There's a certain kind of fear or sadness associated with accepting the idea that you're just simply not going to master acting, songwriting, and skating while working retail. "Accepting defeat" doesn't mean doing nothing, right? That just kind of doing whatever feels right in the moment. When you're no longer scrambling to do an impossible amount, a literally impossible amount, that's when you sort of become empowered to make wise decisions about what you want to do," he says.
Joey is a young creative living in Australia who can’t decide which hat to wear. Should it be songwriting, skateboarding, acting, or should he focus more on his day job as a retail clerk? Fitting everything in during the week seems impossible and he feels guilty when he can’t cross everything off his checklist. On this episode of How To!, co-host Amanda Ripley brings in journalist Oliver Burkeman, the author of 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. He explains how he too once wanted to do it all, but eventually realized that it’s just not feasible. As Joey learns, letting go of some things and focusing on what really matters can actually lead to the ‘joy of missing out.’
If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Never Miss a Deadline”
Do you wonder how best to use your time? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.
If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.
Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices