BEST OF: Want to make time for the things that count? Oliver Burkeman has your time management answers

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Jul 23, 2025

Oliver Burkeman, a New York Times bestselling author and Guardian columnist, dives into the complexities of time management. He challenges conventional strategies like to-do lists, advocating for a 'done list' to celebrate achievements instead. Burkeman emphasizes the importance of embracing distractions and adopting a flexible mindset to enhance productivity. With insights from his work, he encourages listeners to prioritize what genuinely matters and let go of the constant pressure to be productive.

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INSIGHT

Easier Than You Assume Mindset

Embrace the mindset that tasks might be easier than assumed.
Focus on the next small doable step to reduce overwhelm and ease progress.

ADVICE

Schedule Worry Time

Mark a future calendar date to revisit your worries instead of constantly ruminating.
This lets you let go of present anxiety and focus on current tasks effectively.

ADVICE

See To-Do List as Menu

Treat your to-do list like a restaurant menu where you pick a few items to focus on.
Release the pressure to finish all tasks and see choices as opportunities, not obligations.

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BEST OF

In an effort to make time for ourselves, many of us fall back on using To Do lists and time blocking. But often these strategies can end up with the same result: getting lost in chasing productivity. So how do we make time for the things that truly count?

Oliver Burkeman is a New York Times bestselling author of books such as ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals’ and ‘Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts’. Oliver is also a regular columnist for The Guardian.

If there is anyone who truly understands the philosophy and psychology of time management and happiness, it’s Oliver.

Oliver shares:

The mindset you should be using when you first approach a task if you want it to be achieved easily
How you can free up time by minimising time spent on worrying
The strategy you should be utilising instead of a to-do list to actually create a sense of achievement
Why being open to distractions can actually be beneficial

Key Quotes:
“Don’t start from the position that unexpected things happening must be bad.”

“There is this tendency to set things up in your mind so that you can never feel like you’ve done something well enough.”

Connect with Oliver via his website, or get his latest book, Meditations for Mortals, here

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber)

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If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

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