Meditations for Mortals, with Oliver Burkeman • Episode #169

Step into a world of philosophical musings and practical wisdom with Oliver Burkeman. 'Meditations for Mortals' is his latest book designed as a four-week mental retreat, promising to help readers lead a 'saner, freer, and more enchantment-filled life'. Oliver joins Kate to talk about everything from the inspiration he took from Marcus Aurelius to how to invite people over without feeling like you have to spend three hours tidying the house. He also reveals his tips on making life-changes that stick, and the books he turns to when he's not reading for work.

Keen to test out the methodology, Kate is then joined by City high-flyer and busy mother-of-three Emily Bohill to discover how Meditations for Mortals works in practice. From managing work-life balance to facing literal rats in the PTA shed, we explore whether the lessons of Meditations are ones that will stay.

This episode is for everyone who is keen to turn knowledge into action and embrace life's imperfections. No less important is the fact that Meditations for Mortals is perfect for sparking deep conversations, and there's nothing we love more at The Book Club Review than that.

Reading list

4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life by James Hollis

 

Find out more and sign up for The Imperfectionist (a free newsletter) at Oliver Burkeman's website

 

Subscribe and support the show

Want more from the pod? You can subscribe to The Book Club Review via Patreon. Click through for full details and to sign up with a 7-day free trial.

 

You'll get a weekly-ish minisode, with access to the full archive, and extra bits and bobs like extended episodes or Patreon-only specials, plus access to book recommendations from Kate and fellow pod fans in the chat group. At the higher tier you can join the pod book club and come and talk books with me, Kate, in person. We meet on the last Sunday of the month via Zoom, with a recording posted to listen back to anytime. In February we're reading All The Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, and in March it's Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munroe. Upcoming books are decided by members vote, so join in and suggest one that you would love to read and discuss. 

 

If you're a Substacker you can also subscribe and support the pod there. (It's slightly cheaper as you don't get the chat or the book club options, but everything else is just the same.)

 

Timecodes for the time-poor

00:00 Introduction

01:32 An overview of the book, and the degree to which Oliver Burkeman put himself in there

03:55 The relationship between Meditations for Mortals and Four Thousand Weeks

06:24 Imperfectionism

10:45 Practical Applications and personal reflections

13:01 Field-testing the book’s methodology

29:37 Daily-ish and embracing imperfection

34:34 Scruffy hospitality and overcoming procrastination

45:34 Has it changed our lives?