Four Thousand Weeks

I have spent the past 20 years of my life trying to juice as much productivity and accomplishment out of each minute as possible, to the detriment of my health and sanity at times. This book is thought provoking in its encouragement to re-think our relationship with time and productivity. A couple of chapters ramble a bit more than others, but overall this book is an engaging read and is well-written. I would definitely recommend reading it if you are the kind of person who is frequently anxious about your inability to get everything done.One small warning: The author is mostly philosophical and still practical. The philosophical reasoning for many of the practical points relies on a secular point of view that come across as nihilistic, or at least skeptical of religion. That comes through in the book’s repeated mantra that no one really cares about your life in the grand scheme so don’t stress out so much about it (as well as its frequent quoting of atheist philosophers). While our lives are far less significant than the modern American stresses themselves out believing, another way to support the conclusion without taking such a strong stance on religion or the meaning of life is that in the grand scheme of your life, the small things you stress out about moment to moment really are insignificant. This comes through in the final chapter’s suggestion to do “the next right thing.” If you have any religious inclinations, you can take the author’s own philosophy for a grain of salt and still benefit from the overarching concepts.Also note to the Author who I am sure reads comments on his books: Great job and I think I would love to get a beer with someone wired so similarly to me! Knowing that won’t happen (neither of us has time ;) ), I do recommend that you and other like-minded readers check out The Reason for God by Timothy Keller and Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. I think you’d enjoy both books based on your love for philosophy and our shared search for significance and fulfillment.

4,000 Weeks" is truly a life-changing book. It’s a perfectly crafted blend of self-help and philosophical writing, and it stands out as a wonderfully provocative read. Unlike the typical productivity guides that offer new tricks to cram more into your day, this book takes a refreshing and deeper approach: it questions why we feel the need to do so in the first place.What makes "4,000 Weeks" so impactful is that it doesn’t promise magical solutions to life’s challenges. Instead, it dives into the internal struggles we all face, using humor and keen observations to make us more humble and empathetic towards ourselves. It explores the very human experience of time in a way that feels both insightful and liberating.Rather than adding more to our to-do lists, this book invites us to re-evaluate our relationship with time and what truly matters. It’s a gentle reminder to embrace our limitations and focus on what’s genuinely important, making us more mindful of how we spend our finite weeks.I found "4,000 Weeks" to be incredibly insightful and resonant, offering not just advice, but a profound shift in perspective. It’s a book that not only challenges you but also encourages you to be kinder to yourself along the way. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to rethink their approach to time and life.

This is one intellectual man’s journey to a more peaceful life. The key is to accept our limited time, unknowns, and uncontrollable to find peace and productivity.He uses universal truths on time based on insights from history, philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers; current and ancient Oliver offers an alternative way to look at time management. It’s heavily researched and referenced, with 13 notes pages and 8 pages of index.He does this via many stories, history, and examples in dense sentences. It can be funny, engaging, and at times tedious.The gist is “Finitude.” We have limited time. Four Thousand weeks if you live to be 80 years old. His premise is that to become empowered; you must accept the limitations and lack of control over your life. . You accomplish more of what matters and is meaningful to you. The book ends with ten tools to help you embrace your Finitude. The rest of the book is a journey to prove it, entertain you, and inspire you.This is his journey and justification for his life. Much of it I can relate to. I, too, was a productivity junkie and taught project management. I found some places where I disagreed or didn’t have the challenges he had to overcome or differently. I was mentally arguing with him as I was reading. He comes across as a bit of an intellectual snob to me. He doesn’t seem to like “self-help,” yet this is what the book is about. He uses romance novelist Danielle Steele as an unhealthy example of time management and Rod Stewart as a good example. There are long winding sentences. There were a few words I had to look up the meaning.I used this book for a book group, and there is something for everyone in this book.

Es un excelente libro que te hace repensar en las cosas a las que les estás invirtiendo tiempo

This book made me anxious, but it was an anxiety I had been postponing to feel. It made me realize what had been knocking the back of my mind for years and yet remained there, ignored, suffocated in the midst of endless chores and an ever accelerating to-do list.Your time is finit, and what you can do with it is finite. You won't be able to do all that you want, but perhaps all that wanting is actually misguided. To want to much may be a symptom of not really being here, "now".On the other hand, "being here now", as new age types often promote, is not exactly to be pursued in the same way such spiritual people day that you should. It's an uncomfortable feeling, and there are traps and pitfalls that inhabit this proposition or desire to "be here now". Falling into these traps makes us behave in a way that actually mirrors the productivity meatgrinder that is the attitude towards life pushed by the current culture.This is not a mumbo jumbo self help "you can do it", nor is it some "lite feel age" book for you to feel good. It's a cold bath and a wake-up call. It will make you feel uncomfortable, not because of some new fact but rather because it will make you pay attention to what you've been avoiding.

Nice book.

This book makes so much sense. I wish I have read it many years ago! I am writing down some of the sentences and paragraphs from it into my diary. As when I read it it feels as if my coach talking to me.

If you live by your to-do lists and are in a constant anxious state to get more of it done, you need to read this book. It's not preachy or "self-helpy" at all, it just tells you how it is: you have about 4000 weeks on this planet. Are you going to spend it as a slave to a perfect future that will never exist, or are you going to start living right now?