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The received wisdom, articulated in a thousand magazine articles and inspirational Instagram memes, is that it’s always a crime to settle. But the received wisdom is wrong. You should definitely settle.
Oliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
That’s right. I’m going to say something outrageous here, but happiness is overrated. It’s not like it’s a steady state. If you’re thirsty, happiness is a glass of cold water, for example. But too much of it, you drown. So it’s very contextual and it’s short-lived and happiness is the by-product of being in the right relationship with your own soul
... See moreOliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
A life spent focused on achieving security with respect to time, when in fact such security is unattainable, can only ever end up feeling provisional – as if the point of your having been born still lies in the future, just over the horizon, and your life in all its fullness can begin as soon as you’ve put it, in Arnold Bennett’s phrase, ‘into prop
... See moreOliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks
distracted person isn’t really choosing at all.
Oliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks
“Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love—is the sum of what you focus on.”
Cal Newport • Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Yet everyday experience, along with centuries of philosophical reflection, attests to the fact that a fulfilling and accomplished life isn’t a matter of exerting ever more control. It’s not about making things more predictable and secure, until you can finally relax. A football match is exciting because you don’t know who’ll win; a field of intelle
... See moreOliver Burkeman • Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
Mihaly made the case for “positive psychology”: that we should primarily focus on the things that make life worth living, and find ways to boost them.