4.4 This wasn't what I expected at all. it was more, more psychological mindset than management. The authors asks, why do you need to do this ? Does it matter really ? Why do you have your panties in a bunch over something that really doesn't matter ? Pick what matters to you, for your interests, not based on what society says you should be doing. And much more
I agree with him, it all makes so much sense. The challange for me is can I change a lifetime of stressing out over time ? It's my automatic set. I did notice that when poo hit the fan this week and it hit multiple times hard I was able to shrug and do what I needed to do without stressing that I had to get it all done. I felt light and not so burdened. Maybe I should move it up to 5 stars ? We'll see if I re-read it ( )

An amazing balance to other time management books, that proposes balance, focus, and a clear perspective. ( )

[3.25] Burkeman has inspired me to have a bit of fun with friends. The author would occasionally ask people to guess — without doing any lofty mental math — roughly how many weeks we mortals have on this earth. Many would grossly overestimate the number. I’m guessing many folks in my circles will do the same — because I certainly would have never guessed that our average lifespans amount to only 4,000 weeks.

The book’s underlying message is clear: our days — or weeks in this case — are numbered and we should make every effort to improve “our troubled relationship with time.” It is well-written, engaging and includes a number of “news-you-can-use” nuggets. But having overdosed on books that embrace similar themes (a dozen or so within the past decade), many of the points have been explored in previous works — albeit not with Burkeman’s counterintuitive approaches to issues such as grappling with procrastination or “wasting time.”

“Four Thousand Weeks” waxes a tad too philosophical and metaphysical too often for my tastes, something the author even seems to admit in a couple spots. Having said that, Burkeman provides numerous insights, including a cautionary note about “efficiency traps” (the more work we get done, the more likely it is that we will have more work assigned to us and/or feel that we can get done.)

He also reminds us that we’re on borrowed time (call it human “finitude.”) Hence, we should practice embracing a mindset that allows us to appreciate even the not-so-enjoyable twists in life. One anecdote involves a man who, after one of his friends died suddenly, didn’t find himself clenching his fists in a traffic tieup, but found himself thankful that he was in that traffic jam in the first place. After all, even the unpleasant tasks absorb time we never had any right to expect. True, these aren’t revelatory insights. But they serve as important reminders. Perhaps the most valuable takeaway for me involved the author’s suggestion that we harness patience to help solve daily dilemmas. Don’t sweat it if it takes a bit of time to carefully observe, analyze and come up with possible fixes. I used his mantra one day later when the antiquated lawn mower at my cottage was giving me problems. By spending several additional minutes patiently examining the contraption, I solved the minor problem. It reinforced one of the author’s principles — that we shouldn’t try to “use” time, but rather allow time to use us. ( )

I've been experiencing a lot of existential angst of late. Thinking about my own mortality, my limited time on this earth, my desire to make an impact and leave behind a legacy... all of this has been causing me a ton of anxiety. So I picked up Four Thousand Weeks hoping to find a new way of thinking about how to make the most of the time I have left.

While Burkeman does a stellar job of addressing our obsession with productivity from a philosophical and psychological standpoint, the book doesn't offer as much practical advice as I was hoping for. With 13 pages of notes and an 8-page index, Four Thousand Weeks is obviously well-researched. Yet, as I read, what little advice I found only rehashed the stuff I'd come across in every other time management book: "do the important things first," "be okay with not being great at everything," "do the next right thing," etc.

That's not to say Burkeman's book doesn't have merit. Far from it. But for all of Burkeman's claims that this is a different kind of time management book, in the end, it sits comfortably alongside "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson and "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.

Reading Four Thousand Weeks won't revolutionize your daily life, but it could help you reconsider what's truly worth your time. ( )

This book took me by surprise. For some reason I thought this was strictly a time management book. Turns out it's time management fused with philosophy and sprinkled with a little psychology. The message isn't how to adjust your schedule so you can fit more things in your "4000 weeks" on this planet, but *what* to fill your "4000 weeks" with. Very powerful message.

I checked out the audio book from the library knowing I had the physical copy at home, but wanted to listen to it during my morning commute. The problem is that there were so many gems of wisdom that I wanted to digest, I ended up going back through the physical copy to put a book dart next to some of them. But now I need to re-read the physical copy to make sure I captured them all. ( )

By page 5 I had decided that I needed to return my library copy and buy both the audiobook and a print copy of this, and was recommending it to friends. The title may mislead you; it's really the anti-Productivity(tm) book; it's about limits and mortality and recognizing that you're actually human. Bonus points for reading this book while family members are going through potentially life-or-death medical issues.

After I read this, I went back and put tabs on pages I'd highlighted or written notes on or wanted to remember, and the book now looks like a peacock in full bloom. There's good stuff everywhere in here.

If simplicity, difficulty-practicing-mindfulness, Zen and Jung are your bag, you'll extra-love this. ( )

A scary but also thought-provoking and beautiful book. More philosophy than self-help. I found part I very depressing, and then part II delighted me. It reminded me of a whole bunch of other books:
- [b:How to Be Idle|623922|How to Be Idle|Tom Hodgkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388368701l/623922._SX50_.jpg|1768914], which is less serious and much more funny, but has similar themes
- [b:Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams|287818|Refuse to Choose! Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams|Barbara Sher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441675545l/287818._SY75_.jpg|279246], which in contrast encourages you not to choose
- [b:The Pocket Pema Chodron|3154342|The Pocket Pema Chodron|Pema Chödrön|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1355185657l/3154342._SY75_.jpg|3185925] about being comfortable with being uncomfortable
- [b:The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times|56268863|The Book of Hope A Survival Guide for Trying Times|Jane Goodall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632157501l/56268863._SY75_.jpg|87660069] which has the opposite premise of the last chapter, namely that being hopeful and concentrating on the future is essential for not getting depressed by current world events.
- books about creativity and showing up to make art, such as [b:The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity|615570|The Artist's Way A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity|Julia Cameron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440952332l/615570._SX50_.jpg|2210934] and [b:Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative|13099738|Steal Like an Artist 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative|Austin Kleon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404576602l/13099738._SX50_.jpg|18272194]
( )

Focuses more on meaning/quality of life and purposeful use of time, rather than efficiency or time-management hacks. You'll learn:
• Why modern time-management and productivity strategies and techniques don't work, and how they make you feel more busy and overwhelmed.
• How our perspective of time and time-use has changed over the generations, resulting in our constant struggle today with too much to do in too little time.
• How you can make a fundamental shift to live a more fulfilling, purpose-driven life, by adopting various philosophies, strategies and approaches.

Book summary at: https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-four-thousand-weeks/ ( )

Busts the myriad time management models of efficiency, "success," and so on. A clear, no bullshit approach to how life really works, and suggestions for a saner way to live it. ( )

I may already my favorite read for 2024. Four Thousand Weeks is permission to be the tortoise to all the hares surrounding us in the legacy of Frederick Taylor now amped up further by the digital age. ( )

Re-attempting the paper copy, as I couldn't finish the ebook ( )

This was pretty good, but seem aimed at a very particular audience: stressed-out overachievers. I am admittedly stressed-out a lot of the time (most parents of young children are), but I'm not an overachiever. So when Burkeman makes a case for chilling out, I don't feel the need to make a change. I feel justified in my life choices. So thanks for that, Oliver. ( )

Not as applicable to my situation as I'd hoped. ( )

Excellent, thought provoking and insightful.
Actionable, but I think I need to re-read to get the best out of it. ( )

When I first saw this book in a bookstore, I walked away because I didn't want a reminder of how little time I have left on this planet.

But the Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman kept getting mentions from like-minded post-productivity folks in my social media universe, so I decided to give it a whirl.

And I liked it.

This book is along the lines of some of my favorite time management books that have come out in recent years such as:
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Wintering by Katherine May

There are many things to think about from this book; in fact, I will read it one more time to take notes.

If you feel you don't have enough time to do everything you want (you don't), if you find yourself wondering why you and your friends don't have time to meet up (it is answered here), and you want to know the secret to time management (focus on few things, forget the rest), then you will find solace in this book.

One chapter I liked talked about having hobbies and how we've built this culture of turning hobbies into a side hustle or making them part of a larger unattainable goal and how it is OK to want to learn how to play guitar or build a model train city like Rod Stewart has and not feel guilty. For me, that is making virtual things in Conan Exiles, and now I don't feel bad that I spent 30 minutes reading a Garfield cartoon book. ( )

I'd recommend this one - talks a lot about how to spend your life, given you only have 4000 hours. ( )

I liked this well enough that I stopped to capture several ideas in my notebooks. See Principles of Patience, his Five Questions, and his Tools for Embracing Your Finitude.
I'm glad I read it. ( )

I adored this book. I think it allowed me to see some truths I hadn't really grasped and it also helped explain some other things I knew but didn't really understand. I think it's brilliantly written - Burkeman is a charming and thoughtful companion. I loved his column in The Guardian back in the day and when he stopped it I completely understood why, but I was sad to miss out on the little snippets of wisdom he doled out each week. When I heard this book was coming out, I wondered whether his style would translate into a longer work, but I felt like the book form allowed him to go deeper than he could in his column.

I dare not even try to summarise the ideas in this book - I think if they could be summed up in a few words, Burkeman wouldn't have bothered writing the book. I honestly think this book changed me sufficiently to have pre- and post- Four Thousand Weeks periods of my life. It's not a huge shift, but just a slight change in orientation and attitude that feels profound and important. I imagine I'll come back to this book again and again and I'm already looking forward to that. ( )

This book is not really about time management. It's about the need to stop trying to manage time and accept that we'll never be on top of everything. The actual advice about how to cope with the overwhelming volume of things to do is brief and fairly obvious to anyone who has struggled enough with their workload to have sought any advice. There's not much new here that I didn't already know or hadn't already thought about, but it's a funny and easy read that reminded me of all the reasons I already know that I should cut myself some slack and resist my perfectionism. It also helped me feel better about myself for having already thought these ideas and moved away from the productivity mindset he's describing (or tried to, at least). I don't know how much value there is in making me feel sane, but there's definitely some. I'd knock off a star for failing to give me new knowledge or ideas, except I like the writing and it feels unfair to fault a book for being about something I've already thought and learned about. ( )

Please follow the link to my blog for the review. Thanks.

https://polymathtobe.blogspot.com/2023/05/book-review-four-thousand-weeks-time.h... ( )

It's a captivating title.

Very inspiring book. Both my husband and I read it. We will support each other in high quality time management. ( )

More like a treatise of practical philosophy for living than a conventional time management book, this very approachable, very readable book that stands out for calling out the fallacies of our culture's attitude toward time (damn you, Middle-Ages monks who invented time-keeping devices, and damn you, Industrial Revolution that made everybody have to show up at the factory at the same time), and what it really means to use our average 4000-week lifespan meaningfully and enjoyably.

Having read multiple books through the years on time hacks and systems of organizing and allocating time, this book is a remarkably liberating breath of fresh air. ( )

Was not blown away in the reading itself, but themes from the book keep popping up. Useful book for discussion ( )

Re-read the book, irradiated last year and felt I wanted to read it again. Like very much - the observations and advice suit me. ( )