In 4,000 Weeks, ‘a book about embracing your limitations, and finally getting round to what counts‘, author Oliver Burkeman states that most of us can expect a lifespan of approximately 4,000 weeks. That’s both a long time and also, in the life of the universe, very little time at all. What will you do with your time on earth to make you feel your time has been well-spent?
In his blog post No Big Deal , Burkeman encourages us to take a much longer perspective on life and to recognise our ‘cosmic insignificance‘. If we can step back to take the longer view of life and reflect that, within the mere 4,000 weeks we may enjoy on earth, our impact is frankly inconsequential. In the greater scheme of things no one will care or remember much about what we did or didn’t do in a million years from now.
In many ways, Burkeman says that while this might invoke feelings of existential angst- ‘if nothing matters, what’s the point in bothering?’ he finds this liberating. He suggests letting go of concerns you may have of what others think of you. How many ‘likes’ you are attracting on social media or whether you’ve made it to the end of your ‘to do list’ frankly mean diddly squat.
Rather than chasing the rainbow of securing perfect jobs and what difference you might or might not make in your lifetime, Burkeman suggests instead that you shift your focus from concern about your own importance and others’ expectations to what’s truly important in the context of your cosmic insignificance. He sees this as hugely liberating. He says:
Once you remember the stakes aren’t anywhere near that high, you’re free to take meaningful risks, to let unimportant things slide, and to let other people deal with how they might feel about your failing to live up to their expectations.
If you’re able to let go of the weight of others’ expectations, what would you actually invest time doing?
I’ve found that listening to, or reading the stories of individuals who frankly don’t give a f**k about what others think are a great source of inspiration. These are people who have decided to do what’s important to them.
For example, listening recently to an episode of Desert Island discs featuring artist Sonia Boyce, Sonia described how she took a risk to disregard artistic convention in order to to express herself. Regardless of whether people enjoy her art millions of years from now, her art, authentically expressed, speaks to people now.
There are many other examples of interviews on Desert Island Discs and other podcasts where you can draw on the inspiration of others who have found ways to channel their energy into creating a life that’s similarly authentic.
Activity
Identify the 8 tracks you would select if you were invited onto the programme. Which best define you to date? Do these give you an insight into what’s most important to you in your life? What insights does your story provide? Are you spending your 4,000 weeks on the things that really matter to you?
Sign up for Oliver Burkeman’s twice-monthly e mail The Imperfectionist which focuses on productivity, mortality, the power of limits, and building a meaningful life in an age of
bewilderment.
See also my post on creating a life without regret.
The death rate for people who play is safe and for people who live boldly is the same: 100%.
Patti Digh
