Finished 19/02/2023

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

Oliver Burkeman

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Found on Reddit; I like his newsletter and the opening. Very illuminating, and I will use it as a reminder not to stress about how I use my time, despite the anxiety that comes from knowing I have only 4000 weeks

Notes

Your time is limited. Use it well
This does not mean being hyper-productive, which is counterintuitive and only leads to dissatisfaction and stress. Let go of perfection and accept that you are not in control.
It is not that we have limited time. We are limited time. The problem is that we are pushed to treat it as a resource, despairing if we are not productive all the time. There is this feeling of never quite giving your best.
The Efficiency Trap: the more efficient we are, the less time we end up with because demand grows. On top of that, we carry the anxiety of being overwhelmed by how busy we are. Learn to say no and focus only on tasks you find useful
Describing time as a resource is harmful; we should remember that every minute we live is a gift (we could die for any number of reasons). It costs us nothing; we should be grateful to have it and not feel obliged to exploit it as if it were a resource
Time is also a network good. Vacations alone are not especially meaningful, whereas spending time with loved ones matters far more
Leisure, idleness, is the very essence of not working (neg-ozio, business). Use time off to actually rest. Do not adapt to the habit of optimizing time off. Idling is fine
You cannot control time. The more you try, the more it slips away
To break the cycle, admit you do not control time and focus only on tasks that matter to you. Example: traffic. Why stress over what you cannot control? Take a Taoist approach and use that time for something else
Do not be afraid of missing out by spending time on something else. Every moment you miss billions of other opportunities, and that is fine
The Taoist view is that things are as they should be, no matter how much you hope they change. The only chance to influence them is to work with this truth, not against it
Get used to the annoying fact that there is always something to do, and let it go. No one will harm you if you do not do everything instantly. It is human

10 tools to manage your relationship with time (fairly generic, five would have been enough)

Adopt a “fixed” approach to productivity. This is what I do with the three macro tasks idea, or with a fixed work schedule. Stay within these boundaries; do not leave a vague “be as productive as possible”
Serialize. One thing at a time; focus on one major project before moving to another
Decide in advance where to fail Decide where you will not excel in this period (e.g., deprioritize learning or fitness) and know you can allow that for a short period if you must focus on something else. You do not have to do everything
Track what you have completed Do not delete finished tasks; leave them checked. Seeing what you accomplished makes the end of the day feel better
Narrow your interests Choose your battles, because you cannot do everything
Embrace boring, single-purpose tech For example, phone grayscale and a Kindle. Do not get too attached to comfort tech
Look for novelty in routine events Pay more attention to the habitual and monotonous parts of life. Bring more care to them (generic)
Be a researcher in relationships (this comes naturally to me) Approach life with curiosity and a constant desire to learn
Practice instant generosity Act right away if you feel an impulse to be generous. One good action invites another
Practice the art of doing nothing The point of the book is that it is OK to do nothing. Get used to this feeling, for example by meditating and doing absolutely nothing

Key questions

Where in your life or your work are you currently pursuing comfort, when what’s called for is a little discomfort?
Are you holding yourself to, and judging yourself by, standards of productivity or performance that are impossible to meet?
In what ways have you yet to accept the fact that you are who you are, not the person you think you ought to be?
In which areas of life are you still holding back until you feel like you know what you’re doing?
How would you spend your days differently if you didn’t care so much about seeing your actions reach fruition?