Author of Four Thousand Weeks Oliver Burkeman on How To Live Well (Part One)
Listen to the original audio · Transcribed with NVIDIA Parakeet · Why times can differ in your player
Welcome to Intelligence Squared, where great minds meet. I'm producer Mia Serenti. Today's episode is part one of our live event with Oliver Berkman, recorded in April 2025 live at Union Chapel in London. Oliver is a best-selling author of 4,000 weeks. Time Management for Mortals, a book that encourages to rethink our obsession with productivity and to embrace the limitations of life.
In his latest work, Meditation for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, he takes that exploration even further. He joined us on stage with Financial Times columnist Tim Hartford to discuss how we can stop striving for impossible efficiency, accept our imperfections, and cultivate a more meaningful life, one that works with, rather than against, the reality of our finite time on Earth. This is part one of the conversation. If you'd like to listen to the full event ad-free, you can become an Intelligence Squared member.
Head to intelligencesquared.com forward slash membership to find out more, or tap the IQ2 extra button on Apple. Now let's join our host, Tim Harford, with more. Thank you very much. Oliver instantly wrestling with the problem of how to applaud while holding a microphone. It's it's great.
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