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Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Book Review: Four Thousand Weeks

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for MortalsFour Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals 
By Oliver Burkeman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is not your typical time management book. Life is short; in fact, about 4,000 weeks or 80 years. Decide how and what you want to focus your time and effort on. Consciously determine what you do not wish to accomplish.

This book has two parts: Part I: Choosing to Choose and Part II: Beyond Control. Topics include the limit-embracing life, the efficiency trap, facing finitude, becoming a better procrastinator, the watermelon problem, the intimate interrupter, measuring time, rest, impatience, aloneness, and irrelevance. The appendix contains 10 tools for embracing your finitude, which are helpful and practical. I would not recommend this book for the type A personality, looking for concrete tips to become more effective and efficient. If you are looking for a more philosophical, soft push toward using the time you have to the best of your ability, you might enjoy this.

The book excels at pointing out that your time on earth is limited. I enjoyed the practical appendix section the most.

This is not a self-help book in the traditional sense. It goes against everything you think a time management book would provide—until you get to the appendix. I had to refrain from skimming some of the chapters in part II.

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