Is There a Difference Between Self Help and Self Help?

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Four thousand weeks is Am's first book on the subject of self help. The author has been writing about it for ten years, including in his guardian column. He says he feels drawn to its ideas because they are so good at articulating them. But being a british man also gives him defensive cynicism and scepticism. This allows him to indulge these defences while pursuing what he really wants - which is happiness.

Oliver Burkeman is a journalist and author of the book 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. In this episode we discuss:

- The time management myths that are holding you back - Practical strategies that help you focus on what matters most- The true cost of convenience culture and what you lose

We also talk about how writing the book changed Oliver’s relationship to time, the path to producing original creative work and the issues with self-help culture.