--- description: Find out why "Four Thousand Weeks" by Oliver Burkeman is on TIME's list of the must-read books from this year. title: 'Four Thousand Weeks' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2021 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf80a50f1a988cbe7/6998cd3be1ba008edc98e4bd/time-hi-res.webp?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 29, 2021 # Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  In Oliver Burkeman’s _Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals_, the self-professed “productivity nerd” offers a manual for those looking to optimize their time management. However, this isn’t a guide filled with “life hacks” or shortcuts; Burkeman takes a much more philosophical approach, challenging readers to consider what they would really like to do with their time if they live to 80, the average human lifespan, which translates to roughly 4,000 weeks. Filled with levity and gentle wisdom, Burkeman’s book helps shift readers’ focus and values to encourage us to make the most of our time alive. **Buy Now:** _Four Thousand Weeks_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780374159122 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3crQv8h "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120695/four-thousand-weeks/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120695/four-thousand-weeks/"},"headline":"Four Thousand Weeks","datePublished":"2021-11-29T13:15:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:58:27.931Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120695/four-thousand-weeks/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf80a50f1a988cbe7/6998cd3be1ba008edc98e4bd/time-hi-res.webp?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf80a50f1a988cbe7/6998cd3be1ba008edc98e4bd/time-hi-res.webp?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120695/four-thousand-weeks/","name":"Four Thousand Weeks"}}]}] ```