#456. Time Management for Mortals | Oliver Burkeman

In a culture that values persistent productivity, one can be left feeling chronically behind. 

In this episode, author and recovering time management junkie, Oliver Burkeman encourages us to stop scrambling to fit it all in by exploring the relationship between our mortality and getting things done. 

Oliver Burkeman is the author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Former guest Adam Grant has called it, “The most important book ever written about time management.” This is Oliver’s second appearance on the show. Burkeman joined us on the show a few years ago to talk about his other book, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. He also writes a bi-weekly email newsletter called The Imperfectionist.

 In this episode we talk about: 

• Why accepting mortality is a crucial step in improving our relationship to time
• His conviction that it’s not about being more efficient. It’s about knowing what to neglect
• Patience as a superpower and the impatience spiral
• The benefits of burning bridges
• Becoming a better procrastinator
• The benefits of rest
• What he calls “cosmic insignificance therapy”
• Practical tips, such as the “fixed volume approach to productivity,” the value of serialization, and strategic underachievement

Where to find Oliver Burkeman online: 

Website: oliverburkeman.com

Social Media:

• Twitter: @oliverburkeman
• Facebook: facebook.com/oburkeman

Books Mentioned:

• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.
• The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Oliver’s First Appearance on TPH
• Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World by Iddo Landau
• Martin Heidegger
• Jennifer Roberts
• Decisions and Revisions: The Affective Forecasting of Changeable Outcomes
• We Blew Up A Watermelon And Everyone Lost Their Freaking Minds
• How Writers Journey to Comfort and Fluency: A Psychological Adventure
• Priorities and Posteriorities
• Deep Work
• Digital Minimalism