Time management for mortals
Oh, hi friends!
I’ve been thinking about what it means to be “productive,” thanks in part to a project I’m writing, and also the new book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, which made my brain explode.
I read this book in two gulps over two days, even though whole sections seem written precisely to dismantle my entire way of thinking and living over the last decade. (One chapter is titled “Why You Should Stop Clearing the Decks.” Do you know how many times I’ve told myself — and you! — that clearing the decks is a crucial and worthwhile activity? Oliver, why are you doing this to me, man?!) (This book is an absolute must-read, by the way.)
All kidding aside, it’s made me think about how “productive” tasks often get checked off with an accompanying endorphin high, and yet larger, thornier projects or desires can become pushed from day to day, week to week, year to year.
Burkeman would say the first step is to accept that we have a very limited amount of time (both in a single day, and in the larger sense of our time on this planet) and that, simply, we will never catch up. The decks will never stay cleared, the inbox won’t be zeroed forever, and we should allow ourselves the blissful realization that there is no magical mystery place where we can catch up to our future, in-control selves.
This means trading off smaller, shallower forms of “productivity” with real progress on our tougher, more meaningful goals. Honestly, this is hard to do! It feels nice to run errands, answer a bunch of emails, bounce to and from meetings, and get stuff (stuff! STUFF!) done. So I’m thinking about *all that*.
But what he highlights so brilliantly (and probably more gently than I’m doing now) is that hyper efficiency and productivity can be a cute little trap, and by embracing the limits we face — specifically when it comes to how much time we have left to do any one specific task — we can focus more deliberately on one thing at a time. On the things that matter.
And it starts by claiming the time you need. Yes, even if that means sacrificing the tinier, more “productive” tasks. Or disappointing someone. Or procrastinating something else. Ol’ Oliver would remind you that your time is limited, and that’s more than OK. In fact, that’s life.
“The older I get, the more I have to say and the better I am able to express myself. There is no age limit to finding artistic success. Sometimes it happens at 22 and sometimes it happens at 72 and sometimes it doesn’t happen at all. No, you are not too old to have a writing career, no matter your age. Yes, it is perfectly reasonable to feel defeated when you’ve worked so hard at writing and have yet to make your mark so long as you don’t stay defeated. No, you are not promised artistic success simply because you want it.”
A classic column and sentiment from Roxane Gay (thanks Aunt Gina for the find!)
Love a 22-Minute TV Show
You know me, with the hot takes seven years in the making. But seriously, overlooking its not-great title, Mozart in the Jungle is a charming little bon-bon of a show full of insights into creative process and collaboration. Plus, Gael Garcia Bernal!
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara