Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS by Oliver Burkeman (Four Thousand Weeks) is subtitled “Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts.” The publisher describes this title as “a guiding philosophy of life Oliver Burkeman calls imperfectionism.” What stood out for me was the question: “How do we shed the illusion that life will really begin as soon as we can get on top of everything?” Ironically, I truly need to carve out some time to spend reflecting on this text, but I did attend – and thoroughly enjoyed – the discussion between Burkeman and Daniel Pink recently which was hosted by Family Action Network. Their far-ranging conversation covered many of Burkeman’s suggestions like crafting a done list or try not to picture a “bucket” that needs to be emptied, but instead a river of choices. There was a great emphasis on not overanalyzing and “just doing it” or finishing a task to fully benefit from the resulting endorphins. Burkeman, a British author and journalist, wrote “This Column Will Change Your Life” for The Guardian until 2020. More recently, The Wall Street Journal published a short excerpt about freedom from MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS which notes “Once you begin to approach life as a matter of trade-offs and consequences, it’s easier to say no to things you might not previously have dared to turn down.” And Burkeman writes further for Fast Company, extolling the virtues of “why ‘daily-ish’ habits can be better than everyday routines.” Much to ponder.