Book Review: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman – By Sumudu Britton
Source : Qld Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – June 2023
If an average human lifespan is 80 years, Oliver Burkeman equates that to around 4000 weeks in which to live. A former writer for the Guardian, and self-proclaimed advocate for productivity in his youth complete with weekly planners and to-do lists, in his mid-life, Burkeman is forced to confront the fundamental reality that is the basis of this book: that time is finite. That this is not a practice run for another parcel of time that we will be given. That we will never get to the bottom of our inbox or to-do list.
Instead, this is a challenge to stop expecting to find the magic bullet that will make us more efficient and
rather accept this reality and instead focus on prioritising how we choose to spend our finite weeks. As part of his exploration of time, Burkeman provides a summary of how time has been viewed historically and the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the commodification of time. He also explores social and psychological factors, such as digital distraction, social media and self-help-guru driven obsession with the dubious virtue of productivity as well as a decline in faith, that have contributed to the anxiety that drives our inner conflict with achievement and time.
Part historical, part introspective, this book is not a self help book. Instead it is written to provoke reflection on our own values while making us aware of why we view time as we do, inspire us to view time differently and to give us permission to consciously step off the hamster-wheel. Ultimately it is a challenge to stop trying to do everything and focus on allocating time to what is most important to us knowing that this inevitably, but consciously, means letting go of other things. So, how will you spend your four thousand weeks?
Sumudu Britton
