Last Saturday, August 22, marked the 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻, and our discussion was on Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.
The title of the book comes from a very simple idea. If someone lives to around 80 years old, that is 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝟰,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. When we think about life in years, 80 can sound like a long time, but when you convert it into weeks, 4,000 suddenly feels much more limited.
Here are seven ideas from the book and our discussion.
𝟭. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝘁
The book describes the idea of treating time like a 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝘁, where another hour arrives and we feel pressure to fill it productively before the next one comes. We finish one task, move to another, and keep trying to clear everything, even though there will always be more things waiting for our attention.
The book also gives a relatable example with email: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅. Becoming faster does not always create more free time, because sometimes it simply creates more capacity for additional work.
That led us into a conversation about 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Becoming faster at doing something can be useful, but it is also important to ask whether that thing needs to be done in the first place. Sometimes efficiency should mean reducing unnecessary work instead of simply finding a faster way to do more, especially because every decision has an opportunity cost and the time we give to one thing is time we cannot give to something else.
𝟮. 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Having time for something and actually giving it our attention are two different things, and that made me think about how we practice and work toward our goals. The number of hours we put into something matters, but so does the 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁, because simply spending more time on something does not automatically mean we are making better progress.
𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺
The book uses an example involving a watermelon to show 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.
The point is not really about the watermelon itself, but about how quickly curiosity, entertainment, or distraction can pull our attention in a direction we did not consciously choose. It is worth occasionally asking whether something actually deserves our focus, because when our time is limited, our attention is limited too.
A useful question to ask is: 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻?
𝟰. 𝗕𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿
We often assume that the goal is to stop procrastinating completely, but when our time is limited, we are always going to postpone something because we simply cannot do everything at the same time.
That means the better question may not be how to eliminate procrastination, but 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻? Some things may still be worth doing, but that does not mean they need to be done right now, so learning what to postpone can be just as important as deciding what to prioritize.
𝟱. 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴
Learning to 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 sounds simple, but it can be uncomfortable when we are used to thinking that time should always be productive, useful, or measurable.
The book challenges that idea by asking us to become more comfortable with moments when we are not trying to optimize, improve, or accomplish something. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁, and sometimes doing nothing simply means allowing ourselves to be present without immediately turning that time into another task.
𝟲. 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁
The 4,000-week idea assumes we live to around 80 years old, but none of us actually knows how many weeks we have. That does not mean we should become anxious about time or try to accomplish everything as quickly as possible; instead, it makes the question of what deserves our time even more important.
It also made me think about comparison, because we can spend a lot of our limited time comparing our progress with someone else's without knowing their priorities, circumstances, opportunities, sacrifices, or direction. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀, so I would rather use that time thinking about where I am going and what I want to give my attention to.
𝟳. 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲
The book also looks back at 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘄. People still worked hard and had plenty of difficulties, but they did not think about time in exactly the same way we do today. Their days were more connected to the task in front of them, daylight, and the seasons rather than constantly watching the clock and thinking about how much they could fit into an hour.
There were also far fewer modern sources competing for attention, and the way time itself was understood was different. Today, it can feel like time is something we are always trying to save, manage, optimize, or avoid wasting, while the book reminds us that humans have not always related to time this way.
One thing I appreciate about book club is that the conversation usually goes beyond the book itself. Everyone brings a different perspective, and that can completely change how you think about an idea. 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗺 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀.
