Jason and JP discuss chapter three of 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman: here are some notes:
Chapter 2: the efficiency trap
Busyness is a misnomer
Busy Town… no one is idle
1908 “How live on 24 hours a day” by Bennett
Time was feeling like a container too small to hold what
matters most.
People waste time in the evening
Rise earlier… this book is good
Best antidote for time pressure…. It’s unfixable. You
will never achieve perfect use of your time….
Goal posts will shift… you’ll take on more responsibilities
and work
Parkinson’s Law: we expand what needs to be done into
the time we have to do it
Look at email.
Input is infinite
Output is finite!
You can’t really get your hands around your inbox….
📨 replays beget replies
Not replying is always an option
The efficiency trap… getting through more email
creates more email
Just do the few things that count
Pre-modern life was very repetitive
The modern world and devaluing the afterlife, it creates a
life crammed full of experiences
Clearing decks…. You just get new decks to clear
Learn to be comfortable with not clearing decks, focus on
the important… because you wont ever get it all done
We are going to miss out on so many experiences, so enjoy
the few small experiences you get
The seduction of convenience
Free time fills with stuff to do
Tech induced loneliness
Interacting with humans is fun!! Lyft and Door Dash,
doesn’t help your connection to humans
Abandon some of this stuff that is undermining your
existence
