Meditations for Mortals: Four weeks to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts

by Oliver Burkeman

From the international bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks comes a four-week journey to embracing your limitations, thriving in an age of bewilderment, and finally making time for what counts.

Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman’s breakout international bestseller, touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of readers. Inspired and moved by Burkeman’s investigation into how to live unblinkingly in the face of our limited time on earth, some of them changed their they made big decisions to rethink careers, relationships, priorities, and misguided assumptions about productivity.

In Meditations for Mortals, Burkeman brings the themes and questions at the heart of Four Thousand Weeks — time, mortality, imperfection, productivity, and how to live fully and deeply even when things are most challenging — into the heart of our daily lives. How do we embrace the reality of our finiteness? How do we make decisions and act with conviction when there is always too much to do and failure is inevitable? How do we find a deeper sense of purpose when we realise that life is not a problem to be solved? How does care for others make us more free?

Comprised of four weeks of extended reflections on inspiring quotations — drawn from philosophy, religion, literature, psychology, and self-help — Burkeman’s latest is the perfect companion during a time of turbulence and pervasive a source of solace and enlightenment, inspiration and insight, and humour and provocation. The result is a winking challenge to the usual self-help platitudes — a surprising and entertaining crash course in living meaningfully.

Praise for Four Thousand Weeks:

'Wonderful' The Times
'Perfectly pitched somewhere between practical self-help and philosophical quest' Observer
'Wise' Mail on Sunday
'Full of such sage and sane advice, delivered with dry wit and a benevolent tone' Guardian

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Psychology, Audiobook, Personal Development, Productivity

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 12, 2024

Reviews

[Lisa of Troy · Rating 2 out of 5]

That subtitle hooked me – Four weeks to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts.

And to be sure, the book does have an enticing layout, 28 daily meditations, manageable, bite-size philosophies to contemplate.

If Henry David Thoreau wrote this, I would have enjoyed it because we are both transcendentalists; we both share the same values. However, I don’t subscribe to the author’s philosophies.

Meditations for Mortals primarily doles out glib advice. For example, one meditation involves minding our own business.

But the world should be more loving. For example, my first job was working at Sears as a cashier. At this store, you could leave immediately after closing time if your cash registers were counted. However, an unlucky cashier might have a late customer and get stuck. This wasn’t a policy or a corporate mandate, but we would always ask the remaining cashier, “Can I do anything to help? Can I take your trash?”

This. This right here is what the world needs more of. Less judgment and more love.

*Thanks, NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.

The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Electronic Text – Free/Nada/Zilch through NetGalley

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[Liong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think nobody is perfect, and that is okay. 😉

I try to explain the messages given in this book.

We all have limits to what we can do and our energy.

Focus on what truly matters to you such as spending time with loved ones or enjoying your hobbies.

Life doesn’t always go as planned, and that’s fine. Learn to relax and go with the flow.

Stay present and enjoy the moment, rather than worrying about the past or future.

Follow a simple four-week plan to think about your habits and slowly bring these ideas into your daily life.

Practice mindfulness to feel less stressed about time and focus on the now.

Mindfulness means noticing your thoughts and feelings, which can help you feel calmer and happier.

This book shows you how to live a more peaceful and meaningful life.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic, although not an entirely accurate title. Burkeman delivers a book that’s less meditation and more modern philosophy meets mindset coaching. I went into this expecting a series of exercises for de-stressing, maybe breath work or visualisation techniques. What I got instead, in a happy surprise, was nuggets of philosophical wisdom, spread across 28 chapters, designed to be consumed one day each for a month. I sped-ran the month and did the whole thing in two days, but I know that this will be a book that I’ll be listening to again and again. It’s not exactly one you can read once and be done with.

Burkeman covers a wide range of topics over the 28 chapters. Many of them (most, actually) are packaged in his unique blend of nihilistic optimism — the world is fucked and we’re all gonna die anyways so why not do the thing that makes you happy? You will never be able to read every book and finish every task that you want to complete, but that’s normal and that’s fine. It’s a condition of being what Burkeman calls a “finite human”.

One of the most enduring messages that stuck with me was when Burkeman describes how too many people hold the unconscious mindset of life being something that will eventually happen to them. That they will be happy “once I lose weight” or “once I make enough money” or “once I have a partner”. That everything in the present is like a “trial run” for the “real” and better life that comes later. Except, of course, that’s not true. There is no “later”, “better” life, because the life you’re living right now is the only one you have. If you spend your whole life preparing for another run, you’ll waste the only one you have.

It might seem like an obvious revelation to you, but that’s the beauty of Burkeman’s book and the variety of his ideas. Depending on who you are, different messages will have different impacts. I’m not a particularly anxiety-prone person, so the chapters on worrying and people-pleasing weren’t that relevant to me, but I do have a chronic problem with perfectionism, so those chapters stood out to me.

Meditation for Mortals is a snappy alliterative title, but is not quite what I got out of this book. To me, Burkeman’s book seems much more valuable than that. It’s the rare kind of self-help book that I think everyone would benefit from, albeit in a different way. It doesn’t present systems or schedules or apps or habits that promise to make you a productivity beast. Instead, it goes deeper, and tackles the core philosophy and psychology of what holds us back as humans with fears and doubts about the future. How can we achieve our goals with limited time and energy? How can we discover and forge the life that we want for ourselves? How can we find peace in a world of infinite information? …Not exactly the breathing exercises I expected, but a much more valuable lesson.

[Maziyar Yf · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب تاملاتی برای انسان فانی نوشته الیور برکمن، روزنامه نگار و نویسنده انگلیسی به بررسی مفهوم محدودیت‌های انسانی و چگونگی مواجهه با آن می‌پردازد. این کتاب به خواننده می آموزد که چگونه در مسیر زندگی قدم بردارد تا تصورات کمال‌گرایانه مانعی برای لذت بردن از لحظات نباشد.
این کتاب در ۲۸ فصل نوشته شده و نویسنده کوشیده به چالش‌های مدیریت زمان و زندگی در دنیای مدرن پرداخته و رویکردی متفاوت و فلسفی در این زمینه ارائه ‌دهد. برکمن تلاش کرده تا فرد را با خود و محدودیت‌هایش روبرو کند و به او بیا‌موزد که چگونه با پذیرش این محدودیت‌ها، به آرامش حقیقی دست یابد. این گونه او با تکیه بر تجربیات شخصی و دیدگاه‌های فلسفی، به خواننده کمک می‌کند تا با واقعیت‌های زندگی روبرو شود و از لحظات کنونی لذت ببرد.
برکمن در این کتاب به این ایده پرداخته که تلاش‌ها برای بهینه‌سازی زمان و انجام کارهای بیشتر، اغلب منجر به استرس و اضطراب بیشتر می‌شود. او استدلال می‌کند که انسان باید محدودیت‌های خود را پذیرفته و به جای تلاش برای انجام همه کارها، بر روی انتخاب کارهای مهم و معنادار تمرکز کند . نویسنده برای مطالعه کتاب یک برنامه چهار هفته‌ای برای تغییر نگرش و سبک زندگی پیشنهاد داده ، خواندن هر بخش کتاب در یک شب ، خواندن هر فصل در یک هفته . این گونه او می خواهد که به خواننده کمک ‌کند تا با محدودیت‌های خود کنار بیاید و زندگی با معنا داشته باشد.
هفته اول کتاب بر آزادی ناشی از پذیرش شکست و محدودیت‌های ذاتی انسان تمرکز دارد. در این هفته، الیور برکمن از خواننده می خواهد تا با دیدگاهی جدید به مفهوم شکست و محدودیت‌ها نگاه کند. او به خواننده یادآوری می‌کند که انسان موجودی کامل نیست و همواره با محدودیت‌ها و ناکامی‌هایی روبروست. تلاش برای انکار این واقعیت و رسیدن به کمال مطلق، نه تنها غیرممکن است، بلکه می‌تواند منجر به استرس، اضطراب و احساس نارضایتی دائمی شود.
هفته دوم ، کتاب به موضوع ایجاد تعادل در زندگی و اهمیت انعطاف‌پذیری در قوانین و روال‌ها می‌پردازد. در این بخش، برکمن به خواننده کمک می‌کند تا درک بهتری از چگونگی ایجاد قوانینی داشته باشد که نه تنها به زندگی‌اش نظم می‌ دهند، بلکه به او آزادی و انعطاف‌پذیری نیز می‌دهند. از نگاه برکمن بسیاری در تلاش برای مدیریت زمان و زندگی خود، در دام قوانین و روال‌های سخت و غیرقابل انعطاف گیر می کنند . این قوانین، که اغلب با هدف افزایش بهره‌وری و کاهش استرس ایجاد می‌شوند، در نهایت می‌توانند منجر به احساس محدودیت و خستگی شوند.
در نهایت، هفته دوم ، کتاب به خواننده کمک می‌کند تا با ایجاد قوانین و روال‌های انعطاف‌پذیر، زندگی متعادل‌تر و شادتری داشته باشد. این تعادل، به انسان اجازه می‌دهد تا با تمرکز بر چیزهایی که واقعا مهم هستند، از زندگی خود لذت ببرد .
هفته سوم را شاید بتوان مانند سفری برای خودشناسی و تطبیق زندگی با ارزش‌های بنیادین دانست . در این مسیر، شناخت عمیق‌تر از خود، گامی ضروری است برای اتخاذ تصمیماتی که نه تنها با اهداف کوتاه‌مدت، بلکه با ارزش‌ها و اولویت‌های بلندمدت همسو باشند.
خودشناسی به معنای درک عمیق از نقاط قوت و ضعف، ارزش‌ها، علایق، ترس‌ها و انگیزه‌های درونی است. این شناخت به فهم اولویت های زندگی ، ارزش ها ، فرآیند تصمیم گیری و ایجاد تعادل بین خواسته‌های خود و واقعیت‌های زندگی .
هفته چهارم و پایانی کتاب، نقطه عطفی است برای تحقق بخشیدن به رویاها و به ثمر رساندن تلاش‌ها. نویسنده در این مرحله، بر قدرت تکمیل و جادوی حاصل از اتمام کارها تأکید کرده. نویسنده به پایان رساندن یک پروژه یا هدف را نه تنها به معنای اتمام آن، بلکه به معنای باز کردن فضایی جدید برای شروع کارهای دیگر می داند . این فضا، می‌تواند شامل ایده‌های نو، فرصت‌های جدید و تجربیات ارزشمند باشد . همچنین برکمن خواننده را به یافتن رسالت یا مفهوم زندگی همخوان با استعدادها و علایق و ارزش های او تشویق می کند . از نگاه برکمن ، وظیفه زندگی، کاری است که بیشترین معنا را دارد و با هدف کلی زندگی نیز هماهنگ است. انجام این کار، نه تنها به خود، بلکه به جامعه نیز سود می‌رساند.
در پایان تاملاتی برای انسان فانی کتابی است که با نگاهی واقع‌بینانه و بدون هیچگونه شعار و امید واهی، یادآوری می‌کند که زندگی مجموعه‌ای از لحظات خوب و بد است و برای لذت بردن از آن، باید محدودیت‌ها را پذیرفت، در لحظه زندگی کرد و معنای زندگی را فهمید .
اما رویکرد انتزاعی و عدم ارائه راهکارهای عملی و ملموس، کتاب برکمن را از تبدیل شدن به اثری الهام‌بخش بازداشته و آن را به اثری معمولی، شعاری و در نهایت دلسردکننده تبدیل کرده است. این فقدان راه‌حل‌های مشخص، خواننده را در درک چگونگی عملی کردن ایده‌های مطرح‌شده ناکام می‌گذارد.
به جای ارائه استراتژی‌های قابل اجرا، کتاب بیشتر به بیان مفاهیم کلی بسنده می‌کند، که این امر برای خوانندگانی که به دنبال راهنمایی گام‌به‌گام هستند، ناکافی است. این عدم تعادل بین تئوری و عمل، ارزش کتاب را کاهش داده و آن را در حد یک بحث نظری باقی می‌گذارد.

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve previously read two books by Oliver Burkeman: The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking (an anti-self-help treatise) and Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (which urges us to maintain perspective on what’s important in our short lives). Both are just great! Like the previous two books, Meditations for Mortals helps us to pay attention to what’s important in our lives and, in particular, to embrace imperfection as a way of living fully, living one’s best life. And the book is very much about developing a meaningful practice in whatever sphere or activity or creativity calls you.

The title of the current volume says a lot. These are meditations for mortals — that is, for people who have finite lives and limited time, who will never accomplish everything they want, or become the superstars of their fantasies. Oh, I guess that includes just about every one of us.

The book is divided into four sections titled Being Finite, Taking Action, Letting Go, and Showing Up. Showing up is the most important step to getting anything done. These comprise 28 short chapters, or meditations, one for each of 28 days, if you care to read it that way. It’s probably a good idea to read one meditation a day and let it sink in. Or even to spread them out over a longer span, taking time to actually meditate on the subject and think deeply about how it relates to one’s own attitudes, behaviors, and life. I admit that I read it through, at least for a first read, much more quickly, but with many notes and bookmarks to chapters of special interest to me.

While Burkeman’s ideas were familiar to me, I picked up several good strategies that I intend to focus on in my own life. For instance, in the first section, I love the idea of a “Done List,” instead of a “To Do List.” Think of how much better it will make you feel to check off what you’ve done, instead of obsessing over the impossibly long list of all you want to do. In section two, I was especially drawn to the importance of finishing things — but with a realistic conception of when something is finished. That is, break large tasks down into smaller, discrete steps that can be more easily finished than an entire multi-stage project. I also love the idea of a “dailyish” routine, rather than a daily one. This way, you get all the benefits of a regular practice but don’t have to beat yourself up for missing a day or two each week.

And I love the idea of pursuing quantity over quality. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. This is the most valuable takeaway for me. I’m resolved to go directly to my study and paint 10 paintings — quickly, freely, badly if need be — instead of laboring over one. Laboring just results in something that looks labored. Just paint, or write or document ideas for your business plan or cook — but first, fire your inner quality controller. Often, writes Burkeman, “the way to have the best ideas, and to produce the best work, is to develop an ability to forget about trying to control the quality of your output. And the easiest way to do that is to focus on quantity instead.” Quantity overpowers perfectionism. Whatever it is that you want to do well, first do it badly. Just do it and be sure to have a blast while you’re at it.

I’ve seen this book characterized as “Religion & Spirituality” (I don’t get that) and/or “Self-Help.” But oh, it is so much more. This book is a compact course in philosophy — a philosophy of life that any mortal can relate to and benefit from.

I’m grateful to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and to NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book. The book will be released on October 8, 2024.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone reads Four Thousand Weeks and asks, Listen, that’s all well and good, but what the hell do I actually do? Give them this one. Step by step. Burkeman will tell you to take it a chapter a day. You won’t. That’s fine. Finish it, then go back and take it a chapter a day.

[Bkwmlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to books that fall into the “self-help” category, I’ve never been much of a fan, as I find a majority of these books are “overly-preachy” in tone and oftentimes also employ aggressive-sounding language that essentially tries to shame the reader into following the advice at hand. I’ve always been picky with books, but given this particular pet peeve of mine, I tend to be even more careful when choosing self-help books to read. Two years ago, I came across Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks and upon the recommendation of trusted book friends (who obviously understood my wariness toward self-help books), I read the book and really enjoyed it. One of the things I liked most about that book was how Burkeman presented advice regarding time management and productivity (among other things) that largely ran counter to the advice traditionally presented in business books. As I wrote in my review of that book, Burkeman essentially takes the advice that those time management books preach – the idea of “making more time to get more done” – and throws it out the window. Instead, his message is that since time is finite and most humans are only on this earth for an average of four thousand weeks, it is realistically impossible to get every single thing that we want to do done – so instead of obsessing over how to cram more “to do” stuff into a short time span, it’s better to just make the conscious decision to do what matters most in the moment and accept the consequences (good or bad) of that choice.

Burkeman’s follow-up to that book is Meditations for Mortals , which came out back in September. In this much slimmer book, Burkeman takes the concepts from Four Thousand Weeks and breaks them down into “mediations” across 28 days (4 weeks), with the focus specifically on how to embrace our limitations (or “imperfectionism” as Burkeman puts it) and make those choices that matter. Burkeman wrote the book in a flexible manner where it can either be read all the way through in one or two sittings, or taken in bite-size morsels over a 4 week period (even though I chose to read the book all in one sitting, I appreciate the flexibility that this format provides).

Overall, I actually enjoyed this book more than his previous one, probably because I felt it was more accessible, both content-wise and format-wise. Four Thousand Weeks was a good book, but as I mentioned in my review, it waxed a bit too philosophical in some parts, rendering some of the content a little too abstract. This follow-up is less philosophical and more practical, which made the content easier to digest and remember. The format also makes it easier to go back and re-read particular sections that may be more relevant and applicable than others.

For those who already read Four Thousand Weeks , I highly recommend reading this follow-up, as it synthesizes some of the concepts from there and, in my opinion, enhances that book. If you haven’t read that book yet, I would say no need to go back – just read this one instead.

[Talkincloud]

Wartościowa lektura, podoba mi się styl myślenia autora. O byciu istotą niedoskonałą, o ludzkich ograniczeniach, które trzeba sobie któregoś dnia uświadomić, żeby ruszyć naprzód. Coś o tym wiem. Lubię budować wewnętrzną rzeczywistość na nowo, bez presji. Będę wracał do tej książki.

[Janssen]

I feel like I need my own copy of this

[Larry (LPosse1) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love learning about philosophy (stoicism) and Buddhism. Over the last few years I’ve immersed myself in the study and spirituality of both. This book ties in perfectly.

In Meditations for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman offers a calm, compassionate, and quietly radical reminder: we are finite, limited, and never going to get everything done—and that’s not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be lived with honesty.

Rather than promising better systems or smarter hacks, Burkeman does something far more helpful. He invites us to stop waiting for life to begin once we “catch up.” There is no clearing of the decks. No magical day when anxiety disappears because the inbox is empty. Meaning, he argues, comes from choosing what to attend to despite the fact that most things will be left undone.

The book reads like a modern, secular companion to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations—short reflections meant to be returned to, not rushed through. Many passages felt like gentle Zen nudges: stop trying to master life, show up for it instead. Stop resisting discomfort. Stop treating your attention like a productivity tool and start treating it like a way of being alive.

What resonated most with me was Burkeman’s insistence that smallness is not failure. In a culture obsessed with impact, optimization, and scale, this book affirms the quiet dignity of daily presence, relationships, and imperfect effort. As an educator—and as someone drawn to Stoicism and Buddhism—this felt deeply grounding.

This isn’t a book that “changes your life” overnight. It slowly loosens the grip of unnecessary striving. It offers permission to be human, right now, without earning it first.

Highly recommended for anyone who feels perpetually behind, quietly exhausted, or suspicious that productivity culture has overpromised and underdelivered. Read it slowly and revisit often! 4.5 stars audio/digital immersion

[CatReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a multi-decade reader of productivity books, blogs, etc., I've noticed a shift in recent years towards books on what I've called "anti-productivity" with the underlying messages ranging from:

- "you can't possibly get everything done, so have perspective and focus on what's most important" (exemplified by Burkeman's excellent predecessor to this book, Four Thousand Weeks)
- "you can't possibly get everything done, so just stop stressing out and make peace with that" (i.e., Madeleine Dore's I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt)
- "you can't possibly get everything done, so be a rebel and do nothing" (How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy)
- "you can't possibly get everything done, and by virtue of having the luxury of choice on how to spend your time, you are way too privileged, so you shouldn't do things because some people can't" (I usually don't finish these books, but Devon Price's Laziness Does Not Exist is probably the closest one to that ethos that I did finish)

I would classify Burkeman's Meditations for Mortals as continuation/workbook for people who've previously read and enjoyed his prior book Four Thousand Weeks -- there's not much "new" content, just reiterations and reinforcements of his prior work. If you're considering picking this up and thinking it's the latest and greatest The 4-Hour Workweek or Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, you'll be disappointed, but again, that's not the point.

My statistics:
Book 244 for 2024
Book 1847 cumulatively

[Christian Schultheiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay okay, I firstly am so glad to have finally read/absorbed a book by this frequently recommended author, and second I think I get why so many people truly vibe and take to his works. He’s essentially the psychology version of Neil degrasse Tyson, he takes this broad hugely expansive topic undertakings and through his research and intelligence has found a way to condense it down into the common man’s guide to being and doing good and being completely within someone’s capabilities to complete along a long plane or car ride which I think is fantastic. My only personal gripe and drawback being as a person who loves knowing more and always going deeper, I find myself endlessly wanting deeper and more than just the meat and potatoes so this tickled the itches but left me wanting more and probably inevitably causing another handful of other reads to fall into my near bottomless TBR. Still so very important and really I think sometimes books like these should find their way into classrooms alongside the usual classics because I think they might just make a profound impact if realized and understood early enough. 4.25/5

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite non-fiction book.

Four Thousand Weeks no-joke changed my life with its core idea of embracing finitude and focusing on what matters most. Whereas that book was mostly philosophical in nature, this M4M companion book is almost completely practical application. You’ve embraced the philosophy with one, so now it’s time to implement the ideas.

Brilliant.

Out of the full 28 days of insight, there were only one or two ideas that didn’t totally resonate with my entire being. When coming up with material to talk about in a Youtube vid, I already had ten minutes of talking points from the intro alone. The book helps to increase understanding on why we as productive beings suffer stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. Then it offers new ways of thinking about situations and tools to feel more at peace amidst the chaos. At the very least, this book will help narrow down priorities and empower you to go through life with a little meaning, fulfillment, and grace.

If you can’t tell, I loved this book. I’ve already started in on a second read a few months later and am sure I’ll pick it up again for continued inspirations. The 5-7 minute daily snippets were absorbing, and whenever I started my day with one I experienced a lot more clarity and peace.

Overall, a 5-star winner. If Burkman hadn’t already been one of my gurus before, he absolutely is now.

Recommendations: Read this now if you want to get off the meaningless pursuit of chasing the bottom of endless to-do lists (an impossible task). The book encourages you to read it slowly over the course of 28 days, and I highly recommend that route. It lets you sit with each idea much longer and increases the efficacy at which you can apply it to your life. Consider this an Obsessive Bookseller favorite!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Tracey, Dagmara, and Poochtee! <3

Find me on Booktube at: The Obsessive Bookseller

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

[Heidi]

“You are here. This is it. You don’t much matter- yet you matter as much as anyone ever did. The river of time flows inexorably on; amazingly, confoundingly, marvelously, we get the brief chance to go kayaking in it.”

[Babak · Rating 4 out of 5]

یک. عنوان انگلیسی کتاب این است:
"Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts"
بخواهیم به فارسی ترجمه‌اش کنیم، چنین چیزی خواهد شد: «مراقبه‌هایی برای انسان‌های فانی: چهار هفته برای پذیرفتن محدودیت‌ها و یافتن زمان برای آنچه واقعاً مهم است». کتاب توسط نشر ترجمان با عنوان «تاملاتی برای انسان‌های فانی» ترجمه شده؛ به گمان بنده عنوان انتخاب شده برای خواننده‌ی فارسی‌زبان معنادارتر و جذاب‌تر است. راستش را هم اگر بخواهیم کتاب بیشتر تامل است تا مراقبه به آن مفهومی که معمولاً برای ما فارسی‌زبان‌ها تداعی می‌کند.

دو. ترجمه خوب است. ترجمان عموماً ترجمه‌ی بد ندارد. دمشان گرم!

سه. زیرعنوان کتاب (چهار هفته برای پذیرفتن محدودیت‌ها و یافتن زمان برای آنچه واقعاً مهم است) شاید گونه‌ای از ادعا را مطرح می‌کند؛ از جنس همان‌هایی که در رسانه‌ها و کتاب‌های این روزها زیاد به چشم می‌خورد و به شما وعده‌ی بهبود اوضاع در زمان کوتاه می‌دهد. خود کتاب و نویسنده‌ی آن اما ابداً چنین ادعایی ندارند، سراسر کتاب اتفاقاً تلاشی است برای انتقال دادن این مسئله که نباید انتظار داشته باشیم زندگی‌مان در چهار هفته متحول شود، و البته این نکته می‌تواند به انسان گونه‌ای از حس رهایی بدهد: این که به تعبیر نویسنده بدانیم در بعضی عرصه‌ها شاید اصلاً تغییر نکنیم، و این هیچ ایرادی ندارد!

چهار. نویسنده در این کتاب تلاش می‌کند نگاه شما را به دنیا تا حدی تغییر دهد، یا اگر هم نگاهتان را به دنیا تغییر نمی‌دهد برخی نکاتی را که به آن‌ها فکر کرده بودید و دوست داشتید بدانید دیگران در مورد آن چه فکر می‌کنند پیش چشمان شما بگذارد. صرف شنیدن و خواندن در مورد این که تقریباً اکثر انسان‌های دنیایی که در آن زندگی می‌کنیم مثل ما تسلط کاملی بر زندگی‌شان ندارند خود گونه‌ای از آرامش و تسلطی است.

پنج. در تمام طول خواندن کتاب داشتم به این مسئله رایج فکر می‌کردم که تقابل و تعامل ما با کتاب‌ها چقدر تحت تاثیر دو موضوع مهم است: یکی مسائلی که در زندگی امروزمان با آن‌ها دست و پنجه نرم می‌کنیم و دیگری حال روحی و وضعیتی که با آن به خواندن کتاب اقدام می‌کنیم.
پنج-یک. کتاب در قالب یک مجموعه از يادداشت‌ها برای چهار هفته و بیست و هشت روز نوشته شده است. نویسنده‌ی کتاب، اولیور برکمن، پیشنهاد می‌کند کتاب را در بیست و هشت روز بخوانید و گویی به هر یک از این بیست و هشت یادداشت سه تا پنج صفحه‌ای به نوعی شبیه به یک مراقبه می‌نگرد. من شاید حدود دو هفته‌ی ابتدایی کتاب را پیش از جنگ و با نظم و ترتیب و یادداشت‌برداری خواندم. حقیقتاً هم بهره بردم. برای رسیدن به نیمه‌ی دوم دچار وقفه شدم. علت: جنگ دوازده روزه. وقتی نیمه‌ی دوم را می‌خواندم گونه‌ای از احساس عذاب وجدان، عدم تمرکز و تصور اینکه واقعاً در خاورمیانه و زندگی‌ای این‌چنین آیا خواندن چنین کتابی زیادی ساده‌لوحانه نیست؟! نمی‌دانم... بگذریم... زندگی را به هر حال باید زندگی کرد و از آن گریزی نیست!
پنج-دو. من واقعاً با مسائلی و دغدغه‌هایی در زمان شروع کتاب به تعامل با آن پرداختم که در زندگی‌م پررنگ و جدی بود؛ درگیر رنج زندگی روزمره و تلاش برای تسلط بر همه جنبه‌های زندگی بودم و این کتاب واقعاً کمک کرد که کمی بیشتر واقع‌گرایانه نگاه کنم و کمی کمتر سخت بگیرم! حقیقتاً برای من گونه‌ای از مراقبه بود و خواندن و نوشتن و فکر کردن و به کار گرفتن نکات کتاب به من کمک شایانی کرده است.

شش. کتاب همان‌طور که گفتم در قالب چهار هفته و بیست و هشت روز تنظیم شده است. عنوان این چهار هفته به ترتیب عبارتند از: پذیرش محدودیت‌ها، وارد دنیای عمل شدن، رها کردن و حضور داشتن. (این چهار عنوان را دارم تقریبا با کمک حافظه‌ام می‌نویسم! برق رفته، دسترسی به کتاب ندارم و دارم سعی ميکنم از این اوقات منزجرکننده اندکی استفاده کنم!) در هر یک از روزهای این چهار هفته نویسنده یک یادداشت دارد که در آن تمرکز شما را روی یک جنبه‌ی زندگی می‌برد که به گونه‌ای از محدودیت دچار است و سعی می‌کند شما را قانع کند که با این محدودیت‌ها کنار بیایید، بپذیرید و بعد از پذیرش آن‌ها تلاش کنید اوضاع را از آن چه هست کمی بهتر کنید، در حالی که در تمام مدت در خاطرتان هست که این دنیا آنقدری که شاید انتظار داشته باشید تحت کنترل شما نیست! بعضی از یادداشت‌های کتاب حقیقتاً درخشانند؛ به گونه‌ای که لااقل من را قانع کرده‌اند که کتاب را نسبتاً نزدیک نگه دارم تا گاهی یکی از يادداشت‌ها را بخوانم.

هفت. کتاب احتمالاً دشمن درجه یک و سفت و سخت کتاب‌های انگیزشی است که سعی می‌کنند به شما بگویند همه چیز تحت تسلط شماست، می‌توانید کنترل اوضاع را به دست بگیرید و با اصلاح برخی جنبه‌ها در خودتان، که کاملاً هم ممکن است، همه‌ی زندگی‌تان را به آن چیزی تبدیل کنید که دوست دارید! کتاب گونه‌ای از رهایی دارد که تصور من این است که اگر در زمان درست و با نگاه درست به سراغ آن برویم می‌تواند کمک جدی به ما بکند؛ در راه اضطراب کمتری تجربه کردن، در راه غلبه بر کمال‌گرایی و در راه زندگی معنادارتری پیدا کردن. چرا که شاید یکی از اهداف مهم نویسنده این است که تمرکز شما را از چیزهایی که بر آن کنترلی ندارید بردارد و شما را به سمت مواردی سوق دهد که می‌توانید اصلاح کنید. این البته شاید در برخی صفحات کتاب گم شود و نیاز باشد هرازگاهی به خودتان یادآوری‌ش کنید.

هشت. کتاب شاید با بسیاری از نگرش‌های شما در مورد جهان، سازوکار و غایت آن سازگار نباشد؛ خاصه اگر به خدا و به دنیای پس از مرگ معتقد باشید، البته به گمان من، این به آن معنا نیست که کتاب نمی‌تواند چیزی به خداباوران اضافه کند، اما با اطمینان خوبی می‌توان گفت که اگر کمی به اگزیستانسیالیسم علاقه‌مند یا متعهد باشید، این کتاب در راستای یک زندگی اگزیستانسیالیستی می‌تواند کمک شایسته‌ای به شما بکند.

نه. یک ایراد مهم که می‌توان به این کتاب گرفت آن است که نویسنده در برخی قسمت‌ها فاقد پشتوانه‌ی چندان قوی برای ایده‌ها و نظریاتش است. نکات و نظراتی که می‌دهد بیشتر جنبه‌ی تجربه‌گرایانه دارند و در دنیایی با این حد از کثرت که در آن شاهدیم، این نکات شاید به درد خیلی‌ها بخورند، و به درد خیلی‌ها هم نخورند! البته که کتاب ادعایی در خلاف این هم نداشته است.

ده. این یادداشت کامل نیست! دوست دارم از آن چیزی که هست بهتر باشد، اما فعلاً وقت و انرژی، و احتمالاً قدرت نوشتن کافی برای این کار ندارم! ناکامل بودن این یاداشت را بگذارید به حساب ناکامل بودن این جهان و همه‌ی آن چه در آن است.

[Panda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is absolutely dreadful.

To be fair the title is not misleading. I know my limitations and am making time for what really counts. The final book in the Joe Ledger series.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

El cabrón lo ha vuelto a hacer. Esto te lo tomas como un Cuatro mil semanas: Gestión del tiempo para mortales parte II, pero ya no está orientado a la productividad, sino a las meras presiones de vivir y cómo complicamos muchísimo algo que es muy sencillo.

Este hombre tiene la magnífica capacidad de soltarte mazazos de una potencia como la de una carga de profundidad en un lenguaje, claro, sencillo, y que de vez en cuando te sorprende con una poesía inesperada.

No hace falta tomarse en serio lo de hacer el "programa" en 28 días. Yo me lo leí del tirón, y empecé a releerlo en el avión. Pero para ir leyendo poco a poco y poniéndolo en práctica, ideal también.

Este es un libro para aceptar todas las limitaciones y miserias que tenemos, y abandonar la idea ridícula de que podemos (¡y debemos!) llegar a todo. No vamos a llegar. No vamos a llegar a casi nada, y tenemos que aceptar que tendremos que renunciar a muchas para hacer unas pocas, medio bien. Y eso está bien.

Todo lo que Oliver Burkeman escribe hay que mirarlo con atención.

[Emily Carlin]

I read this over the course of roughly 28 mornings, as prescribed by the book. I am perhaps .0001% closer to "embracing my limitations and making time for what counts" -- which I consider a smashing success.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver really just hit that ctrl+C, ctrl+V from Four Thousand Weeks and tweaked the subtitle from “Time Management” to “Meditations” as a way of telling me I clearly didn’t understand the former if I’m buying the latter. Well, thank you for the reiteration Oliver, I needed it.

[Claire]

A lot of this book seems obvious, but was actually helpful. At least for me, as a person who’s constantly thinking “when things calm down”, and then of course things don’t ever truly calm down.

[Shagufta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book over two months - in British and Scottish trains and hotel rooms and there is a lot in this book that is wonderful and needed. It is a reminder to live in your life, to not wait for some unexpected future in which problems have disappeared and you are healed and life is perfect and you and have time - live now, in the midst of your challenges, when your time is limited because tomorrow is unlikely to be different. It’s an anti productivity book and that is great.
What is not so great is the preponderance of white men/white folks in general cited without awareness. Seinfeld, Steve jobs, Sam Harris - these are people you need a footnote to explain why they are in your book but it’s only when talking about the founder of Scientology does the author explain why he is including him. Also in a year where the planet is truly falling apart, some of the advice here really falls flat (ex: ignoring what is going on because you might not have capacity). To not cite Tricia Hersey, Hala Alyan, afrienne maree brown, Black and Brown women in general here felt surprising. In summary, a book to borrow from the library.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars; I am getting tired of these 'hey guys I read some of the stoics and I can relate; I am even writing a book about it; now I finally found my tribe and feel at ease with myself and the world' - middle aged men feeling the urge to concretize their midlife moments into a monetizable book asset; this should be my last one.

[Jamie Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 for writing
1 for research quality
1 for premise
1 for impact (all the stars for impact)
1 for personal taste

Burkeman's books are the ground of my personal life philosophy.

[Beth Bonini · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Last year, even more than usual, became my year of reading and thinking philosophically. I became almost overwhelmingly aware that by any reasonable measure or guess or stroke of good fortune, I had entered the final third of my life. I would never be more “free,” but how should I be spending this finite and precious amount of final-third time? In Burkeman’s words, it seemed more important than ever to “embrace my limitations” and “make time for what counts” in my own estimation.

At the end of the first third of my life, when I was 21-25, I agonised over making bad decisions and choosing the wrong path. Looking back, I realise that I did indeed choose the wrong path, but also the right one. A mix of all kinds of good and bad things came from my choices, just as they would have done from a different path entirely. I can see that now and am even close to accepting it.

At the core of our precious, precarious human life is always this paradox: We have to, simultaneously, accept the finitude of our existence and also the imperfection of our efforts, not matter how strenuous. Oliver Burkeman completely gets that, has mentally stewed over it (and maybe even tortured himself over it) and now he is offering some hard-won guidance for acceptance. His “meditations” are geared to the world as most of his “time poor” and productive-mindset junkie readers will understand it.

This book is organised to be read over four weeks, although I read it in two days. Maybe I’ll read it again according to his suggestion. It’s worth rereading.

Each week has a broad theme and then a daily “lesson” (rumination, also) that can be read in a few pages. That approach adheres to two of his practical suggestions: “dailyness” and “small steps” or “tiny-but-real decisions.” The four broad categories give a good sense of the book’s contents: “Being Finite,” “Taking Action,” “Letting Go,” and “Showing Up.” Taken as a whole, it’s a readable blend of the philosophical and practical. Some of the “truths” or insights of the book are deceptively simple; the trick is in the application of them. Most of the ideas touch on the idea of control and our misguided ideas that we should and can bring the world (or at least our own domain) “under control.” That’s where the insanity and exhaustion of our Sisyphean struggle lies.

I particularly liked the idea of prioritising the skill of just doing something rather that always preparing to do something. I’m a big fan of just “going to the shed” and befriending what you fear. I see the value of treating my to-do list as menu of options I get to pick from, while my “dailyish” commitments (walking, stretching, writing, eating healthy food, practicing my French) provide a healthy structure for my life. At the current moment, I’m totally aligned with Burkeman that 10 minutes a day of reading the news is plenty. I also agree with him that its best to “act on a generous impulse the moment it arises” - and before you can second-guess yourself out of it. I’m going to try spending one day “robotically” completing as much unfinished business as I can. I really do think it’s worth remembering that we can do pretty anything we want, as long as we are prepared to accept the consequences of our action.

I think that everyone will notice and remember different advice from this book, depending on their own strengths, weaknesses and proclivities. This was a good one for me:

”What I eventually figured out - not that it ever seems to get particularly easy - is that other people’s negative emotions are ultimately a problem that belongs to them. And you have to allow other people their problems. This is one more area in which the best thing to do, as a finite human with limited control, is usually not to meddle, but to let things be.”

Thanks to Oliver Burkeman for writing this book, and to The Bodley Head imprint at Penguin RandomHouse publishers for sharing it with me.

[The Bookish Elf · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world obsessed with optimization and endless self-improvement, Oliver Burkeman's "Meditations for Mortals" feels like a breath of fresh air. Or perhaps more aptly, a much-needed reality check. As I dove into this book, I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony - here I was, reading yet another self-help book promising to transform my life. But Burkeman's approach is refreshingly different. He's not here to tell us how to become superhuman. Instead, he's inviting us to be, well, human. Gloriously, imperfectly, finitely human.

The Liberating Power of Limitations

Burkeman's central premise is both simple and profound: our lives are finite, our control is limited, and that's okay. In fact, it's more than okay - it's the key to living a more meaningful, fulfilling life. As someone who's spent years chasing productivity hacks and life optimization strategies, this idea initially felt like a slap in the face. But as I read on, I found myself nodding along, a sense of relief washing over me.

The author argues that our constant struggle against our limitations - our attempts to do it all, control everything, and achieve perfection - is the very thing holding us back from truly living. It's a counterintuitive idea, but one that resonates deeply in our burnout-prone, anxiety-ridden society.

A Four-Week Journey to Sanity

Structured as a four-week "retreat of the mind," the book is divided into four main sections:

Being Finite
Taking Action
Letting Go
Showing Up

Each week builds on the last, guiding readers through a process of accepting their limitations, taking imperfect action, releasing the need for control, and fully engaging with life as it is.

Burkeman's writing style is conversational and often humorous, making complex philosophical ideas accessible and relatable. He seamlessly weaves together insights from various disciplines - philosophy, psychology, religion, and literature - with personal anecdotes and practical advice.

Highlights and Key Takeaways

Some of the most impactful ideas from the book include:

The "three-to-four-hour rule": Burkeman suggests that most people are only capable of about 3-4 hours of intense, focused work per day. This insight is liberating for those of us caught in the trap of endless productivity.
"Scruffy hospitality": The idea that inviting people into our imperfect, messy lives can create deeper connections than always presenting a polished facade.
The futility of "clearing the decks": The author argues that trying to get everything done before focusing on what truly matters is a recipe for never getting to the important stuff.
The power of "dailyish": Instead of aiming for perfection, Burkeman encourages us to aim for consistency over time.

A Critique of Modern Self-Help

While "Meditations for Mortals" falls into the self-help category, it also serves as a critique of the genre. Burkeman challenges the underlying assumptions of many popular self-help books - the idea that with enough willpower and the right techniques, we can overcome all obstacles and achieve unlimited success.

Instead, he argues for a more nuanced, realistic approach to personal growth. It's not about becoming superhuman, but about becoming more fully human.

[S꩜phie · Rating 4 out of 5]

His perspectives are so beautiful and digestible that I finished this way faster than in the 28 days the book suggests you take to read it. In my defense tho, I got this on hold, so my time was already limited (or should I say, finite :P ) Now I can return it to the library and pass on all the Oliver Burkeman goodness 🙏🙏🙏

[Jocelyne M-G · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed this one! i feel like i never have to read another non-fiction book ever again after this. it felt right to read slower so i could let each chapter’s teaching percolate and bleed through to my life. 4.5 ⭐️

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure how to categorize this book. Self help, of course, but help with what exactly? Burkeman is all over the place with his advice. Still, even without an easy label, I appreciated reading the book. I got a lot out of it. Maybe it is because I recently read a book about ADHD but I thought the primary audience of this book should be people with ADHD. A lot of the problems he discussed are things ADHDers struggle with.

A fulfilling and accomplished life isn't a matter of exerting ever more control. It's not about making things more predictable and secure, until you can finally relax.

When you grasp that your situation is worse than you thought, you no longer have to go through life adopting the brace position, desperately hoping someone will find a way to prevent the plane from crashing. You understand that the plane has already crashed. (It crashed, for you, the moment you were born.) You're already stranded on the desert island, with nothing but old airplane food to subsist on, and no option but to make the best of life with your fellow survivors. Very well, then: here you are. Here we all are. Now ... what might be some good things to do with your time?

Embracing your limitations isn't a matter of settling for less in life. It's not about passively sitting back and letting things happen to you.Look for some kind of decision you can make. And then make it. Indecision can feel oddly comfortable: it's a form of postponement, a temporary avoidance of painful sacrifices involved. It's a way of trying to dodge consequences c

I was surprised at his advice to “just do it”. Every neurodiverse person I know hates that piece of advice. I actually agree with that advice yet I think other readers might want to throw the book across the room when reading - Just do it.Take that first step. Even if the step is wrong. Even if you do it poorly. Even if you think you can’t. You gotta try.

nobody wants to hear the answer to the question of how to spend more of your time doing things that matter to you. The answer is: you just do them. You pick something you genuinely care about, and then, for at least a few minutes - a quarter of an hour, say - you do some of it. Today. It really is that simple. Unfortunately, for many of us, it also turns out to be one of the hardest things in the world.

If you don't prioritize just doing it, you risk falling into the trap of embarking instead on the counterproductive project of becoming the kind of person who does 'do it'. The problem I'm referring to arises like this:you want the peace and clarity you believe you'd derive from meditation so you resolve to become a meditator.You purchase a book on changing your habits, skim through it, then start figuring out how best to make a meditation habit stick. You order a meditation cushion. Perhaps you even get as far as sitting down to meditate. But then something goes wrong. Maybe the sheer scale of the project of 'becoming a meditator'- that is, meditating day after day for the rest of your life - strikes you as daunting, so you decide to postpone the whole affair to some point in the future, when you expect to have more energy and time. Alternatively, maybe the novelty of becoming a meditator positively thrills you - until a week or two later, when monotony sets in, and the letdown feels so intolerable that you throw in the towel. What you could have done instead was to forget about the whole project of 'becoming a meditator,' and focus solely on sitting down to meditate. Once. For five minutes.

Don't get distracted wondering what might be the best thing to do: that's superyacht thinking, borne of the desire to feel certain you're on the right path.The irony, of course, is that just doing something once today, just steering your kayak over the next few inches of water, is the only way you'll ever become the kind of person who does that sort of thing on a regular basis anyway.Otherwise - and believe me, l've been there - you're merely the kind of person who spends your life drawing up plans for how you're going to become a different kind of person later on.

So you do the thing, once, with absolutely no guarantee you'll ever manage to do it again.Perhaps you find that you do it again the next day, or a few days later, and maybe again, and again until before you know it, you've developed that most remarkable thing, not a willpower-driven system or routine but an emergent practice of writing, or meditating, or listening to your kids, or building a business.

Merely telling yourself you've decided, inside your mind, isn't enough. You have to actually begin drafting the opening scene of the screenplay, setting off down that creative path as opposed to any of the others. You have to actually email your friend about the coffee.Keep making tiny-but-real deci-sions.

If you want to get good at something, you should do it a lot, preferably more days than not. Do things dailyish. It's an unsettling rule to follow because doing something dailyish requires sacrificing your fantasies of perfection in favor of the uncomfortable experience of making concrete, imperfect progress here and now. ‘Dailyish' isn't synonymous with 'just do it whenever you feel like it.' Deep down, you know that doing something twice per week doesn't qualify as dailyish, while five times per week does, and in busy periods, three or four times per week might get to count. So you're still putting some pressure on yourself.

Burkeman discusses some of the ways we think and act that sabotage us. The idea of consequences struck me hard. Stop saying “you can’t” or “ you have to”. Reframe it as I do or don’t want the consequences. That is so powerful to note why you are behaving a certain way. You aren’t being “made”, you are choosing, you yourself.

You're pretty much free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences. Consequences aren't optional. It's in the nature of being finite that every choice comes with some sort of consequences, because at any instant, you can only pick one path, and must deal with the repercussions of not picking any of the others. Nothing stops you doing anything at all, so long as you're willing to pay those costs.

the notion that you 'have to do it' means that you've chosen not to pay the price of refusing; just as the notion that you absolutely can't do something generally means you're unwilling to pay the price of doing it. There are no solutions, only trade-offs. If a path you'd love to take is genuinely likely to leave you destitute, or seriously harmed in some other way, then you probably shouldn't take it. But for most of us, if we're being honest with ourselves, the temptation is to exaggerate potential consequences, so as to spare ourselves the burden of making a bold choice. When you go ahead and do an undesired thing anyway, because you understand the cost and you don't want to incur it notice how different that is - how different it feels - from grudgingly saying yes because you 'feel you have no choice,' then resenting it for days.

there's a secret comfort in telling yourself you've got no options, because it's easier to wallow in the 'bad faith' of believing yourself trapped than to face the dizzying responsibilities of your freedom.

One tip I am definitely implementing, even if it’s only in my head and not on paper, is keeping a done list. Love that reframe! Not oh woe is me, look at all the things on my to-do list. Instead it is, yay I got all these things done!

My favorite way of combating the feeling of productivity debt in everyday life is to keep a 'done list,' which you use to create a record not of the tasks you plan to carry out, but of the ones you've completed so far today - which makes it the rare kind of list that's actually supposed to get longer as the day goes on. It invites you to compare your output to the hypothetical situation in which you stayed in bed and did nothing at all.

In the striving-towards-sanity mindset, a to-do list is always something you've got to get to the end of before you're allowed to relax. Operating from sanity means treating your to-do list as a menu starting with the acknowledgment that you won't complete everything you might wish, then making your selections from the menu.

Operating from sanity, means embodying a certain kind of orientation towards life first, one that treats the present moment as a place where peace of mind might, in theory, be attainable - and then going about your life from that orientation, rather than treating the activities of your life as things you're doing in order to one day reach it.

I appreciated his discussion about the internet and how it has impacted our thoughts and behaviors.

People have started 'living inside the news.' The news has become the psychological center of gravity in their lives - more real, somehow, than the world of their home, friends, and careers, they dropped in only sporadically before returning to the main event. They seem significantly more personally involved in whether Trump would fire his Secretary of State than in any of the local or personal dramas unfolding in their workplaces or families or neighborhoods. Their motives are good so it seems a little churlish to point out that this behavior in no way makes the world a better place. Living inside the news feels like doing your duty and being a good citizen. But you can stay informed on ten minutes a day; scrolling any more than that risks becoming disempowering and paralyzing, and certainly eats up time you could have spent making a difference.

It used to be said that 'if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention’. But that's a relic of a time when people had attention to spare, and when it wasn't in the vested interests of media owners to stoke as much outrage as possible. In an age of attention scarcity, the greatest act of good citizenship is learning to withdraw your attention from everything except the battles you've chosen to fight.

It's easy to believe that if you let yourself do what you want, you might spend the day scrolling slack-jawed through Instagram. But often the truth is that 'scrolling slack-jawed through Instagram' is what happens after you've told yourself you can't do what you want, because you can't afford to or don't deserve to - and you grow so resentful or annoyed by whatever you try to force yourself to do instead that you reach for your phone as a distraction.

There is a large section of the book that deals with anxiety, something I struggle with, so his reframes and suggestions on how to change your perceptions spoke to me.

All that's occurring in the world is that certain things happen, then other things happen, then still more things happen. When we define some of these things as interruptions/distractions we're adding a mental overlay to the situation.The idea of interruption/distraction defines unanticipated external events as problematic. This idea undermines your capacity to respond to reality as it actually unfolds - to seize unexpected opportunities and to be seized by an awe-inspiring landscape or fascinating conversation;to let your mind take an unplanned journey into fertile creative territory, or to find enjoyment, as opposed to annoyance, in a small child bursting into your study, while fulfilling your obligations as a parent. Getting lost and distracted is life. This is what makes digital distraction so pernicious. Not the way it disrupts our attention but the way it holds it, rendering us less available for serendipitous and fruitful distraction.

What is worry, at its core, but the activity of a mind attempting to picture every single bridge that might possibly have to be crossed in future, then trying to figure out how to cross it?

Hannah Arendt writes, we are constantly bound by fear of a future full of uncertainties, which strips the present moment of its calm, which we are unable to enjoy. And so, the future destroys the present.

Your responsibility can only ever be to the very next moment - to do what Carl Jung calls 'the next and most necessary thing' as best you can. Now and then, to be sure, the next most necessary thing might be a little judicious planning for the future. But you can do that, then let go of it and move on
Something makes you anxious whenever you think about it, so you just don't go there. You're worried you might have less money in the bank than you'd assumed, so you refrain from checking your balance at all. Or you're scared that a pain in your abdomen might be the sign of something serious, so you avoid seeing a doctor. This kind of avoidance makes no sense at all.The more you organize your life around not addressing things that make you anxious, the more likely they are to develop into serious problems - and even if they don't, the longer you fail to confront them, the more unhappy time you spend being scared of what might be lurking. Remaining in your comfort zone entails accepting a constant background tug of discomfort - an undertow of worry as the price you pay to avoid a more acute spike of anxiety.

the near-uniformity of their hours of deep focus suggests what I've come to think of as the 3-4 hour rule for getting creative work done. Try to block a 3-4 hour period each day, free from appointments or interruptions. The truly valuable skill this helps to instill is not the capacity to push yourself harder, but the capacity to stop and recuperate, despite the discomfort of knowing that the work remains unfinished.

Aspire not to a life without problems, but to a life of ever more interesting and absorbing ones.

The real challenge is learning to let go. Not making things happen through willpower or effort, but cultivating the willingness to stand out of the way and let things happen instead

I think there is very very little that's worthy of applying my whole entire ass. I'm not interested in burning myself out by whole-assing stuff that will be fine if I half-or quarter-ass it. Being able to achieve maximum economy of ass is an important adult skill.'

Some object that it's a sign of privilege to be able to contemplate spending the day doing what you feel like doing. This is true, so far as it goes: almost everyone's situation will impose certain limits on their freedom to follow their desires, and it's much worse for some than for others. But it's important to see that this objection itself is often the inner taskmaster in disguise, seeking to make you feel bad for taking advantage of whatever freedom you do have.There's no prize for failing to spend your time as you wish, to whatever extent you're able, out of a misplaced sense of solidarity with those who cannot.

The past is gone and the future hasn't occurred yet, so right now is the only time that really exists. Don’t see your life as leading up to some future point when real life will begin, when you can finally start enjoying yourself, feeling good about yourself - you'll end up treating your actual life as something to get through, until one day it'll be over, without the meaningful part ever having arrived.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apologies in advance, but I will be going on and on about this book to everyone. I absolutely loved Four Thousand Weeks and Oliver Burkeman has done it again. I get so much out of his books, which are at once mind bending and worldview shattering and yet at the same time so easily accessible and understandable. I took nine pages of notes and will be rereading this again.

In a nutshell, “this is a book about how the world opens up once you realize you’re never going to sort your life out.”

[Sergii · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy companion to 4000 weeks

TLDR: implicitly liberative. This book presents the same ideas as “4000 weeks” only in an actionable fashion. There are 28 distinct thoughts or “meditations” that are to be read and contemplated on separate days. I found this structure helpful - any given day I inadvertently focus on a single idea, it comes to mind at the right moment and it does help to embrace it better. Would I have read the whole book in one day (which is definitely possible - it’s aprather short) all ideas would have been mishmashed and recalling each one at the right time would’ve been harder. And by reading it in this suggested way (one meditation per day) I do find that my attitude to life changes a bit without any explicit conscious effort.