OUT NOW IN THE UK
AND IN US/CANADA ON OCT 8
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What if the time is never coming when you’re ‘on top of things’, or finally feel like you know what you’re doing?
Meditations for Mortals is about stepping into a more meaningful, productive, absorbing and energizing life – not later, but right here in the midst of the overwhelm, the distraction, and the anxiety-inducing news headlines.
Its four weeks of digestible dailyish chapters – reflecting on quotations from philosophy, religion, literature and self-help – outline the practical philosophy of ‘imperfectionism’, offering an action-oriented, profound yet entertaining crash course in thriving as a finite human.
A book about diving into reality and doing more of what counts, here and now.
Preorder MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS to join me for an exclusive hourlong live masterclass on September 22 at 11am ET/4pm UK (plus recording). We’ll discuss practical tools and shifts in perspective for embodying the peaceful yet action-oriented approach of ‘imperfectionism’, and there’ll be the opportunity to ask questions. Sign up here if you’re in the UK and here if you’re in the US, and my publisher will send you access details a week before the event.
• If you're outside the US or UK, please email proof of preorder to custserv@oliverburkeman.com.
• UK readers have until September 12 to preorder; US and Canadian readers have until October 8.
• If you preorder in US/Canada after the September 22 live event has taken place, of course, you'll receive the recording only.
• Preorders in all formats including the audiobook qualify, and can be made with any retailer.
Chapters include:
• It's worse than you think: On the liberation of defeat
• Rules that serve life: On doing things 'dailyish'
• Don't stand in generosity's way: On the futility of 'becoming a better person'
• How to start from sanity: On paying yourself first
• Against productivity debt: On the power of a done list
• Finish things: On the magic of completion
• Look for the life task: On what reality wants
• What if this were easy? On the false allure of effort
• Stop being so kind to Future You: On entering time and space completely
Advance praise for MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS:
“More than a book of ideas, Meditations for Mortals offers a practical path toward personal transformation – one that helps you sidestep the shallow allure of frenetic busyness and find a liberating joy in the limits and imperfections of life. A must-read”
—CAL NEWPORT, author of Slow Productivity and Deep Work
“A delightful, engaging, rigorous and reassuring book. The world would be a better and less frightening place if more people stopped what they are doing and read this book” —CATHY RENTZENBRINK, author of How to Feel Better
“Oliver Burkeman has a way of giving you the most unexpected productivity advice exactly when you need it” —MARK MANSON, author of Everything is F*cked and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
“I follow Oliver Burkeman's personal, literary, and journalistic adventures into wisdom with admiration and exhilaration. Now he brings us a ‘retreat of the mind’ in a very special book. We should all read this, preferably in the company of others – for the sake of our aching world as well as the state of our souls” —KRISTA TIPPETT, host of On Being
“Full of wisdom and comfort… a really important book about embracing truth and reality which will help a lot of people leave their fantasies and dive into real life” —CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN, author of Ultra-Processed People
“A bracing and refreshing antidote for what ails high achievers. With crackling wit and counterintuitive wisdom, Burkeman shows that it’s okay – and often smarter – to do less, let some goals slide, and embrace our imperfections. This book is both a comfort and a challenge – exactly what our trying times demand” —DANIEL PINK, author of When, Drive, and To Sell is Human
“A deeply helpful reflection on how to permit our lives a sigh of relief. Moments stopped me in my tracks. Oliver is a steersman through sanity, and must be read alongside any attempts at self-improvement” —DERREN BROWN, author of Happy and A Book of Secrets
