Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

In this insightful work, Burkemen (The Antidote), former psychology columnist for The Guardian, looks at how most people’s efforts to improve their lives using time efficiently just make things harder. A 4,000-week lifespan, Burkemen laments, is not enough time to get everything done: if one can accept the fact that “time management as we know it has failed miserably,” one can then enjoy what can be accomplished in the time one has. Burkeman ruefully illustrates this by describing his own efforts to efficiently read emails, with the result being simply more emails. He began to question why he worried so much about efficiency, which meant just jamming more into each day. His answer: “We do so because it helps us maintain the feeling of being in omnipotent control of our lives.” Burkemen’s light philosophical musings point the way to less stressful living, such as his contemplation of “being present” in each moment as a way to control time. He also suggests embracing and setting limits, prioritizing one’s most valued activities, and accepting “the truth about your finite time” by limiting one’s obligations. Burkemen’s thoughtful, reassuring analysis will be a welcome balm to readers feeling overwhelmed by the (perhaps unrealistic) demands of life. (Aug.)