Title: Four Thousand Weeks – Time Management for Mortals
Author: Oliver Burkeman
Date/year published: 2021
Genre: Self-help, non-fiction, philosophy, personal development
Format: Audio, borrowed from the local library and listened to using Libby app.
Why did I choose to read it: The tag-line “Time Management for Mortals” got me.
Synopsis: If you live to be 80, you have approximately 4,000 weeks, which is extremely brief.
Thoughts:
This wasn’t a how to book. There were no “proven ways” to increase your productivity or manage the limited time you have on earth. Instead it took a look at time, how vast it is, how we measure it, and why we feel like we need to “fill” it, when time isn’t something physically tangible.
I really enjoyed the bit explaining that time, as a concept has changed over, uhm, time. The idea of a clock and quantifying it didn’t really happen until the industrial revolution when the corporations needed to monitor shifts and figure out who worked when, and who was slacking.
If I’m being honest, this review is a few months old! I read/listened to it right around the time I was closing my business. It reinforced that I was making the right decision. Overall, I found Four Thousand Weeks to be a positive book; challenging the reader to look at time, and how they fill it, differently.
Would I re-read or recommend it?
Re-read: Yes, it was relatively short and quick to get through. I would consider reading/listening to it again when I feel overwhelmed.
Recommend: Yes. I’m sure it won’t be for everyone. Some might find it “fluffy”, but I found it entertaining, enjoyable, and enlightening.
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