Life is Short: How to Decide What Truly Deserves Your Time
Have you ever felt like no matter how much you plan your day, you never quite get through everything on your to-do list? That feeling of being behind, anxious, or overwhelmed is something author Oliver Burkeman knows all too well. Back in his twenties, he was a young journalist racing from one deadline to another, convinced that if he just followed the right system or technique, life would finally feel manageable. He tried everything—from inbox zero strategies to design thinking—but nothing gave him the sense of control he was seeking. Eventually, he realized he had been asking the wrong question all along: how to optimize every day. Instead, he started asking a deeper, more profound question: why bother?
Burkeman’s answer lies in confronting a truth we often avoid—our time is limited. Life is finite, and this limitation shapes everything we do. Much of the self-help and productivity advice out there, he found, is less about enriching life and more about helping us avoid this reality. By embracing our constraints, rather than trying to escape them, we open the door to living more meaningfully.
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This insight led Burkeman to write books like The Antidote , which critiques positive thinking, and Four Thousand Weeks , named for the average number of weeks a human life spans. His latest work, Meditations For Mortals , offers practical exercises to help people focus on what truly matters. Instead of waiting for the perfect moment to tackle your inbox or finish that endless list, he encourages taking small, deliberate actions right now, even amidst chaos and overwhelm.
A key idea in his work is decision-making. Each moment presents countless paths we could take, but we can only choose one. Indecision, while comforting, is really just postponing the sacrifices that come with commitment. Burkeman emphasizes that choosing consciously—acknowledging what we gain and what we give up—is a way to take ownership of life and build momentum. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s meaningful engagement with the time we have.
Burkeman also reflects on modern challenges, like the role of AI in our lives. While technology promises efficiency, it often strips away the friction and human engagement that make tasks meaningful. He argues that what matters most in human endeavors—writing, creating, connecting—is the human consciousness behind them. AI may average out ideas, but it cannot replicate the unique spark of an individual’s life experience.
Ultimately, Burkeman’s message is simple but powerful: our lives are short, and every choice matters. By embracing our limitations, facing decisions consciously, and focusing on what we truly value, we can live with depth and purpose. The finite nature of life isn’t a limitation to escape—it’s a guide pointing us toward what really deserves our attention. Life is fleeting, and how we spend our weeks—our four thousand weeks—shapes the richness of our existence.
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