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Cuatro mil semanas: La vida es corta. ¿Qué piensas hacer al respecto?

Cuatro mil semanas: La vida es corta. ¿Qué piensas hacer al respecto?

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-03-01 02:51:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Oliver Burkeman
  • ISBN：8408267361
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Summary

2021 Financial Times Books of the Year

An Instant New York Times Best Seller

This program is read by the author。

Time is our biggest worry: There is too little of it。 The acclaimed Guardian writer Oliver Burkeman offers a lively， entertaining philosophical guide to time and time management， setting aside superficial efficiency solutions in favor of reckoning with and finding joy in the finitude of human life。

The average human lifespan is absurdly， insultingly brief。 Assuming you live to be eighty， you have just over four thousand weeks。

Nobody needs telling there isn’t enough time。 We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists， our overfilled inboxes， work-life balance， and the ceaseless battle against distraction; and we’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient， and “life hacks” to optimize our days。 But such techniques often end up making things worse。 The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense， and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon。 Still， we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks。

Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers， psychologists， and spiritual teachers， Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining， humorous， practical， and ultimately profound guide to time and time management。 Rejecting the futile modern fixation on “getting everything done，” Four Thousand Weeks introduces listeners to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude， showing how many of the unhelpful ways we’ve come to think about time aren’t inescapable， unchanging truths， but choices we’ve made as individuals and as a society - and that we could do things differently。

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Reviews

Lisa Debellevue ，

This book really helped me analyze why I feel the need to be super time efficient and realize that it is an impossible task。 What a burden it is to carry around unrealistic and unnecessary expectations of what we can accomplish in life。 When we let go of those expectations and begin to understand what we really want and need， we will be able to transform our to-do list into something that works for us instead of feeling inadequate or guilty for not being able to do it all。 I listened to the audi This book really helped me analyze why I feel the need to be super time efficient and realize that it is an impossible task。 What a burden it is to carry around unrealistic and unnecessary expectations of what we can accomplish in life。 When we let go of those expectations and begin to understand what we really want and need， we will be able to transform our to-do list into something that works for us instead of feeling inadequate or guilty for not being able to do it all。 I listened to the audiobook， which is great。 I’m buying a physical copy to reread and be able to highlight and annotate。 。。。more

Lisa ，

Not how to do more- but how to think of time differently。

Zoe Alexander ，

Excellent opportunity for everyone who obsesses with productivity to pause and explore meaning。Great read。

Trish ，

Disappointed with this， not helpful at all。

Anne ，

Not a good use of my precious 4k weeks。

Priyanka Subba ，

This was a good book and reminder， especially for a planner， productivity and time management tool junkie like me。 The information shared definitely helped put things in perspective and I could identify a lot with what Burkeman talked about especially the demand for reassurance from the future which can never be satisfied no matter how much I try to plan for something。 I will definitely be thinking about Burkeman's cautions the next time I'm fretting about trying to complete everything on my "op This was a good book and reminder， especially for a planner， productivity and time management tool junkie like me。 The information shared definitely helped put things in perspective and I could identify a lot with what Burkeman talked about especially the demand for reassurance from the future which can never be satisfied no matter how much I try to plan for something。 I will definitely be thinking about Burkeman's cautions the next time I'm fretting about trying to complete everything on my "open list" but can't say Burkeman has persuaded me enough to not try out the next productivity and time management tool i hear about or some across。 Maybe i need to read this book again！ 。。。more

Neshat ，

5 Questions:1。 Choose uncomfortable enlargement over comfortable diminishment。2。 Are you holding yourself to or judging yourself by impossible standards？ Drop them。3。 In what ways have you yet failed to accept the fact that you're who you are and not the person you think you ought to be？ No one really cares what we're doing with our life。 There's no need to justify your life。4。 In which areas of life are you still holding back until you feel like you know what you're doing？ Everyone's just wingi 5 Questions:1。 Choose uncomfortable enlargement over comfortable diminishment。2。 Are you holding yourself to or judging yourself by impossible standards？ Drop them。3。 In what ways have you yet failed to accept the fact that you're who you are and not the person you think you ought to be？ No one really cares what we're doing with our life。 There's no need to justify your life。4。 In which areas of life are you still holding back until you feel like you know what you're doing？ Everyone's just winging it， you might as well get on with it。5。 How would you spend your days differently if you didn't care so much about seeing your action reach fruition？"One lives as one can。 。。。 The individual path is the way you make for yourself， which is never prescribed， which you do not know in advance and which simply comes into being itself when you put one foot in front of the other。 。。。 Quietly do the next and most necessary thing。" - Carl JungTen tools for embracing your finitude:1。 Adopt a fixed-volume approach to productivity。 e。g。 Keep two to-do lists one that contains everything you want to do， and a second which contains things you're actively working on， which should be limited to a small number of items （at most ten）。 Or， establish time limits for your daily work。2。 Serialize！ Focus on one big project at a time and see it to completion before moving on。3。 Decide in advance what to fail at。 Accept that you'll do a poor job at things which you aren't currently focusing on， and that should diminish the shame of failing。4。 Focus on what you've already completed， not just on what's left to complete。 Celebrate your daily achievements， since you'll never finish everything that's left。 Keep a "done" list of what you've completed in the day。5。 Consolidate your caring。 There are lots of problems in the world， but you only have a finite amount of attention。 Pick a few causes and work towards them。6。 Embrace boring and single-purpose technology。 Make your devices as boring as possible: delete social-media apps and switch your devices to grayscale。 Read on a kindle instead of your phone。7。 Seek out novelty in the mundane。 Avoid routines when possible， walk a new way， etc。 Experience each moment in greater detail， pay more attention。8。 Be a researcher in relationships。 Adopt an attitude of curiosity in which your goal isn't to achieve any particular outcome or successfully explain your position， but "to figure out who this human being is。" Curiosity is satisfied regardless of the outcome。 Choose wonder over worry whenever you can。9。 Cultivate instantaneous generosity。 Whenever a generous impulse arises in your mind， act on it right away。 Don't wait until later when you can "do a better job。"10。 Practice doing nothing。 Stop trying to evade how reality feels， calm down and make better choices with your time。 。。。more

Spencer ，

A good book with some valid points。 What I took away from this book was its okay to be picky with your time。 You don't need to always be living in the present， nor do you need to focus on your future。 It's totally acceptable to miss out on opportunities。 It's better to turn your FOMO into an art。 Actively prioritize and miss out on opportunities that may not be great for you。Your time is limited， make decisions。 A good book with some valid points。 What I took away from this book was its okay to be picky with your time。 You don't need to always be living in the present， nor do you need to focus on your future。 It's totally acceptable to miss out on opportunities。 It's better to turn your FOMO into an art。 Actively prioritize and miss out on opportunities that may not be great for you。Your time is limited， make decisions。 。。。more

Khando Dolma ，

read at the most perfect time in my life of juggling millions of things in life， kinda life changing advice and new perspective on time and work and perfectionism and

Kayti ，

There’s a lot to chew on in this book and is rather anti-typical for a time management book。 It’s a pretty strong pendulum swing for the hustle of western culture， and has a lot to offer in terms of slowing down and figuring out what truly belongs at the center of our lives。 That said， the author comes off pretty pretentious and does not seem to be a Believer， so some of his reasoning is rather self-centered for my taste。 Even so， it is incredibly thought-provoking and worth a read。

Anja Anic ，

No， this book is not full of time-management hacks。 On the contrary， it criticises those with the line of argument that you simply cannot get everything done so there is no point in trying。 What is more， you might fall in the efficiency trap where the more you do， the more work is somehow left to be done （e。g。 you become great at clearing your inbox will just make more emails coming your way）。 Granted， I likes some of the advices made， such as becoming a better procrastinator and purposefully pr No， this book is not full of time-management hacks。 On the contrary， it criticises those with the line of argument that you simply cannot get everything done so there is no point in trying。 What is more， you might fall in the efficiency trap where the more you do， the more work is somehow left to be done （e。g。 you become great at clearing your inbox will just make more emails coming your way）。 Granted， I likes some of the advices made， such as becoming a better procrastinator and purposefully procrastinate on some things cause no one can do everything。 Or， giving spotlight to periods of your time in which you'll focus on certain things （to know you'll neglect a certain area of life because something else takes precedence in that time）。 It seemed to me that the author himself struggled to covey this rather simple， and yet rather complicated idea throughout the book: "You are irrelevant and realising that will liberate you。 But also， you do need some meaning in your life， and what you do for meaningful cause is relevant and you should invest your time in it （although you can't invest time， because you don't really have time， but you are time in the first place。 Deep， huh？ - Yes， the book is quite philosophical）。" Of course， finding a balance between this is difficult: live life to your fullest！ But also， make sure to plan your future to a certain sense （just because you're insignificant， doesn't mean you shouldn't care about global income inequality）。 Same goes with daily/weekly time management。 It is the truth that we just seem to be finding ways to cramp more things in our lives， simplify and automate annoying things only to fill that freed time with more tasks。 But the ideas of four-day-workweeks and similar are not only about productivity。 They are about leisure， and so are many productivity hacks。 The idea is to get more work done so that you have more free time for meaningful things。 So， all in all， I don't fully agree with the book's ideas。My favorite was the chapter about cultivating connection （chapter 12） describing several examples and research showing how toxic our need for control and individuality can be。 Yes， the idea to work less and have clear boundaries and work-life balance （a term that author seems to dislike with passion cause it's apparently also unattainable） is important， but it means little to accomplish this when people then don't have anyone to spend that time with。 The same reason workers are dissatisfied having days off on different days and everyone is happier if everybody else is on vacation as well。 And us unemployed also prefer weekend over week days when others are free as well and we are released from the guilt of not working。 Ah yes， I relate。 What it seems to me was the missed opportunity for a stronger argument is: we need societal/communal organisation of connection， cause we obviously suck at it on an individual life。 We became so obsessed about boundaries， not just when it comes to professional life， but every intrusion of our private life， which is apparently so sacred so we let no one to 'violate' it， not realising we are with this also blocking opportunities for more meaningful connection with fellow humans。 Maybe， then， we need some mechanism that will bring the communal back。 Author gave an example of Swedish fika。 It works because it's cultural and societal， but you might raise eyebrows if you just start to inviting people for coffee （although it shouldn't be like that， we should all strive to be a bit more open towards one another）。 For that reason， I liked the arguments for investing in long-term things。 Truly， getting married is a strong statement that you are done looking and testing the field， always thinking that someone else better will come along。 It is realising that there is no such thing as a perfect person， or a soulmate， and if you find someone who shares that idea and is willing to put effort with you and give up trying to find a better one， but instead to work to create the relationship - than that's the one for you。 When you invest too much effort into believing every experience will create a profound meaning， it will often fail you。 Oh， and not having hope is a good thing cause you're more ready to take action - interesting idea I believe it's half true。 My main critique to this book （although I can apply this to many non-fiction books） is the lack of cultural and socioeconomic nuance。 Yes， of course， as everything， this book also has its targeted audience， but I would always appreciate just a tiny remark on how the described people in majority fit a certain western cultures and certain socioeconomic class。 Even in that sense there would still be nuance （take parts of Europe that have a clearer stance on working hours， boundaries between working and private， and societal affinity towards free time， slow life and less hustle - Scandinavia might be such place）。 All in all， although a societal change （on society on global level） is noticeable， this， nor anything， is one size fits all。 。。。more

Louise Marie ，

I’m all too familiar with the grip of existential anxiety。 I feel its grasp as my breathing halters when someone tells me about all of the places they’ve travelled to。 I don’t even like travelling that much！ Still， I’ve internalised the impulse to do as much as possible so that when I’m very old I’ll look back and feel like my life ‘meant something’。 Burkeman calls this out and offers the following sage advice:“Once you no longer need to convince yourself that you’ll do everything that needs doi I’m all too familiar with the grip of existential anxiety。 I feel its grasp as my breathing halters when someone tells me about all of the places they’ve travelled to。 I don’t even like travelling that much！ Still， I’ve internalised the impulse to do as much as possible so that when I’m very old I’ll look back and feel like my life ‘meant something’。 Burkeman calls this out and offers the following sage advice:“Once you no longer need to convince yourself that you’ll do everything that needs doing， you’re free to focus on a few things that count”。 This book was a timely reminder to practice mindfulness， watch my tendency to rush through the tedium of the day-to-day， and relish the majesty of the ordinary。 Some of the content is a little generic and derivative， but I think this book is a great antidote to a lot of contemporary self-help content in an era characterised by hustling， #girlbossing， and unrelenting optimising。 。。。more

Previnder ，

Assuming that an individual lives to be eighty， he or she gets to live four thousand weeks。 Is that a long period of time or a short period of time？ There's this peculiar characteristic about the human perception of time， which is that when we're looking forward into the future， into the years and the decades ahead， time seems long; but when we're looking back at our past it seems as if all that time had passed in a flash。However long or short life is， what is undeniable is that it is limited。 T Assuming that an individual lives to be eighty， he or she gets to live four thousand weeks。 Is that a long period of time or a short period of time？ There's this peculiar characteristic about the human perception of time， which is that when we're looking forward into the future， into the years and the decades ahead， time seems long; but when we're looking back at our past it seems as if all that time had passed in a flash。However long or short life is， what is undeniable is that it is limited。 There will come a day that will be our last。 This makes time precious; otherwise we wouldn't worry about wasting any because there will always be more。 The question of how we ought to spend our precious few years on Earth is one that is much more than about "time management"， as managers and productivity gurus would speak of it。 And this is the perspective that Oliver Burkeman carries throughout Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals。As it may be obvious from the title， the central thesis of the book is that the time that we have is limited。 But most people live as if they have an unlimited amount of time， even if they wouldn't describe it that way themselves （why， then， would they chronically put off how they most want to live their life？） As a small example of this， I keep a to-do list （which I always have）， and all too often I procrastinate by doing the unimportant items in the list， with the mindset that I can get working on the important stuff， the things that I really want to do， after clearing the decks， so to speak。 But there have been too many days when all I did was clear the decks。 My to-do list keeps getting longer， and it's futile to fight it。 As a solution to this particular problem， Burkeman suggests keeping two lists; one "open"， for the unimportant ones， and one "closed"， for the important ones （the closed list should never surpass a certain number of items， say， no more than ten）。 And， more than any method， I must admit to myself that I will never be able to complete all the items in my to-do list。 And， in the larger scheme of things， I will never get to do all that I wish to do in life。 I only get to choose which few things I get to do， and even this I don't have full control over。 This， Burkeman calls， a limit embracing attitude; something most of us don't have on most of our days。 Incidentally， this reminded me of what Jony Ive， the former head of design at Apple， said of Steve Jobs， that Steve was "the most remarkably focused person" that he's ever met。One of the things that I've been neglecting， which Burkemen reminded me on multiple occasions， is the importance of the present moment—the only time I will ever get to experience anything at all。 I don't think I will be living optimally if the present moment doesn't feel satisfying， in itself， for at least half my waking hours， however fruitful or fruitless its labor may be。This was more of a philosophical book than a mere self-help book， and I was in strong agreement with most of the author's points。 Many things in here are things that most people know already but have forgotten or have not articulated （“The best books are those that tell you what you know already，” said George Orwell）。 I would recommend this book especially to those who are obsessed with productivity and want to get the most out of life。 。。。more

Ross ，

A surprisingly excellent work that synthesizes numerous perspectives on productivity and what it means to live a life worth living without lapsing into shallow aphorisms or egging one on to simply do more。 Highly recommended。

Kuster ，

4。5* Really interesting history and insight into our society's need for productivity and efficient time-management。 I unfortunately cannot remember the first half as I signed this audiobook out from the library and had to wait a few months to complete it after my original loan lapsed。 I do however remember really enjoying it then too， if that counts！Half star off mainly for the self-help-y bits which always annoy me， but I'm sure other readers would enjoy/expect。 4。5* Really interesting history and insight into our society's need for productivity and efficient time-management。 I unfortunately cannot remember the first half as I signed this audiobook out from the library and had to wait a few months to complete it after my original loan lapsed。 I do however remember really enjoying it then too， if that counts！Half star off mainly for the self-help-y bits which always annoy me， but I'm sure other readers would enjoy/expect。 。。。more

Dee Renee Chesnut ，

It reinforced some of the lessons in A Handbook for New Stoics which is a book I am working my way through at the rate of a lesson per week。It was recommended as a Book Club February read by Bullet Journal University。

Olga ，

Myśl przewodnia tej książki bardzo mi się podoba i coś czuję， że na dłuższy czas ze mną zostanie。 Faktycznie świadomość skończoności jest w pewien sposób uwalniająca， ale po pierwszej części miałam wrażenie， że autor w kółko próbuje przekazać to samo， tylko innymi słowami://

Bones ，

Paso mas tiempo citando los trabajos de otros autores que intentando dar su opinionNo creo que sus únicos dos puntos validos que tiene justifiquen las 290 paginas

Matthew Brand ，

Wow， what a book。 Lots of stuff I'm still trying to wrap my head around。 So much to digest during it that I think it's impossible to do in one read-through。 The main topics I'm still trying to grok and figure out how to implement are:- How does seeking for meaningless convenience impact the truly important things？- How can I synchronize my time with others？ As someone who works from how and is very much in a culture of us taking our own vacations， I don't know how to do this。 But I think this ul Wow， what a book。 Lots of stuff I'm still trying to wrap my head around。 So much to digest during it that I think it's impossible to do in one read-through。 The main topics I'm still trying to grok and figure out how to implement are:- How does seeking for meaningless convenience impact the truly important things？- How can I synchronize my time with others？ As someone who works from how and is very much in a culture of us taking our own vacations， I don't know how to do this。 But I think this ultimately is why you have to schedule things with friends 2 months out。- What parts of my life am I only doing for hope in the future state？- Time isn't meant to be hoarded。 It's meant to be spent on the important things。- You need to learn how to start saying no to things you want to do， not just the things you don't want to。- The overlap of time management and parenting。 Both are doomed to fail if you desperately try to control them。- Each and every one of the 10 questions at the end are worth pondering indefinitely。My only gripe with the whole book was the subtle message that getting （and staying married） for the rest of your life is the "best"。 。。。more

Angelo ，

Il titolo italiano è leggermente fuorviante。 L'autore parte dal concetto che ognuno di noi mediamente ha a disposizione 4000 settimane di vita （4000 week， titolo originale）。 Da questa pietra miliare si costruisce tutto un ragionamento che punta a farci riflettere su quanto sia prezioso il nostro tempo。 Vengono messe al bando le strategie di produttività che riempiono pagine e pagine di pseudo-guru con la soluzione sempre in tasca （anche se nella realtà non è che conducano vite così idilliache）。 Il titolo italiano è leggermente fuorviante。 L'autore parte dal concetto che ognuno di noi mediamente ha a disposizione 4000 settimane di vita （4000 week， titolo originale）。 Da questa pietra miliare si costruisce tutto un ragionamento che punta a farci riflettere su quanto sia prezioso il nostro tempo。 Vengono messe al bando le strategie di produttività che riempiono pagine e pagine di pseudo-guru con la soluzione sempre in tasca （anche se nella realtà non è che conducano vite così idilliache）。 Il libro è pieno di spunti interessanti ed è scritto veramente bene。 A mio avviso questo testo è l'unica medicina per guarire i malati di produttività che altro non fanno che correre sulla ruota del criceto， mettetevi comodi: c'è una vita da vivere。 。。。more

Tyler ，

This was a wonderful book to read。 I lost count of the many passages I have highlighted and I have a short list of friends I can't wait to lend it to。 I have a hard time describing this book without diving into a mini rant or long anecdote but suffice to say it has affected me in a big way。 This was a wonderful book to read。 I lost count of the many passages I have highlighted and I have a short list of friends I can't wait to lend it to。 I have a hard time describing this book without diving into a mini rant or long anecdote but suffice to say it has affected me in a big way。 。。。more

Zack ，

This most certainly is not the book you’re expecting it to be。 It’s optimistic in the face of eternity but it’s not self righteous self help。 This should be on everyone’s TBR。 Yes， I think it’s THAT good。 The exploration of using our finite time as what drives valuable outcomes of our choices is a difficult and painful task but it’s the one we have to make （and keep making）。

Marissa ，

Overly repetitive。 Should have been half as long。

Chance Lee ，

Invaluable。

Aaron Eason ，

The perfect antidote to modernity。 Essentially， the core message is: stop trying to control your time as you don't have enough of it。 Live presently and accept that death is coming。 Most people spend their lives living in the future on the false promise that "I'll be happy once I've done （insert goal here）"。 Important and relevant book with practical solutions to the addiction of squeezing the lemon of time。 The perfect antidote to modernity。 Essentially， the core message is: stop trying to control your time as you don't have enough of it。 Live presently and accept that death is coming。 Most people spend their lives living in the future on the false promise that "I'll be happy once I've done （insert goal here）"。 Important and relevant book with practical solutions to the addiction of squeezing the lemon of time。 。。。more

Holly ，

This is a book about why you should not strive for peak productivity。 And if you read that sentence and thought， why would I ever read something like that？， then you should read this book。 As someone who has spent her entire adult life surrounded by high achievers and productive co workers， I recognize the pressure that that culture implicitly and explicitly places on you to be “productive”。 This book breaks down， very well， why it is not a very healthy way to live your life。 The author also sho This is a book about why you should not strive for peak productivity。 And if you read that sentence and thought， why would I ever read something like that？， then you should read this book。 As someone who has spent her entire adult life surrounded by high achievers and productive co workers， I recognize the pressure that that culture implicitly and explicitly places on you to be “productive”。 This book breaks down， very well， why it is not a very healthy way to live your life。 The author also shows us a model for living a less productive life， and how it could look for you。 Overall， a good， thought provoking read。 Recommended for all my colleagues。 。。。more

Rachel Salmon ，

I listened to this as an audiobook but I’m actually gonna get a hard copy to read again so I can annotate the shit out of it。

Katy ，

This is the splash of cold water we may need， but not necessarily want。 A good perspective shift that reminds us （ok， me） that we can try all the time management techniques and hacks， but at the end of the day， our time is finite， we will always have trade offs， we will never get everything done or get to do everything， and the sooner we come to accept these things， the happier we will be。 I can't say I was happier leaving this book， but left me with some important things to keep in mind。 Audiob This is the splash of cold water we may need， but not necessarily want。 A good perspective shift that reminds us （ok， me） that we can try all the time management techniques and hacks， but at the end of the day， our time is finite， we will always have trade offs， we will never get everything done or get to do everything， and the sooner we come to accept these things， the happier we will be。 I can't say I was happier leaving this book， but left me with some important things to keep in mind。 Audiobook。 。。。more

Kim Meidenbauer ，

I needed to read this！！！ Brilliant 👏

Meera Reddy Wright ，

Loved this book。 Philosophical without being too preachy。 Really brought it together at the end。 Felt liberating and empowering and helped me unknowingly through a life decision。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cuatro mil semanas: La vida es corta. ¿Qué piensas hacer al respecto?

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cuatro mil semanas: La vida es corta. ¿Qué piensas hacer al respecto?&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cuatro mil semanas: La vida es corta. ¿Qué piensas hacer al respecto?&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0