Most productivity advice promises that if you just find the right system, you’ll finally catch up. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Oliver Burkeman who explains why that feeling never arrives and why that is not a personal failure. They discuss the productivity lie that keeps so many people feeling behind every single day, how hustle culture quietly creates anxiety, and why the goal of getting “on top of everything” is impossible. Oliver explains why urgency often makes life worse, not better, how saying no is harder than it should be, and what actually changes when you stop trying to win time and start accepting your limits.

Oliver Burkeman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, and Meditations for Mortals.

Follow Oliver on Instagram and X @OliverBurkeman

Grab signed copies of Meditations for Mortals and Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

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The Lie That Keeps You Feeling Behind Every Single Day | Oliver Burkeman

The Daily Stoic