The Premise : At best, we get 4000 weeks to live our lives.
80 years * 50 weeks a year = 4000 weeks
The Reality : Embrace our limits because we will not have time for everything.
There’s much more than the premise contained inside – very strong recommendation for a lesson in better thinking.
Easily actionable items from the book – because we will not be able to do everything, we need to neglect, many things, with intent.
++
Closed & Open “To Do” Lists
Closed To Do List is allowed a maximum of three items at a time.
Within the items, set them up as incremental steps.
I’ll illustrate…
“File my taxes” – never happens
Break it down…
- Download tax software
- Enter my personal data
- Enter my income
One of those items on the “to do” list at a time, with an appointment in your calendar to get it done.
Another example: “Write my book” – never happens
Break it down…
- Tweet Every Day
- Thread engaged tweets by theme
- Viral Themes into Blogs
- Write Outline for Book
- Create Rough Draft from Blogs
Here’s the clincher…
Every other great idea goes into the Open To Do List – for me it is an exercise book.
I’ve been filling them for 30+ years.
This is the stuff that’s probably never going to happen!
It’s OK because…
The purpose of your Open List is to free your mind to focus on your Top Three.
++
Done List
The single greatest confidence building tool I found as a coach.
- I would have my athlete get a small composition book.
- Each time something good happened, or a task was completed, make an entry in the book.
Review nightly, before bed.
++
Stop While You Are Enjoying The Process
Not easy to do.
We often have the urge to press on.
Remember that success is a multi-year process.
Like a houseguest that overstays their welcome… don’t commit so much to a task
- that you avoid starting next time
- that the light goes out of the activity
- that you lose your creative spark
- that you forget why you started in the first place
A little bit of progress… every day… for many days!
++
The best part is not the self-help tips.
The best part is the author’s philosophy of time.
The “4000 Weeks” themselves.
The weeks, our lives, are far less than 4000.
A bit dark!
Facing this truth points towards freedom.
Freedom from the impossible standards we place on ourselves.
- An elite athletic career? 150-300 weeks
- Time with your young wife before kids? 0-200 weeks
- A college degree? 125-150 weeks
Life is a series of relatively short blocks of time.
Misery comes from seeking to hurry through what is already a temporary situation.
Much more, including 10 Tools and 5 Questions
- Might discomfort help?
- Do my standards reflect reality, or are they simply making me miserable?
- Am I trying to become something I’m not?
- Where am I holding myself back?
- What would I do if I didn’t need to see the final outcome?
Two final points:
- Worry has never altered outcome
- Hardly anyone can persist for 150 weeks
Choose Wisely.
Feel The Byrn 
You must be logged in to post a comment.