It was an honor to chat with Oliver Burkeman, columnist for the Guardian, a journalist by training, and author of the books:
- 4000 weeks: time management for mortals
- Happiness: the antidote for people who can’t stand positive thinking.
If you haven’t read Oliver’s books, I would highly recommend them!
He’s one of those writers that do a fantastic job sharing science in a story format, and he does it so elegantly that, after you read either a chapter he wrote or his column in the Guardian, you just want to read more.
I have been following Oliver’s work for years and had so many questions to ask him about, but of course, there were time constraints.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
In this first part of our conversation, Oliver shared:
- His writing process.
- How he handles interruptions, self-criticism, time anxiety, and comparison thoughts.
- How he practices gratitude and acceptance
- How he approaches day-to-day challenges
I remind myself of the last paragraph in Oliver’s book, The Four Thousand Weeks:
The average human lifespan is absurd, terrifying, and insultingly short. But that isn’t a reason for unremitting despair or for living in an anxiety-fueled panic about making the most of your limited time. It’s a cause for relief.
You get to give up on something that was always impossible – the quest to become the optimized, infinitely capable, emotionally, invincible, fully independent person you’re officially supposed to be. Then you get to roll up your sleeves and start work on something that’s gloriously possible instead.”
