Author: Oliver Burkeman
Reviewed by Chloe Fuksa
Over the years, I find that I’ve gotten on and off the self-help train a lot. When I graduated school, for example, and was searching for purpose and inspiration, I devoured self-help books. Then, at other times, I thought they were, frankly, hogwash. What drew me to Oliver Burkeman’s new book, Meditations for Mortals, though, was two-fold. First, it’s the start of a new year, so naturally it’s a good time to reflect and to make some changes. The second reason is that Burkeman’s prior book was titled Four Thousand Weeks, for the average person’s lifespan, and while I haven’t read it yet, I was instantly intrigued by this author.
In Meditations for Mortals, Burkeman structures the book around a four-week schedule, with one chapter for each day. I don’t think any of the chapters were longer than five or six pages too, so it’s convenient and easy to stick with. It seems a little counter-intuitive, but the book focuses on our imperfections. For instance, we cannot anticipate every single possibility at every fork in the road, we will never fully tackle our to-do lists, and we will never be entirely in control of our lives. So how can we turn these limitations into positives then? Cross a bridge when you get to it, not before. Make a done list, rather than to-do. Accept that life will never be problem-free, no matter how old you get.
Meditations for Mortals is certainly different than many other self-help books, but I really appreciated its practicality. Now, I read the book in one or two sittings, and it got to be a little much. I would recommend taking it a chapter or a section at a time, like the author suggests, just in order to make it easier to reflect on. Not every chapter will resonate with every person, either, but I did think overall it was an interesting book with realistic takeaways. A perfect New Year’s book!
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