What would you do if you only had 4,000 weeks to enjoy all that life has to offer?
This “number” – 4,000 weeks (or about 80 years) – was not something I thought about until I read “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman.
But even as I started reading the book, the full impact of that sentence didn’t hit me as I’ve always believed that as long as we prioritize our “big rocks” to use the Steven Covey example, we will ultimately have enough time to do everything.
Then, Burkeman points out that Steven Covey’s analogy of the container, big rocks, little rocks, and sand is only a partial picture because Covey STARTED with a container that was large enough to fit everything, while we can never be sure how big the container is when it comes to fitting in all of the achievements, projects, commitments, interests, and relationships we want over our lifetime.
This realization turned the conventional time management wisdom on its head for me.
What??!!! I’ve built my entire time management foundation on Covey’s exercise with the big rocks . . . and now you are telling me that this exercise is based on knowing the size of the container!
Ultimately, that brings us to accept that there’s more to do than will ever fit into your lifetime. You will ALWAYS have more work than time!
This doesn’t mean you are fighting a losing battle and should give up. In fact, here are three things you can do right now to maximize your 4,000 weeks (some of this I’ve paraphrased from Burkeman):
- Let Yourself Off the Hook – there will ALWAYS be more that you want to do than you’ll be able to do. And not just “little things” but “big” projects and initiatives and opportunities. You will need to make hard decisions on what to focus on and what to let go of, which is where letting yourself off the hook will come in handy. Trust yourself to know what is important to you in the moment – and let go of the rest.
- Schedule a Meeting – use the first hour of your day to meet with yourself and plan what you’re doing. (Or, if you’ve created a routine where you use the morning to maximize your Biological Prime Time for another activity, end your work day with a meeting with yourself dedicated to planning.)
- Limit Your Work in Progress – resist the allure of middle priorities. If you make a list of your priorities, and it’s 25 projects deep, Burkeman suggests simply letting go of anything beyond the top five, because they’ll distract you from the most important ones. Plus, all those other projects drain your energy so you miss out on fun and fulfilling activities because you’re too depleted or overwhelmed from working on so many things.
Every moment of your 4,000 weeks is a choice. Don’t wait until it’s too late to realize you spent it on the wrong things. Focus on what truly matters by identifying your priorities and creating a plan to honor them.
Ready to get clear on your priorities, unlock your Zone of Genius, and take control of your limited time? Join our workshop to start maximizing your 4,000 weeks today: https://impactivestrategies.com/zog
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