This book is similar to Burkeman’s earlier book 4000 weeks, that I summarized here . However, the approach he takes in this book is different. The book is split into 28 chapters that the reader is meant to read in 28 days. I found this book in a local charity shop and read it in book-club-style together with my wife.

His writing is easily digestible and he reuses several ideas from stoic philosophy. The main takeaway is to not approach daily life as the quest to finish a to-do list that hopefully leads to a better future. But instead embrace the finitude of self and life, and therefore focus on the present. The daily working on the to-do list ends up the life that one lives. Therefore, one should focus on the items on the list that are important, enjoy and be present in the process, and don’t expect to ever finish the list or strike every item off it.