Book Review: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Welcome back! This week, I’m excited to share our first book review. This inaugural review features a book that was recommended to me by a dear friend. This suggestion turned out to be exactly what I needed, and it’s one of the most insightful books I’ve read in my adult life. So, let’s dive into the exceptional work that is Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.

Burkeman challenges conventional wisdom on productivity and time management. In a world that emphasizes “more”— more efficiency, more productivity, more success—he invites us to reassess our perception of time and our obsession with control and maximizing every moment.

Burkeman’s main premise is simple yet impactful: we have, on average, four thousand weeks of life. This stark realization highlights our mortal constraint, which is not a problem to be solved but a fact to be accepted. This acceptance forms the cornerstone of Burkeman’s proposed time-management approach, which emphasizes the quality, not the quantity, of our lived experiences.

Two quotes from the book spoke directly to the questions I had at that time: “…approaching life not as an opportunity to implement your predetermined plans for success but as a matter of responding to the needs of your place and your moment in history” (p. 34) and “what you pay attention to will define, for you, what reality is” (p. 90).

The first quote encapsulates a fundamental shift in our approach to life. Instead of attempting to force reality to conform to our plans, Burkeman suggests adapting to our current circumstances and responding to what life presents to us. It is an invitation to practice adaptability, to engage, and to honor the requirements of the moment.

The second quote highlights the power of attention and perception. Burkeman posits that our attention determines our reality—a concept that echoes many tenets of mindfulness and cognitive psychology. Our focus, therefore, should not be on trying to fit more activities into our limited time, but on wisely choosing where to place our attention.

Four Thousand Weeks is not your typical time-management or productivity book. There are no quick fixes, no elaborate systems to implement. Instead, it presents an existential and philosophical examination of time, productivity, and what it means to live a fulfilling life. Burkeman’s approach is refreshing, thought-provoking, and profoundly insightful.

His prose is clear and engaging. He presents his ideas with a fine balance of intellectual rigor and accessible, everyday examples. His arguments are compelling, supported by research from psychology and philosophy, as well as his personal experiences.

Four Thousand Weeks is more than a book about managing time. It’s a book about managing attention, intention, and expectations. It’s a book about how we choose to spend our limited time on earth, and it’s a profound reflection on what it means to live a meaningful life. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the relentless pursuit of productivity and success.

I highly recommend Four Thousand Weeks. It’s an enlightening and transformative exploration of time, attention, and life itself.