Book Review · 17th July 2022

Four Thousand Weeks

Oliver Burkeman. Vintage. (288p) ISBN 9781784704001

Four Thousand Weeks

Four Thousand Weeks

Not really the kind of book I normally read, not into self-help or time management books but I’d heard that this book was different from the run of the mill books in those genres.

Right from the start Oliver sets out his stall that this isn’t a time management book in the conventional sense of the theme, but goes on to state that we have to approach time with the view that it is finite, as we are finite and we are time.

In his progress through the book to his conclusion he throws out many of the old time management and self help theories about making your life better through better approaches to productivity and those ‘do this one thing before breakfast and your life will be much easier’ mantras, and focuses on us realising our finite time on this earth as a way of realising what is important to us.

This was refreshing and was confirming a lot of things I was thinking about the way I approach my own projects.

Though the book talks a lot about our finality and how we only have four thousand weeks to live (on average) it is a very positive and life affirming approach to living, it is actually about living not being productive and how to approach this on your own terms.

Lots to digest and the ten tips at the end are excellent, really enjoyed this read and will think about it when being me.


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