas6
  • Summary1 min read

Read it if you…

  • keep putting off the things that matter

The summary

Key ideas in 1 minute.

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  1. 01Life is short

    About four thousand weeks is not much. Accepting that helps you focus on what matters.

  2. 02You'll never get it all done

    There will always be more to do. Letting go of that fantasy is a relief.

  3. 03Choose what to neglect

    Doing some things well means deliberately leaving other things undone.

  4. 04Limit work in progress

    Work on only a few projects at a time and finish them.

  5. 05Stop rushing

    Some things take as long as they take. Patience often gets better results.

  6. 06Be present

    Life happens now, not in some future when everything is finally sorted.

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Life is short

About four thousand weeks is not much. Accepting that helps you focus on what matters. Pick one small way to put this into practice before tonight.

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“A life spent chasing the mythical state of being able to do everything is less meaningful than a life of focusing on a few things that count.”

— Oliver Burkeman

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Photos via Wikimedia Commons — Oliver Burkeman: Vera de Kok · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons