How Productivity Ruins Your Life with Productivity Expert Oliver Burkeman

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Jan 24, 2022

Join productivity expert Oliver Burkeman, renowned for his book 'Four Thousand Weeks,' as he challenges traditional views on productivity. He emphasizes the power of facing our limited time on Earth – an average of 4,000 weeks – to live more meaningfully. Oliver critiques the unrealistic expectations of productivity culture and advocates for prioritizing significant tasks over minor ones. He also explores the complexities of goal-setting, the struggle with procrastination, and the importance of embracing imperfections in both work and life.

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INSIGHT

Limitations of Productivity

Productivity gurus often see past simple productivity tips.
They understand the limitations of productivity techniques.

ANECDOTE

From Satire to Sincerity

Oliver Burkeman's Guardian column, "This Column Will Change Your Life," began satirically.
It evolved into sincere exploration of self-help's value.

INSIGHT

4,000 Weeks

An average lifespan, approximately 4,000 weeks, is surprisingly short.
Expressing lifespan in weeks highlights life's finitude.

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The average human lifespan is around 4,000 weeks - this sounds scary but it's also incredibly empowering. Journalist and Author Oliver Burkeman says that facing our finitude and how little control we have over our lives is key to living a truly fulfilling and meaningfully productive life. For many years Oliver wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, happiness and productivity for The Guardian called 'This Column Will Change Your Life' and has recently released his latest book 'Four Thousand Weeks: Time And How To Use It' which looks at how our obsessiveness with being busy and trying to master our time can actually make us more unhappy, avoid important decisions about our future and make us less in control of our lives. In the conversation we discuss what most productivity gurus get wrong about productivity, how you will never get everything done and why you should start embracing the fact of human finitude.

🔗 CONNECT WITH OLIVER

📕 4000 Weeks Time And How To Use It
📧 Newsletter
💻 Website
🐦 Twitter

🔗 CONNECT WITH ALI

🎥 YouTube Channel
🐦 Twitter
📸 Instagram
💻 Website
👥 Linkedin

Find the show notes and the transcript on the website: https://aliabdaal.com/podcast/

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