Oliver Burkeman
Author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
About the Author
Works by Oliver Burkeman
The Antidote: Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking (2012) 1,215 copies, 47 reviews
Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts (2024) 471 copies, 10 reviews
De 4 Weken Reset 1 copy
Protijed 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1975
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Cambridge
- Occupations
- journalist
- Agent
- Tina Bennett (Bennett Literary)
- Short biography
- Oliver Burkeman by Jeff Mikkelson
Oliver Burkeman is a writer for The Guardian based in Brooklyn, New York. His latest book, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking (Canongate 2013), explores the upsides of negativity, uncertainty, failure and imperfection. Each week in The Guardian he writes about social psychology, self-help culture, productivity and the science of happiness. His is also the author of HELP! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done (Canongate, 2011).
http://www.theschooloflife.com/about-... - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Brooklyn, New York, USA - Map Location
- UK
Members
Reviews
Originally published as The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
I have always had a sort of love-hate relationship with positive thinking.
On the one hand, telling myself that things'll work out somehow, helped silence my panic-stricken rants. Though truth be told, these rants where mostly caused by reckless lack of studying for some of the most difficult exams in my life.
On the other hand, everyone's luck runs out EVENTUALLY, and no amount of believing in show more oneself would magically fill one's mind with heretofore unknown Computer Networking theory.
I was recommended this book, at a time when I had just left a job due to severe burn-out, so I was expecting at least a LITTLE BIT of help from a book (sub)titled Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking. So it came as a complete shock, when the first chapter pushed me into an even deeper depression. All it took, was reading a few small anecdotes about some well-known (to people OTHER than me) motivational speakers, who sooner or later ended up going bankrupt.
So now I was depressed, scared witless, and also on the brink of starting a new job I wasn't entirely sure I had chosen wisely. My reaction was to run of course, i.e. spending the following month attempting to glare the book into submission. This had about the same effect, as John Oliver and Rachel Dratch cursing Lupus into submission, pictured here below for your convenience.
In the end, the looming 1-month deadline I had set myself, was nearly upon me, so I sucked it up and finished the book in under half a day. And strangely enough, I had never rarely felt better.
It had opened my eyes to what it meant to be a stoic: by no means one of those Hindu enlightened person to walk on hot coals. And most definitely not a saint who will suffer abuse till the end of time. Accepting that things are bad, doesn't stop you from removing yourself from being under their influence.
Then there was the absolutely perfect chapter on meditation. I could literally relate to every single piece of frustration, acceptance, and calmness of the author. It was no wonder, seeing as my first (and only) attempt at meditation had gone something like: "breathe iiiiii- IWantToBuyALamp -in, hold your breath, breathe ooooouu- StopPicturingLampShadesDammit -uut...".
To be fair, this wasn't one of those books that I could just... get. Aside from the fearful first chapter, there was this chapter on getting over oneself. Literally. In a nutshell: I am me, but not really, but me and my environment, but also not really either, but yes, but no, but... so on and so forth. I (yes I, ME along with MYSELF) gave up at that point, and continued reading the rest of the chapter, while simultaneously tuning it all out.
Score: 4/5 stars
By the end of it I actually felt good about stuff: the book, myself, the world in general, etc. So I didn't know if things would work out. I still wasn't sure about my new job, or even... anything really. However I also wasn't feeling the need to ruminate over the fact that (some) of my randomly set goals were nowhere near complete. show less
I have always had a sort of love-hate relationship with positive thinking.
On the one hand, telling myself that things'll work out somehow, helped silence my panic-stricken rants. Though truth be told, these rants where mostly caused by reckless lack of studying for some of the most difficult exams in my life.
On the other hand, everyone's luck runs out EVENTUALLY, and no amount of believing in show more oneself would magically fill one's mind with heretofore unknown Computer Networking theory.
I was recommended this book, at a time when I had just left a job due to severe burn-out, so I was expecting at least a LITTLE BIT of help from a book (sub)titled Happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking. So it came as a complete shock, when the first chapter pushed me into an even deeper depression. All it took, was reading a few small anecdotes about some well-known (to people OTHER than me) motivational speakers, who sooner or later ended up going bankrupt.
So now I was depressed, scared witless, and also on the brink of starting a new job I wasn't entirely sure I had chosen wisely. My reaction was to run of course, i.e. spending the following month attempting to glare the book into submission. This had about the same effect, as John Oliver and Rachel Dratch cursing Lupus into submission, pictured here below for your convenience.
In the end, the looming 1-month deadline I had set myself, was nearly upon me, so I sucked it up and finished the book in under half a day. And strangely enough, I had never rarely felt better.
It had opened my eyes to what it meant to be a stoic: by no means one of those Hindu enlightened person to walk on hot coals. And most definitely not a saint who will suffer abuse till the end of time. Accepting that things are bad, doesn't stop you from removing yourself from being under their influence.
Then there was the absolutely perfect chapter on meditation. I could literally relate to every single piece of frustration, acceptance, and calmness of the author. It was no wonder, seeing as my first (and only) attempt at meditation had gone something like: "breathe iiiiii- IWantToBuyALamp -in, hold your breath, breathe ooooouu- StopPicturingLampShadesDammit -uut...".
To be fair, this wasn't one of those books that I could just... get. Aside from the fearful first chapter, there was this chapter on getting over oneself. Literally. In a nutshell: I am me, but not really, but me and my environment, but also not really either, but yes, but no, but... so on and so forth. I (yes I, ME along with MYSELF) gave up at that point, and continued reading the rest of the chapter, while simultaneously tuning it all out.
Score: 4/5 stars
By the end of it I actually felt good about stuff: the book, myself, the world in general, etc. So I didn't know if things would work out. I still wasn't sure about my new job, or even... anything really. However I also wasn't feeling the need to ruminate over the fact that (some) of my randomly set goals were nowhere near complete. show less
Can I say that this may be the best book I've ever read, and still be taken seriously? Burkeman just NAILS it. And can I say that by "it," I mean "what it means to be human," without totally losing you? What it means to have human neuroses - what if I put it that way? To always be looking toward the future. To always be failing when we deliberately try to be in the moment. To always feel too "busy." To always be thinking that somehow, someday, we'll get on top of everything, stop having show more problems, live in nirvana.
I'm not sure I can really do justice to this book in a review I write in one sitting; I have a feeling I'm going to be revisiting it many times, always finding more and more I feel compelled to share. show less
I'm not sure I can really do justice to this book in a review I write in one sitting; I have a feeling I'm going to be revisiting it many times, always finding more and more I feel compelled to share. show less
An anti-time management time management book. Where others might try to convince you to pare a little over here, add a little over there, and organize everywhere, Burkeman points out that ALL of that activity is built on a faulty premise: that we're dealing with an infinite amount of time. Instead, we need to acknowledge our morality and the fact that we have a finite existence here on Earth. Sourced with different aspects of philosophy and *some* spiritual teaching, he leads on us on what show more that means for the time-management decisions we make - and NEED to make.
I gained a lot of wisdom and insight from this book, even if Burkeman & I have differing ideas of spirituality and religion. Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in time management and the decisions that follow, especially those who have tried various methods and can never quite find enough time for everything. Prepare to recognize our Sisyphian tendencies. show less
I gained a lot of wisdom and insight from this book, even if Burkeman & I have differing ideas of spirituality and religion. Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in time management and the decisions that follow, especially those who have tried various methods and can never quite find enough time for everything. Prepare to recognize our Sisyphian tendencies. show less
Four Thousand Weeks: The smash-hit Sunday Times bestseller that will change your life by Oliver Burkeman
When I first saw this book in a bookstore, I walked away because I didn't want a reminder of how little time I have left on this planet.
But the Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman kept getting mentions from like-minded post-productivity folks in my social media universe, so I decided to give it a whirl.
And I liked it.
This book is along the lines of some of my favorite time management books that have come out in recent years such as:
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
Deep Work by Cal show more Newport
Wintering by Katherine May
There are many things to think about from this book; in fact, I will read it one more time to take notes.
If you feel you don't have enough time to do everything you want (you don't), if you find yourself wondering why you and your friends don't have time to meet up (it is answered here), and you want to know the secret to time management (focus on few things, forget the rest), then you will find solace in this book.
One chapter I liked talked about having hobbies and how we've built this culture of turning hobbies into a side hustle or making them part of a larger unattainable goal and how it is OK to want to learn how to play guitar or build a model train city like Rod Stewart has and not feel guilty. For me, that is making virtual things in Conan Exiles, and now I don't feel bad that I spent 30 minutes reading a Garfield cartoon book. show less
But the Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman kept getting mentions from like-minded post-productivity folks in my social media universe, so I decided to give it a whirl.
And I liked it.
This book is along the lines of some of my favorite time management books that have come out in recent years such as:
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
Deep Work by Cal show more Newport
Wintering by Katherine May
There are many things to think about from this book; in fact, I will read it one more time to take notes.
If you feel you don't have enough time to do everything you want (you don't), if you find yourself wondering why you and your friends don't have time to meet up (it is answered here), and you want to know the secret to time management (focus on few things, forget the rest), then you will find solace in this book.
One chapter I liked talked about having hobbies and how we've built this culture of turning hobbies into a side hustle or making them part of a larger unattainable goal and how it is OK to want to learn how to play guitar or build a model train city like Rod Stewart has and not feel guilty. For me, that is making virtual things in Conan Exiles, and now I don't feel bad that I spent 30 minutes reading a Garfield cartoon book. show less
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