Are you ready for a writing masterclass from one of the best self-help writers in the world? After graduating from Cambridge, Oliver Burkeman wrote the popular column " This Column Will Change Your Life " in 'The Guardian' for over 15 years sharing his real-world, real-time poetic exploration of the self-help universe. In 2021 he published ' Four Thousand Weeks ,' a literary examination of how we live today. Mark Manson (our guest in Chapter 28 ) called it "a reality check on our culture's crazy assumptions around work, productivity and living a meaningful life" and Adam Grant (our guest in Chapter 72 ) called it "the most important book ever written about time management." Oliver's work is much more about how to live a good life in the limited time we have than the system and hacks you find in other popular productivity books, and he's just released a wonderful follow-up called ' Meditations For Mortals .' This book offers the reader 28 short chapters meant to be read one a day for 28 days, a quiet evening ritual with Oliver's potent words. Naturally with such a talented guest, this Chapter dives deep into writing craft. How does a productivity writer focus on meaningful work? What does Oliver always have in his pocket on a walk to help him write? And what is his dream writing schedule? But we also mine Oliver's brilliant mind in wide conversations that ask: What are the signs of living in a totalitarian state? What is Jungian analysis? Is promotion offensive? And why does Oliver wear earplugs even in silence? Oliver Burkeman is my favorite self-help writer so it was a great pleasure that he joined me on 3 Books . Join me to learn how Oliver manages his writing projects, his 3 most formative books, the best question to ask before making big decisions, why mess is necessary, and much, much more. Let's flip the page to Chapter 142 now...
