Cover of Four Thousand Weeks

Book · 2021 · Self-Help

Four Thousand Weeks

Time Management for Mortals

by Oliver Burkeman · Recommended by 15 people on 8 podcasts

#150 of 15,593 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts

mentions
66
people
15
podcasts
8
episodes
38
critical mentions
0

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This is Shelly from Port Townsend, Washington. I found that 4,000 Weeks was one of the most impactful books I’ve read this year.
Brad Barrett · ChooseFI · Dec 2022 Listen at 33:46

What they say about it

Grouped from 66 mentions
  • Calls it a great book
    7
  • Mentions cosmic insignificance therapy“cosmic insignificance therapy”
    4
  • Choose what to suck at“decide in advance what you're going to suck at”
    4
  • Reads it for the book club“Choose FI Book Club”
    4

The best things said about it

5 of 66 · every mention
Discussed
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.
Brad Barrett ChooseFI · Dec 2022
Recommended
That would be, I believe it's Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, which I thought was a fantastic book and there are a number of chapters that really stuck out as counterintuitively helpful, such as cosmic insignificance therapy, which I ended up excerpting on the blog because I wanted to share it with people and share the book with people.
Tim Ferriss The Tim Ferriss Show · Dec 2022
Recommended
I found especially helpful Oliver Berkman’s advice to choose something to neglect on purpose.
On the show ChooseFI · Dec 2022
Discussed
One of the things I love about Oliver Burkeman's Philosophy from 4,000 Weeks is there is simply too much to do and you will never have enough time for any of it for all of it.
Ali Abdaal Modern Wisdom · Dec 2023
Discussed
I just finished reading 4,000 Weeks, and to say it was transformational for me is an understatement.
On the show ChooseFI · Dec 2022

Where and when it comes up

Mentions per year

Counted mentions by episode date. Our archive is deeper for recent years; 2026 so far.

How it comes up

Recommended means the speaker tells listeners to read it.

Most mentions, by podcast

8 shows

15 people who brought it up

Most recommendations first

Also: Rich Roll · Rolf Potts · Ryan Holiday

Why people recommend it

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman is an insightful time-management book that confronts the finite nature of human life and challenges modern productivity obsessions. The book was discussed and recommended across multiple podcast episodes by prominent figures. George Mack appeared on Modern Wisdom to praise the title, highlighting a specific chapter dedicated to what he called cosmic insignificance therapy. Tim Ferriss frequently championed the book, recommending it on On Purpose with Jay Shetty as a phenomenal read for individuals feeling stuck or behind in life, and again on The Daily Stoic where he expressed how much he enjoyed the text and reiterated the value of its chapter on perspective and insignificance. Chris Williamson also endorsed the work multiple times on Modern Wisdom, telling listeners to read it because everyone ultimately dies with an unchecked to-do list, while praising its approach to the psychological choices inherent in managing time. Additionally, JT Alstead mentioned the book on ChooseFI as a recent read that shares valuable conceptual ground with essentialism. Across these appearances, speakers emphasized that the volume offers a refreshing antidote to relentless optimization, urging readers to accept their temporal limitations rather than attempting to conquer an impossible amount of tasks before they die.

Every mention

66 counted mentions · 4 passing or ad reads below
Tim Ferriss also I really recommend people at least read this chapter you should read the whole book 4,000 weeks it's a… 9
Recommended
“So 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. I love that. I think it's a phenomenal book.”
Recommended
“along the lines of some of the chapters in 4,000 weeks by Oliver Berkman which I think is a great book I really enjoyed this book”
Recommended
“But there are a few things that I feel like I've indirectly taken from that that are very much along the lines of some of the chapters in 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Berkman, which I think is a great book.”
Recommended
“also I really recommend people at least read this chapter you should read the whole book 4,000 weeks it's a great book The Cosmic insignificance therapy”
Recommended
“That would be, I believe it's Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman, which I thought was a fantastic book and there are a number of chapters that really stuck out as counterintuitively helpful, such as cosmic insignificance therapy, which I ended up excerpting on the blog because I wanted to share it with people and share the book with people.”
Discussed
“Did the book Four Thousand Weeks change your approach to life and living in any way?”
Recommended
“is actually the name of a book excerpt that also reinforces this point from forty thousand is it four thousand weeks... i always get mixed up... four thousand weeks... oliver berkman is the author”
Recommended
“matthew correcting the title 4 000 weeks the book that i mentioned earlier oliver berkman great book”
Discussed
“I think it's 4,000 weeks, but that's by Oliver Burkeman and there's a chapter called cosmic insignificance therapy.”
Chris Williamson I think but Oliver burkman 4,000 weeks go read that book everybody's gonna die with things that have not be… 14
Discussed
“I think it's one of the reasons why uh your work in particular Oliver Burkeman who wrote 4,000 Weeks. This very sanguin look at human nature.”
Discussed
“Oliver burkman's got this prompt from 4,000 weeks where he says decide in advance what you're going to suck at and um it's a really good one because if you focus all of your attention on one thing you make more progress in that thing than if you spent three times the amount of time on that thing”
Discussed
“Oliver Burkman's most recent one is very similar to yours, and I think that was zeroing in on a new, very concentrated type of, so like, purified version of writing. And I'm here for it. So kind of taking the thesis of the book, overall, there's five sections, and I'm really excited to go through them and to talk about”
Discussed
“and Oliver burkeman who wrote 4,000 weeks has a name for this bottomless pit of self-imposed expected efficiency productivity debt”
Discussed
“I read about ­ ol ofer burkman's productivity debt idea”
Recommended
“I think but Oliver burkman 4,000 weeks go read that book everybody's gonna die with things that have not been checked off their to-do list”
Recommended
“oliver burkman 4,000 weeks phenomenal book he's coming back on the show”
Recommended
“This is a really great insight from Oliver Burkeman's 4,000 Weeks. Has he been on? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, great guy.”
Discussed
“I think Oliver's approach in 4 000 weeks is the best one that I found it's like look you're not going to be able to do all of this stuff prepare in advance what you're going to suck at”
Recommended
“just bought four thousand weeks you have mentioned a few times yes four thousand weeks by oliver berkman it's a fantastic book everyone should go and check that out”
Recommended
“productivity obsession is immortality by a different name this is oliver berkman who wrote 4 000 weeks fantastic book”
Recommended
“there's a book called 4000 weeks by oliver berkman and it's about time management and productivity and stuff like that”
Discussed
“oliver berkman who wrote 4 000 weeks he says in advance of making goals you need to choose what you're going to fail at”
Discussed
“and obviously the seriousness of your book's title 4 000 weeks the reason for that is that that's the length of time of somebody that lives ish lives for 80 years”
George Mack And there's also a really, this is like the Brit roll call here, but I think Oliver Burkeman is also one of… 2
Recommended
“And there's also a really, this is like the Brit roll call here, but I think Oliver Burkeman is also one of your countrymen, wrote a great book called 4,000 weeks, which is tremendous. And one of the chapters is called cosmic insignificance therapy.”
Discussed
“so I got this from the concept of 4,000 weeks and having a big three of things I need to do and then everything else just goes to the everything else section”
JT Alstead I read 4,000 weeks recently also great kind of similar concept 2
Recommended
“I read 4,000 weeks recently also great kind of similar concept”
Discussed
“I read 4,000 Weeks recently; it's also a great book about that, kind of a similar concept. But, you know, those books help me center and realize, 'Wait a minute, just because I can try and do everything, it doesn't mean that's the right move.'”
Cal Newport So, you know, my book came out the same month as How to Do Nothing... I would say that what I would add mor… 1
Recommended
“So, you know, my book came out the same month as How to Do Nothing... I would say that what I would add more recently, a book that's done really well, and I think, and I'll get into a reason why I think it did, was Oliver Berkman's new book, which is... 4000 weeks time management for mortals, Oliver Berkman.”
Matthew Hussey oliver burkman who i you may have met i think you maybe interviewed oliver burkman his book for anyone who'… 1
Recommended
“oliver burkman who i you may have met i think you maybe interviewed oliver burkman his book for anyone who's struggling with with being ready for commitment is a really powerful book you could read that book as a dating book”
Brad Barrett We're calling it the Choose FI Book Club and the book that we picked is '4,000 Weeks: Time Management for M… 15
Discussed
“I mean that is – that has been kind of top of mind in my own head because I read the book 4,000 weeks by Oliver burkman”
Book club
“We're calling it the Choose FI Book Club and the book that we picked is '4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals' by Oliver Berkman.”
Book club
“It was just the coolest thing ever and one of her ideas was to start a book club focused on '4,000 Weeks'.”
Discussed
“That's interesting; it's funny because I suspect this actually ties into Berkman's book here that we're discussing, '4,000 Weeks'.”
Discussed
“That reminds me of a story on page 77, which Berkman mentions is probably apocryphal, about Warren Buffett.”
Discussed
“It’s a trap we fall into, and it makes me think about the book's title '4,000 Weeks'—when you roughly calculate an 80-year life, multiplied by 52 weeks a year, you get just a little more than 4,000 weeks.”
Discussed
“Berkman had a quote early in the book that said, '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.'”
Discussed
“We do—we talk about these life hacks, and it’s funny because then the next note I have here is that Berkman hates life hacks.”
Discussed
“It dawned on me while reading Berkman’s book that even though I long ago outgrew my childhood ideal that I would someday do that, I was still trying to get as close as possible.”
Discussed
“This is Shelly from Port Townsend, Washington. I found that 4,000 Weeks was one of the most impactful books I’ve read this year.”
Discussed
“Berkman said, 'As with money, it’s good to have plenty of time, all else being equal, but having all the time in the world isn’t much use if you’re forced to experience it all on your own.'”
Discussed
“He talked about the same section in the book where Brooklyn describes how having too much time of your own can be overwhelming.”
Discussed
“Berkman discusses this a few ways, stating that in a world geared for hurry, the capacity to resist the urge to hurry and allow things to take the time they need is a way to make an impact on the world.”
Discussed
“In your example, Berkman mentions Rod Stewart building model trains, which I found interesting; he said he's not great at it, but he's been doing it for decades, and it has become a craft for him.”
Discussed
“Speaking of perspectives, let's hear from a voicemail we received from Gail, who did not appreciate this book.”
Ezra Klein burkman's big idea which he described in his bestseller a couple years back 4,000 weeks is it no productivi… 3
Discussed
“burkman's big idea which he described in his bestseller a couple years back 4,000 weeks is it no productivity system anywhere will ever deliver what it is”
Discussed
“when I think about your your previous book 4,000 weeks meditation for Mortals Mortals being right there in the title I feel like you're writing long momento Mor's with pastel colored cover jackets”
Discussed
“and you and I actually share a f ation it was in uh my book on polarization and it was also something you read about in your book with this article the times published years ago about a man who in at the beginning of the first Trump Administration decided he was done with the news”
Oliver Burkeman And that was also evident and I got I had sort of contact with a few people after 4,000 weeks really began… 3
Discussed
“And that was also evident and I got I had sort of contact with a few people after 4,000 weeks really began to take offering to help me put together specific kinds of courses”
Discussed
“Also, sometimes people like I think people who haven't read 4,000 Weeks, but who know the title and know what it what it refers to.”
Discussed
“there's actually one of the sort of slightly surprising things although I shouldn't have been surprised because I I had sort of explored this a little bit in 4,000 weeks is is the sort of benefits of something that I think I would call inconvenience”
Ali Abdaal one of the things I love about Oliver burkman's Philosophy from 4,000 weeks is there is simply too much [ _… 2
Discussed
“one of the things I love about Oliver burkman's Philosophy from 4,000 weeks is there is simply too much [ __ ] to do and you will never have enough time for any of it for for all of it”
Discussed
“but one of the things I love about Oliver burkman's Philosophy from 4,000 weeks is there is simply too much [ __ ] to do and you will never have enough time for any of it for for all of it”
Anna Codrea-Rado you know if you're chilling out by reading oliver berkman's four thousand weeks but then you've also got a… 1
Discussed
“you know if you're chilling out by reading oliver berkman's four thousand weeks but then you've also got a podcast with him”
Neil Pasricha that's why that you know the that there's so much resonance with the Oliver birkman book you know 4,000 wee… 1
Discussed
“that's why that you know the that there's so much resonance with the Oliver birkman book you know 4,000 weeks or whatever it's called”
Rich Roll you know I've read burkman's work 4,000 weeks and Cal newport's books 1
Discussed
“you know I've read burkman's work 4,000 weeks and Cal newport's books”
Rolf Potts is it Oliver burkman 890.3 I think I think you quoted other people 4,000 weeks 895.4 I think 4,000 weeks 1
Discussed
“is it Oliver burkman 890.3 I think I think you quoted other people 4,000 weeks 895.4 I think 4,000 weeks”
Ryan Holiday And then it's been interesting with 4,000 Weeks, which became like a bonafide hit. You're now one of those… 1
Discussed
“And then it's been interesting with 4,000 Weeks, which became like a bonafide hit. You're now one of those guys.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker9
Discussed
“He has this idea from 4,000 weeks which is uh choose what you're going to suck at. Yep. Uh you know, choose in advance the thing that you're going to suck at because”
Discussed
“Did you read the Oliver Burkeman book? I did. 4,000 Weeks? Is that what it's called? We talked about it on the show. But that was one thing I'm kind of laughing when you're talking about the emails because that part where he is like, "You have to realize like you will never win and you will never complete it."”
Discussed
“Did you read the Oliver Burkeman book? I did, 4,000 Weeks—is that what it's called? We talked about it on the show, but that was one thing I'm kind of laughing when you're talking about the emails because that part where he is like, 'You have to realize like you will never win and you will never complete it.'”
Discussed
“um I think this is originally from the book 10,000 weeks by Oliver bman Oliver Bergman”
Book club
“another thing to think about which I think Oliver Berkman mentioned briefly in 4 000 weeks which I read while you guys were doing the book club”
Recommended
“I loved this book and I recommend it to everyone, so thanks for choosing it for the Choose FI Book Club. I found especially helpful Oliver Berkman’s advice to choose something to neglect on purpose.”
Discussed
“He says, "I just finished reading 4,000 weeks, and to say it was transformational for me is an understatement."”
Recommended
“and I read this book called 4 000 weeks by Oliver Berkman and uh the book basically talks about a lot of things but one of the things that I got out of it was that we need to focus on what we want and what we value and by doing that you can kind of cut out a lot”
Recommended
“I read this book called 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Berkman.”

Also mentioned in the same episodes

Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
Plugged
“Hello, I'm Oliver Berkman. I'm the author of books, including 4,000 Weeks and Meditations for Mortals and the Imperfectionist Newsletter.”
Plugged
“with um you know the last book 4,000 weeks did a lot better than I was expecting”
Plugged
“welcome to the megyn kelly show three words 4 000 weeks if you are lucky that's your average lifespan when we put it into those terms life feels pretty short pretty time limited so how are you spending those precious weeks are you using your time wisely journalist and author of 4 000 weeks time management for mortals”
Plugged
“well the book four thousand weeks that's there then go to 4000 weeks book.com 400 weeksbook.com which is really just a page on my website which is oliverbirkman.com”

Portraits from Wikimedia Commons: Tim Ferriss, Mukhatir at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0); Chris Williamson, CiaPeterson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); Ezra Klein, SWinxy / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0); Oliver Burkeman, Vera de Kok / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).