Meditations for Mortals | Mar-Apr 2025

Meditations for Mortals: A Guide to Life, Death and Beyond

by Oliver Burkeman

24 March 2025 to 20 April 2025
About the Book

Interesting notes on how working backwards from the realization that we all only have so much time and will never really get everything done can actually be empowering. You can find the book at all the usual places, and the for the purposes of our discussion, using either the book or the audiobook (which, in this case, is narrated by the author) would work well.

Target Audience

Anyone who finds the premise of this book interesting and can commit about half an hour daily to reading a chapter. There are a lot of podcasts and interviews and book reviews that you can find around this book to help you decide if it’s for you.

A reading of 4000 weeks is not necessary, this book holds up well standalone, although the two books do share a common theme. If you are curious about the other book, this talk is a nice overview.

Timings and Venue

We meet on Zoom at 9PM IST for about 20 minutes every day according to the schedule below. A link to a Whatsapp group will be posted here soon. If you want a heads up when these details are available, drop your email below.

Reading Schedule

Date Lecture Slides Notes Video
24 Mar, 2025 Day One: It's worse than you think
On the liberation of defeat
25 Mar, 2025 Day Two: Kayaks and superyachts
On actually doing things
26 Mar, 2025 Day Three: You need only face the consequences
On paying the price
27 Mar, 2025 Day Four: Against productivity debt
On the power of a 'done list'
28 Mar, 2025 Day Five: Too much information
On the art of reading and not reading
29 Mar, 2025 Day Six: You can't care about everything
On staying sane when the world's a mess
30 Mar, 2025 Day Seven: Let the future be the future
On crossing bridges when you come to them
31 Mar, 2025 Day Eight: Decision-hunting
On choosing a path through the woods
01 Apr, 2025 Day Nine: Finish things
On the magic of completion
02 Apr, 2025 Day Ten: Look for the life task
On what reality wants
03 Apr, 2025 Day Eleven: Just go to the shed
On befriending what you fear
04 Apr, 2025 Day Twelve: Rules that serve life
On doing things dailyish
05 Apr, 2025 Day Thirteen: Three hours
On finding focus in the chaos
06 Apr, 2025 Day Fourteen: Develop a taste for problems
On never reaching the trouble-free phase
07 Apr, 2025 Day Fifteen: What if this were easy?
On the false allure of effort
08 Apr, 2025 Day Sixteen: The reverse golden rule
On not being your own worst enemy
09 Apr, 2025 Day Seventeen: Don't stand in generosity's way
On the futility of 'becoming a better person'
10 Apr, 2025 Day Eighteen: Allow other people their problems
On minding your own business
11 Apr, 2025 Day Nineteen: A good time or a good story
On the upsides of unpredictability
12 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty: Set a quantity goal
On firing your inner quality controller
13 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-One: What's an interruption, anyway?
On the importance of staying distractible
14 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-Two: Stop being so kind to Future You
On entering time and space completely
15 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-Three: How to start from sanity
On paying yourself first
16 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-Four: Scruffy hospitality
On finding connection in the flaws
17 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-Five: You can't hoard life
On letting the moments pass
18 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-Six: Inconceivable
On the solace of doubt
19 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-Seven: C'est fait par du monde
On giving it a shot
20 Apr, 2025 Day Twenty-Eight: What matters
On finding your way
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