Short summary
In this summary, it’s better to take up a hobby instead of a side hustle, how the premodern concept of eternity informed how people spent their time, and how to improve our procrastination skills.
Oliver Burkeman is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking and a former columnist for The Guardian. His writings have appeared in Psychologies and New Philosopher.
“Productivity is a trap. Becoming more efficient just makes you more rushed, and trying to clear the decks simply makes them fill up again faster.” ~ Oliver Burkeman
Key points
The obsession with being productive has made it difficult for people to appreciate family time
Believing that we have to be special beings in a unique world is why many of us lose sight of living a normal life without feeling bad about it. Since we are obsessed with accumulating wealth and notoriety, people have found it difficult to appreciate the almost 4,000 weeks we have left on this planet. We spend our free time doing constructive things like thinking or working instead of relaxing and enjoying life. In this summary, we'll discover fresh views on time and how to manage it more effectively, thus challenging the status quo and encouraging us to embrace the beauty of change.