Why did Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf, and Henri Poincaré all follow the same four-hour rule? In this episode, bestselling author Oliver Burkeman returns to explain why three to four hours of focused work might be the secret to productivity and peace.

Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/d4e55ac69d

You’ll learn:

The 3–4 hour rule: why it worked for Darwin, Trollope, and Dickens and still works today.

How to tackle overwhelming tasks with a simple mental trick called “just go to the shed.”

Why keeping a “done list” might be more motivating than a to-do list (feat. Marie Curie).

How inboxes, perfectionism, and productivity guilt trap us in modern-day Sisyphus cycles.

The two-part system Oliver uses to stay focused, without feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of life.

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Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/d4e55ac69d

Sign up to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/

Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/

Oliver’s book Four Thousand Weeks: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourthousandweeks

Oliver’s book Meditation for Mortals: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/meditationsformortals

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Sources:

Burkeman, O. (2021). Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Burkeman, O. (2024). Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

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