The Daily Stoic Journalist Oliver Burkeman on Making the Most of the Time That We Have
24 snips
Aug 7, 2021 
Oliver Burkeman, a British journalist and author, dives into the essence of time management and the reality of mortality. He shares insights from his book, emphasizing the Stoic principle of memento mori. Burkeman challenges listeners to view life through the lens of approximately 4,000 weeks, encouraging thoughtful choices and prioritization. He contrasts pandemic experiences in the UK and US, discusses the pursuit of purpose versus fantasy, and highlights the importance of embracing discomfort to live meaningfully in the face of life's fleeting nature.
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4000 Weeks
- 4,000 weeks is the average human lifespan, a number both large and small.
- This realization can be a source of both panic and motivation.
Intuiting Mortality
- Humans are surprisingly bad at intuitively grasping the actual length of their lives.
- This difficulty stems from the discomfort of confronting mortality.
Wasting Life
- Seneca's point about wasted life emphasizes the preciousness of time.
- Even a long lifespan doesn't change the ultimate outcome, reinforcing the need to value every week.
