cermakalex 
Reading this book fundamentally changed the way I view my own life, death, and time. Perhaps it’s because I was exactly 40 years old, and as Burkeman writes: if you’re lucky enough to live to 80, you’ll get about 4,000 weeks. And forty years is exactly half.
It was supposed to be a book about time management and productivity. For someone like me, who has a long list of things they want to accomplish every day, it was meant to be just another guide on how to get a little bit more done. Instead, it’s a guide on how to not stress and live a happier life. And to realize that we simply won’t get everything done, and that’s okay.
13 Lessons That Moved Me Forward
- The more you try to control your time with the goal of perfect control, the more stressful, empty, and frustrating your life will become.
- Even when time management works for you, we are still overwhelmed and feel like we’re not getting everything done.
- The more tasks you finish, the more tasks will be waiting in line.
- If you prioritize the sand, the big rocks will not fit into the jar.
- Prioritize what matters, instead of reacting to the constant stream of demands.
- Decide where you expect imperfection. For example, if you’re writing a novel, your kitchen won’t be clean.
- Keep a list of completed tasks.
- First pay yourself, but over time, not with money.
- It’s necessary to lower the bar.
- Don’t stress about what will happen.
- Life is a sequence of present moments that culminate in death.
- We have the right to be lazy.
- Free time is for free time, not for chasing after the next goal.
So, what can the goal be? And is it really important to get everything done? Here’s how it looks to me:
Enjoy the present moment, experience small joys, even at the cost of productivity. Simply enjoy life itself!
