Book Summary : Four Thousand Weeks
This is a summary of the book: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman along with some of my own interpretation and reflections
Why read this book?
If you’re a productivity junkie like me and feel like you’ve exhausted all the hacks and time management tips and still feel like you’re not getting enough done with your time, this book may provide a new perspective on some of the root causes of our distress.
This book explores some of the deeper issues surrounding our relationship with time including the flaws in the way we try to control it and how the expectations that we have placed on ourselves may be misguided. After reading the book, I’ve adopted a post-productivity mindset, one in which I have less anxiety about trying to get everything done but rather focusing on the important things to pursue enjoyment and progress.
Changing our relationship with time
Ironically, one of the key changes that we face with time management can be expressed by the Paradox of limitation “The more you try to manage your time and take control of it, the more frustrating life gets”. In other words, some things just take the time they take to complete. For instance, no matter how fast you are as a reader, there is a limit to how quickly one can finish reading a book.
Once we accept the fact that some things will take the time it takes, we’ll likely try to make ourselves even more efficient and get that task done with greater speed. This is where we are warned about the efficiency trap - “Making yourself more efficient will not give you the feeling that you have enough time - it will just fill up with other important things”. Anyone who has invested time and energy on responding quickly to emails or Slack messages know this concept well. The more efficient and responsive you are, the more messages will come your way so beware of what you are becoming more efficient at and the expectations that you associate with increasing your efficiency.
Key insight 1: Pay Yourself First
We never seem to have enough time to invest in our passion projects or hobbies as we chase our list of endless priorities. What Burkeman argues is to carve out time at the beginning of the day to do the thing you want to do the most. Just like the financial advice, where you invest ~10% of your paycheque first before you spend on other wants, you should devote your time on the things that matter the most first to make progress on those.
Don’t worry about clearing the decks, getting to inbox zero, just go after the most important thing first and make sure it goes done.
Key insight 2: Patience is a form of power
Although patience has generally been viewed as a weakness, for instance the person who waits and waits for that promotion that never comes. Burkeman argues that as society accelerates, patience becomes a form of power. This form of patience is closer to discipline, one in which the participant continues to work at their craft, but removes the expectation that success will happen overnight. Patience may finally have its moment in the sun!
The analogy of inner city bus routes is used to demonstrate the need for patience. In this scenario, each bus takes the exact same path at the beginning, making the exact same stops, but eventually towards the end of the route they diverge. He argues that to be truly creative, we need to embrace the fact that for the majority of the journey, the path will be the same for many of us. For instance, a painter’s early works may look a lot like established styles but eventually, through patience and constantly creating, a unique style will eventually emerge.
The takeaway here for me is that it’s okay if your style is not unique at the beginning, just keep at it, and commit to a minimum output. Whether that’s 100 blog posts, or 100 paintings, eventually a unique style will emerge.
Key insight 3: The Universe doesn’t care what you do
We’re all told to make the best of our lives and to shoot for the stars. However, according to Burkeman’s Cosmic Insignificance Therapy, the Universe really doesn’t care what we do so just relax.
There’s no need to live up to some unrealistic expectation that we need to “make a dent in the universe”. He reminds us that throughout the entire course of human history, there have only been a handful of historically significant figures and the chances of us being one of these individuals is slim. We just need to play our part and do the best we can.
We might already be doing some great work, cooking a delicious meal for our family, being a great friend and helping others in our communities.
Key insight 4: Making decisions that enlarge me
“Does this choice diminish me, or enlarge me?” - James Hollis
This is a reminder to make a choice that allows you to grow as a person even if it’s uncomfortable rather than to do something that is comfortable but sucks your soul and diminishes you. The example that is given is whether or not to stay or leave a job. Will leaving help you grow as an individual? (enlarge), would staying suck the soul out of you? (diminishment)
Next steps
There’s a freedom and comfort in feeling that there are really no expectations of us. We just need to go about our business and make our corner of the world a little bit better no matter how small or weird. There’s no need to be concerned about the future because there’s no guarantee that there will even be one. So just focus on the present, and “do the next necessary thing”, don’t overthink it.
References
Book: Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
Oliver Burkeman's last column in The Guardian: the eight secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life
Tim Ferriss Podcast #555: The Liberation of Cosmic Insignificance Therapy — Oliver Burkeman