385. Oliver Burkeman on Embracing Your Limitations

Psychologists Off the Clock

Life can feel so overwhelming sometimes, especially with the nonstop pace of the modern world. But what if you learned to embrace the messiness that comes with life and concentrated more on what really matters to you rather than attempting to control everything?

Building on the themes from his previous bestseller, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Michael is joined by returning guest Oliver Burkeman to break down his new book, Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts.

Oliver and Michael dig into key ideas, such as the limits of control, the traps of overachievement and information overload, and how to face life challenges with a proactive, value-driven mindset. You'll love Oliver’s powerful metaphors, like navigating a kayak instead of steering a superyacht, which really brings home the beauty of going with life’s flow while staying grounded and intentional. This is an incredible resource that offers daily insights designed to inspire action, so join us for this empowering conversation and start your journey of embracing imperfection and living a more meaningful life.

Listen and Learn:

• Oliver’s philosophy behind 'Meditations for Mortals'
• The Evolution from 4,000 Weeks to Meditations for Mortals
• Embracing the concept of imperfectionism by being finite, taking action, letting go and showing up
• Embracing life’s chaos with the kayak vs. superyacht metaphor
• The insecure overachiever and learning to break free from productivity guilt
• Dealing with the overflow of information and discerning what truly deserves your attention
• The paradox of life's endless problems and the freedom found in embracing them
• How to apply imperfectionism in your daily life
• Balancing empathy with boundaries and why other people's problems aren’t yours to solve

Resources:

• Oliver’s books:

• Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

• Oliver’s Website: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/
• Connect with Oliver on X: @oliverburkeman

About Oliver Burkeman

Oliver Burkeman is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Four Thousand Weeks and The Antidote, and for many years wrote a popular weekly column on psychology for the Guardian, 'This Column Will Change Your Life'. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Psychologies, and New Philosopher.

Related Episodes

242. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management with Oliver Burkeman

• 257. The Gift of Being Ordinary with Ron Siegel
• 321. Imposter No More with Jill Stoddard

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices