If the phrase ‘time management’ makes you think of stuffy corporate offices or, more recently, a calendar chock-full of neatly organized Zoom calls, you’ll be surprised that some philosophers argue that the problem of living well is actually a question of time management.

In his book “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals”, Oliver Burkeman compares the modern and ancient approaches to distributing one’s time to conclude that the productivity-hunting stance we’ve been conditioned to take might be hurting us more than we realize. 

As a Stoic striving for efficiency, the premise of the book intrigued me. On one hand, the author makes the case for using your 4000 weeks wisely, which I wholeheartedly support. On the other hand, he rejects all productivity systems as tyrannical, but admits that he’s a reformed productivity nerd. 

If productivity is out of the question, what then is the author’s solution to making the most out of the 4000 weeks that you have been given? 

Let’s find out by going through a short summary of the book, examining what is worth taking away from it (hint: not everything!) and then delving into 5 actionable tips in the spirit of “Four Thousand Weeks” that will help you be more intentional about how you spend your time. 

What is the Book “Four Thousand Weeks” About?

"Four Thousand Weeks" is a thought-provoking book by Oliver Burkeman that challenges conventional productivity wisdom and urges readers to reevaluate their relationship with time. The title references the average human lifespan, highlighting the finite nature of our existence. 

Burkeman explores the limitations of traditional time-management strategies and advocates for embracing life's unpredictability, focusing on our values, and accepting imperfection. By offering insights on the true motivations behind our pursuit of productivity, "Four Thousand Weeks" guides readers towards living a more intentional and fulfilling life.

This begs the question …

Do We Live for 4000 Weeks?

The idea that we live for 4000 weeks comes from "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" by Oliver Burkeman. This number is based on the average human lifespan of approximately 78 years, which translates to roughly 4,000 weeks of existence. While this is a mere approximation and how long you are expected to live varies from person to person, it serves as a reminder of the finite nature of our time on earth.

Here’s how the author arrived at this particular number: a year has 52 weeks on average, so we can multiply this by the average human lifespan (78 years) to get 4,056 weeks. Since this number does not take into account leap years, which have an extra day, 4000 weeks is a good enough estimate. 

The idea of living only 4000 weeks is less about the absolute time given to each of us, and more about raising awareness about the finitude of our existence and the need to spend our lives in a meaningful way.

Where “4000 Weeks” Gets It Right - Key Takeaways

The book presents a few ideas that are essential, but which some people might not have yet pondered. 

In the following exploration we will look at the purpose of productivity, what motivates us to pursue it relentlessly, unravel the often overlooked concept of opportunity cost and its profound implications on our quest for meaning, and confront the compelling need to embrace the finite nature of our existence. 

I guarantee that the key takeaways from “4000 Weeks” will guide you on a journey towards a more intentional life, so let’s get started:

The Raison D’Etre of Productivity

Consider the following quote from the book: 

“The world is bursting with wonder, and yet it’s the rare productivity guru who seems to have considered the possibility that the ultimate point of all our frenetic doing might be to experience more of that wonder.” – Oliver Burkeman

Burkeman argues that productivity pursued for its own sake provides an illusion of self-worth because sometimes an impressive list of neatly checked off tasks hides the fact that nothing of real substance has been achieved. 

It’s impossible to disagree - especially if you’ve seen a productivity guru insist that waking up at 5 AM will cure you of all of life’s troubles (a delicious mockery of which can be read here). The real purpose of productivity is to make space for what truly matters. More on that later.

The Real Reason We Relentlessly Chase Productivity Hacks 

Burkeman points out that we often immerse ourselves in the never-ending quest for efficiency and achievement, as this constant busyness provides a convenient escape from deeper existential questions. 

Consider the times you may have buried yourself in work or filled your calendar with tasks, only to avoid the discomfort of examining whether your life aligns with your values and dreams. By staying busy, we create an illusion of progress, shielding ourselves from the daunting realization that we might be on a path that diverges from our genuine desires.

The Impact of Opportunity Cost on Our Life’s Meaning

Opportunity cost is the price we pay for the choices we make, as each decision inherently involves sacrificing alternative paths and possibilities. (Or as the old adage goes, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.) It is a trade-off that we would do well to acknowledge, as it can help us make more intentional and value-driven choices, ultimately shaping a life that genuinely reflects our priorities. In the words of the author:

“Every decision to use a portion of time on anything represents the sacrifice of all the other ways in which you could have spent that time, but didn’t - to be willing to make that sacrifice is to take a stand, without reservation, on what matters most to you.” – Oliver Burkeman

To better understand how you can harness the concept of opportunity cost to live a more meaningful life, imagine you've been invited to join a prestigious committee at work, an opportunity that would undoubtedly enhance your professional reputation and help you establish connections with influential colleagues. While the allure of the invitation is strong, you find yourself contemplating the heavy workload and time commitment involved. This additional responsibility would mean sacrificing precious hours you've been dedicating to volunteering at a local non-profit organization, an activity deeply aligned with your values. 

By recalling the concept of opportunity cost, you recognize that accepting the committee invitation would come at the expense of your cherished volunteer work, so you resist the urge to people-please and politely decline the invitation. 

Opportunity cost might look like a bug, but is in fact, a feature of life, as it bestows meaning on what we end up choosing. As Burkeman eloquently puts it:

“It’s precisely the fact that I could have chosen a different, and perhaps equally valuable way to spend this afternoon that bestowed meaning on the choice I did make. And the same applies, of course, to an entire lifetime.”  – Oliver Burkeman

The Limitations of Existing in the Here and Now

Because they are all that you’ve known, you may not think of your personality or the particular moment in history in which you were born as limiting factors to what you can become. However, the context in which you exist is probably the biggest driver of the paths you will end up taking. (This is not to say that it determines the outcome of your life, or its meaning, for it is possible to live well in any circumstances, if you so choose.) 

This is simply because the here and now offer a constellation of opportunities and circumstances that has never occurred before in quite the same way. This means that you will be happier if you embrace one of the paths available to you, rather than long for an existence which is simply incompatible with the times. You’d to well to remember that: 

“In this situation, any decision I make, to do anything at all with my time, is already radically limited. For one thing, it’s limited in a retrospective sense, because I’m already who I am and where I am, which determines what possibilities are open to me. But it’s also radically limited in a forward-looking sense, too, not least because the decision to do any given thing will automatically mean sacrificing an infinite number of potential alternative paths.” – Oliver Burkeman

Aside from these key takeaways that you are invited to reflect on, the book presents 5 questions it urges you to ponder, promising a more peaceful and aligned existence in return. I found them extremely valuable, and I’ve written an entire post about them here. 

Now let’s see where the book misses the mark, despite being off to a very strong start.

Where “4000 Weeks” Gets It Wrong.

I have to admit that when I picked up this book, I was expecting to find that someone else had independently discovered how to be a Stoic Optimizer and wrote the manual for everyone else. I was excited to see whether I could pick up a few mental models and techniques I may have overlooked or find new ways to explain to others why it’s worth being a Stoic Optimizer in the first place.

The parallels I kept seeing between Burkeman’s text and Stoicism in the early chapters strengthened my conviction, until I realized that while he started out in the right place and had impeccable intentions, he completely misunderstood what life is like for most people. 

Let me explain.

To denounce all productivity hacks as an avoidance of human finitude is clever, but sophistic and gives me the impression that despite being wise, he was only able to climb out of the ivory tower halfway. 

Unlike Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, Mr. Burkeman has no practical advice for those really fighting in the trenches of life. He has comforting words about purpose, but no real solution for the single mother of three who needs to work two jobs just to make ends meet and cannot afford to ditch time saving strategies in favor of delegation.

On this we agree, Mr. Burkeman. 

But what is also true, but you conveniently shove under the table, is that if you’re not wealthy enough to outsource tasks, no amount of wishful thinking will make food magically appear on your table, or your laundry hang itself to dry. 

Unless you are sufficiently privileged, there will always be a set of tasks that needs to get done and that you will be stuck doing. They will eat away at your most precious resource (time) and you’ll still have to make the most of whatever is left to try to improve your condition. 

If you don’t, you’ll be stuck in this meaningless loop till the end of your 4000 weeks. I say ‘meaningless’ because nobody can convince me that doing laundry feeds anyone’s sense of purpose; it’s simply required by the practical desire of having clean clothes. 

There are responsibilities that shirking cannot solve; you cannot simply choose ‘strategic underachievement’ to justify not feeding your children in order to prioritize your purpose of, say… becoming a painter.

Disclaimer

The previous section may have sounded harsh, so this needs saying: I am not implying that “Four Thousand Weeks” is not worth reading. Quite the contrary. Burkeman describes an existential desperation we all feel, but aren’t able to verbalize and his call for urgency in addressing our finitude could not be a more welcome reminder to think critically about how we spend our time. The way he explains the problem is spot on and I strongly encourage you to read it.

What I am frustrated with is the fact that his approach has just enough defeatism to rob those with whom life has been less forgiving of any hopes of mastering their time and to strengthen their belief that they are condemned to a life spent simply surviving, while others are allowed to thrive (at least some of the time). 

To those (and everyone else), I propose the following:

Reframing Productivity in the Service of Purpose

The role of productivity and its associated paraphernalia of tricks should be used to limit the toll that the unmovable tasks take on your time and willpower. 

It is precisely because you want to make time for your purpose that you have to seek out efficiency. You need productivity exactly because you want to have a fighting chance to be the architect of your days and not just an exhausted robot responding to the challenges of an environment you never asked to be part of in the first place.

The point is to become so good at reducing the impact of these hindrances, that you slowly gain the temporal territory required to build what’s important to you. 

If you keep doing this long enough (and you’re a little bit lucky on top of that), you’re bound to reach escape velocity: a life in which the time you have regained for yourself can be spent in automating more of the hindrances until you eliminate them completely.

I admit that my solution does not sound as mindful and detached as Mr. Burkeman’s. But it has an advantage: it allows you to maintain agency in front of the deluge that is the human condition in the 21st century. 

It gives you the hope that you can find at least a little bit of time for what is meaningful to you, despite the constraints you may find yourself in at any given moment, and regardless of how privileged you are. That is the whole point of being a Stoic Optimizer.

That being said, there is no silver bullet that will fix the human condition, and I doubt that Mr. Burkeman thinks his conclusions should be taken as the ultimate truth in all circumstances, which is why he will forgive my tirade. 

I am also quite sure he has not stopped striving for efficiency himself, but admittedly, “do things faster and better to gain more time for the things you truly value“ is not as radical as the advice of abandoning all productivity hacks altogether and would also generate FAR LESS press than he has received. 

Good thing that I’m not fishing for good book reviews and that I’m simply on a quest to share what has worked for me in the hopes that it benefits someone else too. Speaking of which, here are a few actionable tips that can be loosely derived from the book.

5 Actionable Tips in the Spirit of “4000 Weeks” to Make the Most of Your Time

Even if you’ve done the work to identify your North Star - your life’s purpose - and you have a rough sketch of your Life’s Plan, these actionable tips will help you stay on track. 

1. Embrace the Season of Life You Are Currently In

Realize that no matter how committed you are to your Life’s Plan, some goals might be aspirational for now. Be realistic about what goals you prioritize and make sure they fit in with the season of life you are currently in. This doesn’t mean giving up on them completely, it just means you shouldn’t beat yourself up for setting them aside for a moment, in order to prioritize the more realistic ones.

2. Cultivate the Power of Saying “No”

What I’ve personally found helpful when someone asks me to do something I don’t truly want to do (but feel compelled to say ‘yes’ to) is to imagine I have only a week left to live. Would I be spending it on the task that is being presented to me? If the answer is “hell no” I politely decline, even if I know I am letting the person down. 

Corollary: I do not get upset when someone turns me down because they are prioritizing something else in their life. I accept and respect their commitment to using their time most fruitfully and encourage them to do it. 

3. Measure Your Progress Towards Your Goals Frequently

Since you only have 4000 weeks at your disposal, you also need to be mindful of the time-wasting that can happen in pursuit of something meaningful. (That time is still gone, even if your intentions were good.)

Examine the path you’ve chosen to work towards your goals and make sure it’s getting you results. You want to change strategies as soon as the old ones are no longer working. You don’t have the luxury of waiting too long before you notice that you’ve deviated from your path.

4. Have a Plan for What to Prioritize If Push Comes to Shove

Your Life Plan will not have a single entry - you won’t be chasing a unique goal - because a meaningful existence is always a multi-faceted collection of accomplishments. 

Your life will not be predictable, so you’ll need a way to increase the odds of having lived according to your intentions. The easiest way to do that is to rank your goals. Decide which of them are non-negotiable and which are rather ‘nice-to-have’. When things go awry, the ranking will help you triage what goals to work on so that at the end of the day, you will have done your best to become the person you wished to be. 

5. Evaluate Every Opportunity With Respect To Your Life’s Plan

As you journey through the Universe, you will encounter many distractions disguised as opportunities. When new doors open, carefully consider whether stepping through them is a shortcut or a detour when it comes to reaching your Life’s Plan.

That’s not to say that you should never try new things just because you can’t really understand how they fit in with your life’s plan, or neglect opportunities because they are not perfectly aligned with your goals at a particular moment. 

All that I’m suggesting is that you check in with yourself to make sure you truly want what’s being offered and that you haven’t been conditioned to want it (for example because you’re keeping up with the Joneses). 

The whole point is to be directionally correct whenever you make a movement. You don’t need to be 100% correct, but you do need to be moving towards your goals, rather than away from them. 

That’s a wrap! I hope you’ll pick up a copy of the book and then come back and tell me whether you agreed with Burkeman’s stance or not. I’m always curious what resonates with people and what puts them off.