Four Thousand Weeks
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4.2 • 190 Ratings
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
Brought to you by Penguin.
The instant Sunday Times bestseller
A FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN AND OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR
ONE OF THE DAILY TELEGRAPH'S 75 BEST BOOKS OF 2021
What if you stopped trying to do everything, so that you could finally get round to what counts?
We're obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, the struggle against distraction, and the sense that our attention spans are shrivelling. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the question of how best to use our ridiculously brief time on the planet, which amounts on average to about four thousand weeks.
Four Thousand Weeks is an uplifting, engrossing and deeply realistic exploration of the challenge. Rejecting the futile modern obsession with 'getting everything done,' it introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing rather than denying their limitations.
Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman sets out to realign our relationship with time - and in doing so, to liberate us from its tyranny.
Embrace your limits. Change your life. Make your four thousand weeks count.
'Life is finite. You don't have to fit everything in... Read this book and wake up to a new way of thinking and living' EMMA GANNON
'A much-needed reality check on our culture's crazy assumptions around work, productivity and living a meaningful life' MARK MANSON, bestselling author of THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK
'Comforting, fascinating, engaging, inspiring and USEFUL, actually genuinely useful' MARIAN KEYES
© Oliver Burkeman 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Oliver Burkeman is a self-confessed former “productivity geek” who wrote this book in the belief that time management as we know it has failed. Its title comes from the mind-boggling statistic that the average human gets 4,000 weeks on this planet—which might puts your daily battle to get your inbox down to zero into some perspective. Burkeman charts his own failed obsessions with productivity and reminds you that “time management” wasn’t always a thing, back when medieval farmers rose with the sun and slept at dusk. Refreshingly free of faddy “top tips” and “life hacks”, it’s a rare self-help book that doesn’t take itself too seriously and one to which it’s well worth dedicating a few precious hours of your 4,000 weeks.
Customer Reviews
Impressive
To assemble such a detailed analysis on the concept of time is remarkable. If potentially everything is applicable is quite a task. There is a deep sense of optimism about the real extent of choices of individuals. Perhaps reality throws more obstacles in the pursue of time management. It is in fact one of the hardest things to accomplish. But any encouragement should be considered a genuine intent to help others . Not sure all the topics given for granted have universal appeal but any suggestion which aims at life improvement should be applauded.
Puzzling and disappointing
I have listened to this audiobook and puzzled over how I would describe it to others. The premise is that we each have about 4000 weeks of life and how to better spend our time. I still don’t have a clear picture of the point other than we should focus on things which have greater value to us, identify what we value and we should spend our spare time with friends and family. There’s an awful lot of words here talking to the bleedingly obvious. It is very nicely narrated though.
Valuable information and ideas
Really thought and action provoking book that has already transformed the way I’m thinking. Feeling less stressed and overwhelmed already!