Oliver Burkeman on the Power of Embracing Imperfectionism

The British author and journalist Oliver Burkeman has spent decades pondering what it means to live a meaningful life, both in his former Guardian column “This Column WIll Change Your Life” and across several books—most recently, Meditations for Mortals, out in paperback this October. That’s why he brings a healthy dose of skepticism to so-called “time management” systems and productivity hacks as a means toward true fulfillment. Burkeman’s compelled by the notion that, rather than being separate from time, human beings are time. If people faced the reality of their limited time on the planet head on, he believes there’s a real chance to experience greater, more engaged feelings of aliveness.

On the episode—our Season 12 kick-off—Burkeman discusses why he’s eschewing  perfectionism and finding unexpected liberation in the premise that, to some extent, the worst has already happened, and the best may still be ahead.

Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.

Show notes:

Oliver Burkeman

[4:26] “Meditations for Mortals” (2024)

[6:48] Donald Winnicott

[7:46] Martin Heidegger

[7:46] "Technics and Civilization" (2010)

[7:46] “Being and Time” (1927)

[7:46] “Time Warrior” (2011)

[7:46] “Time Surfing” (2017)

[7:46] “Anti-Time Management” (2022)

[10:14] Medieval peasants

[10:14] “The 4-Hour Workweek”

[13:18] Alicja Kwade

[19:23] “Ichi-go, ichi-e” (“one time, one meeting”)

[22:00] Eckhart Tolle

[22:36] Agnes Martin

[23:28] “The Road Not Taken”

[40:03] “This Column Will Change Your Life”

[51:00] Nicholas Carr

[51:00] Clay Shirky

[53:40] Jennifer Roberts

[59:04] Pomodoro Technique 

[59:13] Kanban

[1:01:33] James Hollis

[1:02:40] Alfred Adler

[1:02:40] “The Courage to Be Disliked” (2024)

[1:06:24] Stoicism