Four Thousand Weeks Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

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Brief Summary

Time is one of the most important resources we have. And like other resources, time eventually runs out. The clock is always ticking and there is always something we can do and should be doing. Because of this, many people overthink about how they can manage their time most effectively and efficiently. However, by doing this, many are left tired, stressed, and unhappy with their lives.

In Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, we learn how to manage our time without feeling stressed and tired. The book will teach us how to effectively spend our time without feeling rushed and hampered by a world that constantly keeps track of it. He teaches us the art of accepting that time will tick away and being okay with it. By basing on various works by classic and modern philosophers, writers, and thinkers, Oliver Burkeman shows his readers the path towards living a fulfilled life while acknowledging its limitations.

About the Author

Oliver Burkeman is a well known author of self-help books such which focus on living a happier and fulfilled life. He was also a columnist for The Guardian from 2006 to 2020. Currently, he writes and publishes twice every month a newsletter called The Imperfectionist. He previously won the Foreign Press Association’s Young Journalist Award and was also shortlisted for the Orwell Prize.

Topics

Self Development

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Takeaways

Try to step away from the hustle culture.
Don't dwell on how limited time we have.
Make the best of the time we have.
Live for the present.
Learn to prioritize worthwhile activities.
Get a hobby and enjoy your time with others.

Key Insights

Humans have always obsessed about time. Since human life is limited and usually ends after around 80 to 85 years, it’s no wonder that people put emphasis on how they spend their time.

Nowadays, people are haunted by becoming productive and always making the most of their time. Of course, the saying “time is gold” wouldn’t become so popular if we didn’t value our time so much. However, with counting each and every second and focusing so much on efficiency, many may feel stressed and empty in their journey in life. Time management shouldn’t be so difficult and it should also be enjoyed. In the book, Four Thousand Weeks written by Oliver Burkeman, we learn how to manage our time well without making our lives feel timed.

Accept that time will keep ticking.

For us humans, we try our hardest to become so successful that we start working multiple jobs. Especially nowadays that the “hustle” culture has become such a hit. However, there have been multiple studies that show that wealth doesn’t necessarily equate into an enjoyable and peaceful life.

Essentially, the “hustle” culture was born out of capitalism. Spending years trying to organize one’s day like scheduling it into 15-minute blocks or even planning ahead can make us anxious instead of productive. Until one day, the author realized that optimizing time is futile because it will just keep ticking. More tasks will keep springing up and the to-do list will never run out of pages. Due to this, the author highlighted that the more we conquer time, the more frustrated, empty, and anxious we feel. This is what the author calls the paradox of limitation. In essence, this means that we’ll never be able to accomplish everything we’d want to. And through acknowledging this, we can start living our lives by spending our time meaningfully.

Another way to accept that time will keep ticking is to not dwell on how limited time we have left. While we have the present, there will always be tomorrow. In premodern times, people weren’t as worried about time as we are now. Farmers rose whenever the sun did and slept whenever the moon came. This thinking only did change when wagers started paying laborers based on their time. If we were paid by the hour, then we had to keep track of the hour. Additionally, we should also face our finitude positively and accept it as motivation to live our lives to the fullest.

In the work of German philosopher Martin Heidegger Being and Time, Heidegger argues that our finite time defines our existence. This means that our time on Earth shouldn’t be lived unhappily and shouldn’t be based solely on productivity. Another philosopher, Martin Hagglund enjoys spending his summer vacations in the Baltic coast of Sweden. This is because he acknowledges...