Oliver Burkeman: Embracing Limits to Live a More Meaningful Life

FranklinCovey On Leadership

FranklinCovey

Business, Management

4.9 • 851 Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bestselling author and longtime Guardian columnist Oliver Burkeman brings decades of research into time, focus, and the psychology of meaning to challenge the belief that control and optimization lead to fulfillment. Drawing on ideas from Four Thousand Weeks and Meditations for Mortals, he explores why accepting our finite time, letting go of unrealistic expectations, and turning toward discomfort can create deeper focus and purpose. Burkeman contrasts the fantasy of “superyacht control” with the reality of navigating life in a “kayak,” where uncertainty is constant but agency remains. He offers practical ways leaders can prioritize what matters, make peace with tradeoffs, and cultivate a more grounded presence amid overwhelm. Listen now to explore how acknowledging limits can become a powerful source of clarity and effectiveness. Level up skills like productivity, effectiveness, and trust to thrive alongside advancing technology. Download our guide Elevating Human Skills in the Age of AI: https://resources.franklincovey.com/c/tlg-elevating-human-skills?x=j4G37p&lb-mode=overlay FranklinCovey’s world-class learning solutions—delivered Live-Online, On Demand, or Live In-Person—are designed to build exceptional leadership skills and enrich your culture at every level of your organization. To learn more, email us at [email protected], visit franklincovey.com, or call us at: 1-888-868-1776

Transcript

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0:00.0	I think that a lot of us approach life and work, metaphorically speaking, as if we want to feel
0:06.4	like we're the captain of a super yacht, by which I mean, you know, you're up there on the bridge,
0:11.7	everything is very calm and controlled, you're programming in your destination, your goals,
0:15.7	into the ship's computer, and then you sit back and you're in this very commanding place where you can see that
0:21.7	you're fulfilling your goals and you're very confident that you're going to get to the destination.
0:25.7	And it's all very sort of low risk, but also a little bit dead somehow.
0:33.6	And I think the reality that we would do well to allow ourselves to acknowledge and to accept a bit more is that we're really in a little kayak.
0:46.1	Hello and welcome to Franklin Covey on Leadership. I'm your host, Will Hodling.
0:50.8	Today's guest is Oliver Berkman. Oliver Berkman is a best-selling author and well-regarded
0:55.7	journalist whose work centers around time, focus, and meaning. His best-selling books,
1:01.4	4,000 weeks and meditations for mortals, help readers embrace life's limitations and prioritize
1:08.3	what truly matters. A longtime guardian columnist, his writing has also
1:13.4	appeared in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. In today's far-reaching conversation,
1:18.3	we'll touch on many of the most important lessons from his books, how we can all live more
1:22.8	meaningful, productive, and connected lives. Oliver Berkman, welcome to Franklin Covey on leadership.
1:28.1	Thanks very much for inviting me.
1:29.5	I'm glad to be here.
1:31.3	Wonderful.
1:32.1	I'm very excited about today's conversation.
1:34.2	So you are a self-proclaimed self-help skeptic,
1:38.0	and yet you write a lot of self-help books, articles, and whatnot.
1:42.6	Maybe just start your own personal background, experience,
	...

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