Cuatro mil semanas: Gestión del tiempo para mortales
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- Create Date：2022-01-10 02:51:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Oliver Burkeman
- ISBN：8408250892
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Summary
La vida media del ser humano es ridículamente breve: si llegas a los 80 años， habrás vivido unas 4000 semanas。 Si tienes 40， solo te quedan 2000。
Sin embargo， estamos obsesionados con interminables listas de tareas pendientes， buzones saturados de correos sin leer y la sensación de que nunca llegamos a todo。 La mayoría de los consejos sobre gestión de tiempo fomentan la idea de que un día podremos «hacerlo todo» y convertirnos en los dueños de nuestro tiempo， totalmente optimizados y emocionalmente invencibles。 Nada hay más falso que eso。
Basándose en las ideas de filósofos， psicólogos y maestros espirituales antiguos y contemporáneos， Oliver Burkeman ofrece una guía entretenida y práctica para construir una vida con sentido， unos objetivos alcanzables y una apuesta por todo aquello que realmente vale la pena。
Sin embargo， estamos obsesionados con interminables listas de tareas pendientes， buzones saturados de correos sin leer y la sensación de que nunca llegamos a todo。 La mayoría de los consejos sobre gestión de tiempo fomentan la idea de que un día podremos «hacerlo todo» y convertirnos en los dueños de nuestro tiempo， totalmente optimizados y emocionalmente invencibles。 Nada hay más falso que eso。
Basándose en las ideas de filósofos， psicólogos y maestros espirituales antiguos y contemporáneos， Oliver Burkeman ofrece una guía entretenida y práctica para construir una vida con sentido， unos objetivos alcanzables y una apuesta por todo aquello que realmente vale la pena。
Reviews
Caroline
，
This is such a humbling and helpful approach to time management。 Highly recommend。
Kajoli Tankha
，
Great first book of the yearOliver Burkeman has written a marvelous book that for me reminded me that my purpose on earth is not to simply accomplish my todo list。 I have a counter argument to my sense of constant productivity debt。
Lisa
，
When I opened this book to begin reading， I wondered to myself， “Do I really need to read another book about time management？” I’ve already consumed vast amounts of information on the topic and there’s only so many ways you can manage a calendar。 Turns out I didn’t have to answer this question， because this book isn’t really a book about time management advice in a traditional sense。The overall premise is that life is finite and we’re never going to have enough time to do all the things we want When I opened this book to begin reading， I wondered to myself， “Do I really need to read another book about time management？” I’ve already consumed vast amounts of information on the topic and there’s only so many ways you can manage a calendar。 Turns out I didn’t have to answer this question， because this book isn’t really a book about time management advice in a traditional sense。The overall premise is that life is finite and we’re never going to have enough time to do all the things we want to do。 The author came to this realization while sitting on a park bench near his home in 2014， and it made him feel better and more in control。 It appears that the idea really took hold of him， and this book seems to be his personal journey of processing this concept。 The book is very much written from the author’s perspective and focuses on his relationship with the pressures of time。 If you don’t share a similar background as a productivity geek or you’ve never felt much anxiety related to the passage of time， you might have a tough time with this book。 Here’s a quick gauge to figure out where you land。 The author points out in the first paragraph that the average human only has four thousand weeks on Earth。 Therefore， only four thousand weeks of time to do anything。 If hearing this immediately shakes you to your core or makes you feel queasy， you’re going to really relate to what the author is saying。 If not， I suspect a lot of the examples and anecdotes are going to be lost on you。Regardless of where I fall on the time anxiety spectrum， the fact that my enjoyment of this book seems to be really dependent on whether or not I think like the author makes this just an ok read for me based on my reading criteria。 But my enjoyment was whittled away further because the book is kind of a mess。 The whole book is written as a stream of consciousness that felt a bit like an existential crisis， with alternations between （a） life is too short so we just need to settle to have any chance of happiness， and （b） the world is full of hope and time can’t stand in our way。 Not to mention it was just really really repetitive。 You can really feel the author’s struggle with trying to make sense of his relationship with time， and the book made me feel like I was reading a personal journaling exercise at times。 And in the end， it doesn’t seem like the author actually came up with a satisfactory solution to the dilemma of never having enough time， for himself or for the reader。Next Big Idea Club Reading Selection - January 2022 。。。more
Paolo Balinas
，
1st book of the year。 One of my favorites so far -- Four thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman SummaryHave you ever stopped and think about how much time you have left in this world？ Four thousand weeks is equivalent to the average lifespan of a person。 The moment you realize this， it starts to change your perspective on how you choose to spend your time。Hey Guys！ this is book # 1 of my 52-week book challenge wherein I aim to read 1 book a week or 52 books in a year！ Here's a summary of my top 5 key 1st book of the year。 One of my favorites so far -- Four thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman SummaryHave you ever stopped and think about how much time you have left in this world？ Four thousand weeks is equivalent to the average lifespan of a person。 The moment you realize this， it starts to change your perspective on how you choose to spend your time。Hey Guys！ this is book # 1 of my 52-week book challenge wherein I aim to read 1 book a week or 52 books in a year！ Here's a summary of my top 5 key takeaways from the book， "Four thousand Weeks" by Oliver Burkeman Summaryhttps://youtu。be/fr0DDXvy13c0:00 - start0:53 - Facing finitude， the joy of missing out - lean the beauty of having a limited time to spend in this world2:13 - The productivity trap - learn why trying to be super productive may be counterintuitive3:56 - Becoming a better procrastinator - learn why being a procrastinator may actually be put to good use4:38 - Rediscovering rest - learn the importance of unplugging letting your mind drift off5:50 - What next？ 10 tips for better time management - learn the 10 tips for better time managementThanks and to view more of my previous summaries， like and subscribe my Youtube Channel， Paolo BalinasNow off to the next book！ :）P。S。 Comment below on what was your key takeaway#BookSummary #BookReview #FourThousandWeeks #OliverBurkehan 。。。more
Murali Veeraiyan
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If you were to read only one book for the rest of your lives， it should be this one！
Kyler
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This is by far the best time management book I've ever read。 This is by far the best time management book I've ever read。 。。。more
Lara Green
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A brilliant book on managing time in a way which matters。 A pre found book on the choices and dcisions to lead your limited life in the here and now。
Chris Regan
，
A book that found me at the right time。 Before I reached the 20% mark I had already purchased the book for three friends。 Several more since。 When you， you know。 And I knew almost immediately that this book was going to be a powerful one for me。Ever since I picked up the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris in 2009， I’ve worked tirelessly to put my life on a more efficient trajectory in the hopes of hoarding as many ‘meaningful’ experiences as humanly possible。 Automate my income in as few hours of A book that found me at the right time。 Before I reached the 20% mark I had already purchased the book for three friends。 Several more since。 When you， you know。 And I knew almost immediately that this book was going to be a powerful one for me。Ever since I picked up the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris in 2009， I’ve worked tirelessly to put my life on a more efficient trajectory in the hopes of hoarding as many ‘meaningful’ experiences as humanly possible。 Automate my income in as few hours of possible = freeing up time to really live。 That was my creed。So I got to work。 Like so many people I’ve met， I read countless books on productivity， habits and lifestyle design。 I salivated over newsletters regaling the latest “life hacks” and devoured articles that boasted the 6 Things You Must to Before 7AM to Be Successful （both of which Mr。 Burkeman torches）。 The more I consumed on these topics， I rationalized， the closer I’d get to becoming the efficiency machine that I desired so badly to be。And I experienced some success with it。 I started a business and traveled and created a lifestyle with a lot of freedom。 And for those reasons I don’t regret any of it for a second。But， in hindsight， most of the time I felt completely and hopelessly overwhelmed。 Overwhelmed at…。…the infinite number of things I had left to do。…the infinite number of books I had left to read。…the infinite number of blog posts I had left to write。…the infinite amount of money I had left to make。…the infinite number of places I had to see and cultures I had to experience。…the infinite number of skills I had to master and languages I had to learn。I even built a website called 19000days。com as an ode to the limited amount of time I had left to accomplish all these things （somewhat ironically capturing part of Burkeman’s idea （finite time） but then not appropriately culling my task list in tandem…which kind of ratchets up the overwhelm even more！）。As with anyone， I had good and bad days。 But SO many days would be spent staring， paralyzed， at my HUGE reservoir of to-dos。 The expectation was something like the following…-Meditate-Journal-Read 100 pages-Fitness-Write blog post-Log onto work and juggle 5 different projects-Learn Spanish-Plan next trip-Have lunch with friend-Spend time with my wife-Take book notes on non-fiction book-Daily ReviewBut you know what I did a lot of days？ Hint: Not the above。 I would…-Wake up-Check phone-Stress out about menial business thing-Panic check that work thing and skip Meditate/Journal/Read/Fitness/Blog-Make coffee and ineffectively bounce from one menial business task to another （usually stupid email or Slack-based） until about 3PM when I realize I haven’t eaten yet （which I explained away as intermittent fasting haha）-Eat， get tired after eating a huge meal and feel like crap because I haven’t accomplished anything on my project list。-Watch TV because I feel bad about myself-RepeatAnd it was after so many of these painful， soul-sucking days that I read the following excerpt in Four Thousand Days （which actually caused me to have a physical， shudder-like reaction） that had me hook/line/sinker:“Despite my thinking of myself as the kind of person who got things done， it grew painfully clear that the things I got done most diligently were the unimportant ones， while the important ones got postponed—either forever or until an imminent deadline forced me to complete them， to a mediocre standard and in a stressful rush。The email from my newspaper’s IT department about the importance of regularly changing my password would provoke me to speedy action， though I could have ignored it entirely。 （The clue was in the subject line， where the words “PLEASE READ” are generally a sign you needn’t bother reading what follows。） Meanwhile， the long message from an old friend now living in New Delhi and research for the major article I’d been planning for months would get ignored， because I told myself that such tasks needed my full focus， which meant waiting until I had a good chunk of free time and fewer small-but-urgent tasks tugging at my attention。 And so， instead， like the dutiful and efficient worker I was， I’d put my energy into clearing the decks， cranking through the smaller stuff to get it out of the way—only to discover that doing so took the whole day， that the decks filled up again overnight anyway， and that the moment for responding to the New Delhi email or for researching the milestone article never arrived。 **One can waste years this way， systematically postponing precisely the things one cares about the most。** ”It was that last line that really got me。 “One can waste years this way， systematically postponing precisely the things one cares about the most。” UGH。Here I am positing myself as a model of efficiency and productivity， in the name of finding greater fulfillment。 Yet I spend more days than I would like to admit doing absolutely nothing to move me in that direction。Yet somehow I’m able to fool myself （Richard Feynman would be disappointed） into thinking that I AM being productive。 That I AM working on things that are important。 That I AM getting the “most” out of my days。But thanks to Mr。 Burkeman and his wonderful book， I no longer suffer from such delusions。 I’m certainly not chastising myself for having behaved in such a way for so long， but I’m also sure as hell not going to stay on this path。I’ll let you read the book and make it your own。 There’s no sense in giving you my takeaways - that would rob you of that discovery。But I will tell you that my email/to-do has piled up since reading this book， and I’m pretty ok with it。 And that the moments I’ve spent with my wife， my family， my friends has gotten so much brighter。 And that a sense of calm has descended on my days （regardless of how they “go”）， the likes of which I have not felt in quite some time。I suppose all I can do is suggest， as strong as a random book reviewer on the internet can suggest， that if you relate to anything I’ve written above - do yourself a favor and buy this book right now。 Highlight/note the crap out of it and make it your own。 It’s an absolute gift to us recovering productivity addicts。 And， from my experience， it’s not a stretch to say that your life may never be the same。 。。。more
C。A。
，
Every self-help book takes a particular stance， and the ones that speak to me tend to be more philosophical in nature。 This book fits into that groove。 Instead of life hacks or more mantras， it argues that the real shift needs to happen in your basic understanding and relationship with time。 No quick fixes here。 His “solution” requires real work。 Like the honesty of that。
Glenda
，
This is not a "how to get more efficient" or "get more done book"， and that's actually a good thing。 There's a lot of food for thought here in how we use the time that we have （roughly， 4000 weeks）。 We chase the future - thinking that's when we'll have the time to do the things we want， or once we complete this task or get that job or relationship， but it's unending。 We never reach that mythical tomorrow where our lives are well organized， our inboxes are empty and our time is now our all our ow This is not a "how to get more efficient" or "get more done book"， and that's actually a good thing。 There's a lot of food for thought here in how we use the time that we have （roughly， 4000 weeks）。 We chase the future - thinking that's when we'll have the time to do the things we want， or once we complete this task or get that job or relationship， but it's unending。 We never reach that mythical tomorrow where our lives are well organized， our inboxes are empty and our time is now our all our own to pursue whatever thing we put off - so instead， Burkeman points out， perhaps it really is about living more in the present or - "just doing the work"。 One comment that stayed with me was when he mentions that there will be a last time for everything， but we won't know it at the time。 He uses the example of picking up a child - there will be a day/time when it's the last， but you most likely won't know it。 There's that last conversation， that last visit。。。 it really makes me think a bit more about trying to be more present and put more effort into those daily interactions。 We should accept that we will fail at things we choose to do， and that's all perfectly fine。 We should savor the moment and embrace our limits。 The list in the Appendix is particularly good， so I'm paraphrasing them here to keep as a reminder for myself - - Accept that you'll never get everything done， and that's ok。 - Serialize。 Focus on one thing at a time - it'll be more satisfying and you're more likely to finish。- Know that there are things you'll fail at。 - Remember thing things you've done - don't just focus on what you haven't done。 - Choose the things you care about and put your time toward those。 It's easy in today's social media driven world to think that we need to care about all of the injustices in the world， but it's impossible since we have limited time and attention。 - Step away from digital distractions。 - Trying to enjoy the little things， the mundane。 Have a hobby， meditate， walk。 - Keep an open， curious mind - especially in relationships with others。 - Don't wait for the time to do something fully - like thinking you will call a friend later when you have more time - instead seize the impulse and follow through。 - Do nothing。 This may take practice。 Definitely worth a read。 。。。more
Fin Moorhouse
，
Some sections were 5 stars， others 2。 There is at the heart of the book a terrible and important point: that you don't have so long to live， that you will only achieve a small fraction of the things you want to achieve， that you are likely living as if this isn't true。 And the rest of the book is studded with similarly big and uncomfortable truths。The mess we're in， Burkeman tells us， stems from things like commodification and late capitalism。 It's the same somewhat fuzzy complex that absorbs bl Some sections were 5 stars， others 2。 There is at the heart of the book a terrible and important point: that you don't have so long to live， that you will only achieve a small fraction of the things you want to achieve， that you are likely living as if this isn't true。 And the rest of the book is studded with similarly big and uncomfortable truths。The mess we're in， Burkeman tells us， stems from things like commodification and late capitalism。 It's the same somewhat fuzzy complex that absorbs blame for so many other problems of the day。 Some of this diagnosing our mistakes in terms of big narratives about capitalism etc。 strayed into 'not even wrong' territory for me — trite， unilluminating， though not obviously false。The prescription is surprising， and it's not clear to me that it follows from the big point about finitude at the start of the book。 It's a kind of resignation: if we're not going to achieve everything on out bucket lists， why rush at all？ Settle down， embrace your limits， and go on lots of long walks instead of charging through your interminable todo list。 And don't worry about how much you manage to achieve in your life in some absolute sense， since it's all washed away anyway in the fullness of time anyway。Some of this was welcome， but the big finitude thing makes me think something very different， more like: clearly lots of things are very important， but I only have a few thousand weeks to do anything about them。 If I focused on only a few things， I could help make a large and worthwhile difference — but only if I ruthlessly prioritise （i） which things are most important to do， and （ii） how I can spend my time on them。 And then， every now and then， it might be appropriate to feel a sense of quite profound urgency about achieving the most important or wothwhile thinkgs I can achieve， before the clock runs out。 Since you can't do everything， Burkeman tells us to chill out。 But why not the opposite？ 。。。more
Eva Lamb
，
This book is incredible， I would recommend it to anyone。 It has changed my life in a way I never thought it could be changed！ It’s not what I expected but I was very pleasantly surprised。 I unknowingly immersed myself into a journey of self awareness and improvement。 I feel like this book was written for me。 I’m so glad I picked it up。
Kait
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High recommend。 Read it alongside How to Do Nothing。
Bernal
，
This book can be sum up in YOU ARE GONNA DIE！ Capitalism DESTROY our Humanity！ If you are familiarize with stoicism， The Power of the Now， heck if you ever watched the movie FIGHT CLUB， you don’t need to read this。 This book doesn’t bring anything new to the table。
allison
，
"stay on the f*#king bus"nice "stay on the f*#king bus"nice 。。。more
Kim
，
Stephen Covey this is NOT。 Read this for a philosophical， often humorous look at addressing life's finitude。 Stephen Covey this is NOT。 Read this for a philosophical， often humorous look at addressing life's finitude。 。。。more
Shyam Sundar R
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Chasing productivity is a never ending process。 One can always be more productive。 Did you ever notice your to-do list does not end？ All of us are trying to stuff as many experiences into our finite and extremely short life。 Once we realise this we can truly determine what we want to focus on。 We can live in the present instead of chasing the unknown future。 The author through various real life scenarios makes you realise this。 The book jolted me to reality and made me appreciate the importance Chasing productivity is a never ending process。 One can always be more productive。 Did you ever notice your to-do list does not end？ All of us are trying to stuff as many experiences into our finite and extremely short life。 Once we realise this we can truly determine what we want to focus on。 We can live in the present instead of chasing the unknown future。 The author through various real life scenarios makes you realise this。 The book jolted me to reality and made me appreciate the importance of living in the present。 First book of the year， could not have asked for a better start。 This sets context for rest of my year。 。。。more
Melissa C
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More philosophical than I had anticipated。 Focused on using your time well and what that means than on getting more done。
Nigeyb
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I really like Oliver Burkeman， so when a friend recommended Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals （2021） I need no extra persuading。Life is short。 If you live to be 80， you have just over four thousand weeks。 Whilst seeking new ways to be ever more efficient， we are less inclined to connect our daily struggles with the most pressing time management problem， how best to use our four thousand weeks。Drawing on a range of sources， both ancient and contemporary， Oliver Burkeman provides an I really like Oliver Burkeman， so when a friend recommended Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals （2021） I need no extra persuading。Life is short。 If you live to be 80， you have just over four thousand weeks。 Whilst seeking new ways to be ever more efficient， we are less inclined to connect our daily struggles with the most pressing time management problem， how best to use our four thousand weeks。Drawing on a range of sources， both ancient and contemporary， Oliver Burkeman provides another insightful， readable， funny， practical， and even profound guide to time and time management。 Forget trying to getting everything done， it's never going to happen and attempting will most likely leave you unfulfilled。 Oliver Burkeman's suggetions are fascinating and is well worth reading。 I listened to an audio version but have decided to buy a hard copy too。 It's that good。5/5 。。。more
J-Mo
，
First off， this has a different subtitle to the one I have “Time and how to use it”。 Good one to start the year off with。 Definitely a bit waffles in places but a perspective that I think warranted “the time it took”。 Good takeouts/summary I the appendix and the five questions。
Maria
，
It's my first book of 2022， and it also might be the year's best - I just don't know what other book would measure up with the poignancy， sober wit and accuracy of "Four Thousand Weeks"。 This book is not only "time management for mortals" it felt like "life advice for mortals"， and I needed that！ And maybe I was only receptive to it because it did not come from a "preacher" rather it came from one of us。 It came from a person who's tried it all in terms of trying to tame time and master producti It's my first book of 2022， and it also might be the year's best - I just don't know what other book would measure up with the poignancy， sober wit and accuracy of "Four Thousand Weeks"。 This book is not only "time management for mortals" it felt like "life advice for mortals"， and I needed that！ And maybe I was only receptive to it because it did not come from a "preacher" rather it came from one of us。 It came from a person who's tried it all in terms of trying to tame time and master productivity。 It came from a person who can see own flaws， embraces own limitations and isn't shy to share with the readers， what worked， and what did not。I'd recommend this book to anyone for whom time and expectations have ever been a challenge。 So， yes - it's a book for everyone。 For those who work， and those who don't。 For those who immerse in hobbies， and workaholics。 To me， Burkeman pointed the obvious， but obscured， and for that， I am very grateful。 。。。more
Createpei
，
The premise of course is that you basically have 4，000 weeks in a lifetime。 The surprise is that the author uses this amount of time in the perspective of overall history to emphasize just how little this will matter in the grand scheme of things。While the main idea being that you shouldn't place too much importance on the tasks that other people have on your to-do lists when the outcomes aren't really that meaningful - what was appealing is that you should instead focus on what will bring you a The premise of course is that you basically have 4，000 weeks in a lifetime。 The surprise is that the author uses this amount of time in the perspective of overall history to emphasize just how little this will matter in the grand scheme of things。While the main idea being that you shouldn't place too much importance on the tasks that other people have on your to-do lists when the outcomes aren't really that meaningful - what was appealing is that you should instead focus on what will bring you and your North Star goals the most meaning and happiness。 After all as a famous band once belted out， 'We're here for a good time， not a long time。。。。"Definitely worth a read， and I'll be rereading it again once it has some time to sit with me - Here is hoping that the second reading will be able to pull out some bigger nuggets to share with you。 。。。more
Kevin Loder
，
This is a must-read in the category of time management。 We often are tempted to get too ramped up about productivity， which can lead to productivity burnout。 And a lot of shame and guilt can be the result。 So here is a different approach， in which instead of trying to be limitless your，brace your limits， and then get on with life， because 4，000 weeks will be over before you know it。
Ha Vu
，
The general idea of the book is our time is finite， but time IS us， so it is US who decide how to spend it。 The author proposed to stop imposing the traditional productivity mindsets in which we try to cram everything into our todo lists and define our values based on what we accomplish。 He suggested accepting the fact that we may not be able to do abSoLuTELy everything we want to do， and that's okay。A good chunk of the book talks about why we need to release our urge to control everything in li The general idea of the book is our time is finite， but time IS us， so it is US who decide how to spend it。 The author proposed to stop imposing the traditional productivity mindsets in which we try to cram everything into our todo lists and define our values based on what we accomplish。 He suggested accepting the fact that we may not be able to do abSoLuTELy everything we want to do， and that's okay。A good chunk of the book talks about why we need to release our urge to control everything in life。 As I listened to those parts， I was like 'man， maybe my therapist read this book' LOL This was the exact advice she gave me just a few weeks ago。Chapter 13 about the cosmic insignificance therapy was impactful for me。 General ideas are many things we want to do and think would define us may not be that much of a deal， and the universe， overall， gives no flying fuck to what we do。 Gave me a good chuckle！ This is what my Mom's been telling me my whole adult life LOL So no one lets her read this book， or else she would be "I told you"。This is a good book and it touches on many points that I NEED to hear and implement， or things that I know already but still couldn't bring myself to practice。 At some point， I felt brutally called out by how much I relate to the examples the author used in the book LOL Like practicing being ok with just sitting and doing nothing。 It's sooo hard for me to do so， and for the longest time， reading was an activity I used to make myself feel good and to avoid being idle。 But I'm trying to be better。 Will keep on practicing being comfortable doing nothing :）The book gave me a heartwarming vibe。 A bit repetitive， but maybe that's necessary since there are examples that need repeating to drill into our minds。Notes:1。 adopt a fixed volumn approach to productivity2。 serialize serialize serialize3。 decide in advance what to fail at4。 focus on what you have already completed， not just the ones you haven't accomplished（keep a done list）5。 consolidate your caring6。 embrace boring and single purpose technology7。 seek out novelty in the mundane8。 be a researcher in a relationship9。 cultivate instantaneous generosity10。 practice doing nothing5 questionsto live the questions1。 where in your life or your work are you pursuing comfort when it calls for a little discomfortchoose uncomfortable enlargement over uncomfortable diminishment whenever you can2。 are you holding yourself to or judging yourself by standards of productivity or performance that are impossible to meet3。 in what ways do you accept the fact you are who you are， not the person you want to become4。 in which areas of life are you still holding back until you feel you know what you are doing5。 how would you spend your days differently if you did not care so much about seeing your actions reach fruition 。。。more
Nina
，
A book I hope to re-visit … felt more like a meditation on time and not a didactic tome。
Stephen
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Anyone interested in productivity knows that you have to prioritize things so that you get the most important things done。 You prioritize because you can’t possibility get everything done-- which is central to the philosophy behind the book Getting Things Done。 Many people focus on the system in GTD and ignore the inevitability of not completing your list。 But deciding what not to do -- and being comfortable with it -- is central to managing stress， especially given that our time is limited。 Fou Anyone interested in productivity knows that you have to prioritize things so that you get the most important things done。 You prioritize because you can’t possibility get everything done-- which is central to the philosophy behind the book Getting Things Done。 Many people focus on the system in GTD and ignore the inevitability of not completing your list。 But deciding what not to do -- and being comfortable with it -- is central to managing stress， especially given that our time is limited。 Four Thousand weeks take this message and puts it in the context of our Life Time being limited （4000 weeks being an approximation of the average life span）。 In Four Thousand weeks， Burkeman discusses how to put our lives in perspective by sharing insights of philosophers， scientists， and also personal stories。 While much has been written about the need to prioritize and say no to demands that don’t fit your goals， 4000 weeks puts a unique and compelling spin on the idea。 Not only does he talk about how you prioritize things you do for personal growth， he also discusses some things you should consider when thinking about what to do， and advises that you not just focus on your to do list or personal space， or even happiness or growth， but to look at them together。 You learn about how to accept （and even embrace） failure， and how acknowledging your limits can make for a better， happier， and yes， even more impactful， you，How you relate to others is surprisingly prominent in the book， For example， much has been written about the relationship between social connectedness and happiness， and Burkeman describes how the ethos of personal autonomy can lead to weaker connections， and thus less happiness （as people are happier when connected）: you may have more time if you control your commitments， but if the time isn’t synchronized with others， it’s hard to use that time to connect with family and friends。 （He suggests that， at the very least， you can use your free time to join collaborative activities）。Similarly， a lot of the stress that comes from a desire to achieve can happen when those around you have different expectations that you do， so you need to be comfortable with yourself and your choices。 And the reality is， in many non-pathological cases， most people can adjust expectations if you share your limits with them。 Or they might not actually have the expectations that you are striving to meet and would be happy with you doing something different。 And if you have an overly demanding employer， or partner， perhaps it’s time to reconsider whether it’s the right fit。 Communication with others， and with yourself， helps。While this could be a preachy book， it’s not， but rather very pragmatic。 Burkeman describes some ideals， and shares his realization that they might not all be attainable， but that you can still benefit from the perspectives of finitude。The book ends with five questions to ask yourself to get into the mindset of balancing present with future， and has an appendix with techniques to help you prioritize。 It may be tempting to skip to the ends and read the questions， but the book sets the stage for the questions and their value to resonate。If you are someone who seeks to be more productive and more effective， this is an essential read， as it will give you some tools to help you figure out what to focus on and also an important reminder that not all accomplishment is the result of the things you do by yourself and this is an important book for those who are dealing with， or trying to avoid stress from information or task overload。 It’s tempting to sum up the book with a sentence or two that explains the answer， but the main value of the book is that it helps guide you to the questions you can ask yourself。 。。。more
Colin
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Fantastic book on realizing a meaningful， productive life while not falling prey to traditional advice or simply getting as much done as you can。 Provides a new lens to view your time spent。 Recommend for anyone， but especially those that are striving without feeling rewarded。
Apollos
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I am compelled to press this book into the hands of my friends and everyone I know！ 📖Four Thousand Weeks is not just the average amount of time an individual has on earth（！）， but is also this unconventional game-changer of a book that pleads us to recognise the finitude of our lives and give up any hopes of fully mastering our time！ ⏰There are so many self-help books on productivity that easily perpetuate our illusion of becoming a wonder worker who can complete all the work we have， but what if I am compelled to press this book into the hands of my friends and everyone I know！ 📖Four Thousand Weeks is not just the average amount of time an individual has on earth（！）， but is also this unconventional game-changer of a book that pleads us to recognise the finitude of our lives and give up any hopes of fully mastering our time！ ⏰There are so many self-help books on productivity that easily perpetuate our illusion of becoming a wonder worker who can complete all the work we have， but what if that’s just impossible？ Why are we even slogging our asses off in the first place when we only have such a short lifespan？ 😓In funny， philosophical and critical prose akin to a good knock to our heads， Oliver Burkeman gives us a chance to reflect on our ever-busy lives and reframe our ideas of time management。 I have to say that although I don’t agree 100% with all the ideas in this book， this is still a read that provoked my thoughts in an absolutely essential way。 ✊4。5/5 。。。more
Yesh
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I have been engaged in a battle against time for decades。 Procrastination， anxiety and incomplete projects lobbed at me like grenades。 It took me a long time to come to an understanding of some of the things that Oliver talks about here。 I would have loved to have come across a book like this a few years back。 But， like he talks about in this book， sometimes we have to stumble across in the dark to find our own way。 It does help to have a lantern along the way。
Tiffanie22
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