At some point last year, I read Oliver Burkeman’s productivity book, 4000 Weeks. It was, perhaps, both the most helpful and least helpful productivity book I’ve ever read. Let me explain.

The title, 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, hints at Burkeman’s central idea: time—and humans—are finite. Our to-do lists will always outpace our ability to complete them. So…deal with it.

If that sounds a little pessimistic, you wouldn’t be the first to accuse Burkeman of that. But he doesn’t intend it to be. Instead, he sees this perspective as liberating. While I take his point and genuinely loved the book, I do differ with him in at least one important area.

Key Takeaways

This book stands out from most other productivity books for what it doesn’t include. You won’t find any life hacks, tips to optimize your calendar, or new strategies to tackle your to-do list. Instead, 4000 Weeks aims to transform how we think about ourselves, our time, and our work.

Here are a few concepts that resonated with me:

• Time is finite—accept it. Productivity culture convinces us we can master time, but chasing efficiency often leads to stress rather than freedom.
• Prioritization is key. We can’t do everything, so we must focus on what truly matters, embracing the reality that some things will remain undone.
• Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Striving to do everything flawlessly can prevent us from making meaningful strides.
• Make time sacred. Rituals, commitments, and intentional pauses add depth and meaning to our daily lives.
• True fulfillment comes from presence, not productivity. The goal isn’t to conquer time but to live fully by engaging in what truly matters.

Rather than treating time as something to master, Burkeman encourages us to embrace its limits, release unrealistic expectations, and focus on what brings depth and meaning to the 4,000 weeks (or roughly 76.6 years) the average person has on Earth.

Where I Differ

I deeply appreciate these takeaways—they’ve proven tremendously helpful as I’ve tried to approach my work differently over the past several months. But here’s where my perspective diverges from Burkeman’s.

While I fully recognize that I am finite, I would also argue that I am, in some ways, infinite. From the Judeo-Christian worldview I hold, as well as other traditions that recognize a soul or afterlife, we are more than just flesh and bone. We are spiritual beings as well as mortal ones.

So while I may only get 4,000 weeks to live on Earth, how I spend those weeks can carry infinite meaning into the future.

It reminds me of what Maximus Decimus Meridius famously said in Gladiator:

“What we do in life echoes through eternity.”

 

Approaching Burkeman’s work with this perspective enriches his argument. Yes, we are finite. Yes, time is precious. But not because of YOLO—just the opposite. Time is precious because what we do truly matters, both now and in eternity.