Meditations for Mortals

Author Oliver Burkeman
Narrator Oliver Burkeman
Publisher Random House
Publish Date 12 September 2024
Run Time 4 hours and 6 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Assertiveness, motivation, self-esteem and positive mental attitude, Mind, body, spirit, Mind, body, spirit: meditation and visualization, Popular philosophy, Self-help, personal development and practical advice.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Stop trying to sort your life out. Start living.

Our lives can feel defined by the struggle with overwhelm, endless decisions and striving to be productive. Wouldn’t it be good to stop doing all that? What if we could find freedom – and get more of the important things done – by embracing our limitations, and by letting things happen instead of forcing them?

Meditations for Mortals begins with the reality in which we actually find ourselves, not with fantasies of an ideal existence. Reflecting on ideas from philosophy, religion, psychology and self-help, it offers us a powerful and practical new way to do what counts: a guiding outlook Oliver Burkeman calls ‘imperfectionism’.

This book is a profound and liberating crash course in living more fully. It overturns much familiar advice and opens a gateway to a saner, freer and more enchantment-filled life.

‘Full of wisdom and comfort' CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN

‘A practical path toward personal transformation… A must-read' CAL NEWPORT

'If there are two people who have changed my life...then one of them is Oliver Burkeman' PANDORA SYKES

'Oliver Burkeman has a way of giving you the most unexpected productivity advice exactly when you need it’ MARK MANSON
© Oliver Burkeman 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Critics Review

Thoughtful, level-headed and useful ... a book to meditate upon

The Times

I'm sceptical about self-help - but a four-week 'mind retreat' changed me ... [Meditations for Mortals] teems with good sense, sensibly dispensed

A bracing read ... I'd bet that his audience will finish it in one sitting ... uplifting

Illuminating ... Burkeman's insight [is] always clear-eyed and jargon-free ... reassuring and constructive

Guardian

Full of wise advice on not getting overburdened by work

The Times

Life-changing

Stylist

Oliver Burkeman has a way of giving you the most unexpected productivity advice exactly when you need it

Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Full of wisdom and comfort. I enjoyed every page and read it in a single sitting. This is a really important book about embracing truth and reality

Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People

A very special book. We should all read this - for the sake of our aching world as well as the state of our souls

Krista Tippett, author of Becoming Wise

A practical path towards personal transformation. A must-read

Cal Newport, author of Slow Productivity

User Reviews

Book 5.0

Narration 5.0

5.0

A wonderful exploration of the liberating implications of fully embracing the imperfections and limitations of human life. I did as the author suggests and listened to one short chapter (all only about 8 minutes long) per day over 28 days, and looked forward each morning to my breakfast session. I can honestly say that certain chapters have been life changing, especially the analogy of the kayak as opposed to the superyacht, which I remind myself of on a daily basis, whenever I slip into believing I can control the future. A great boon for the anxious strivers of the world!

jackdor 13/06/2025

5.0

Tdk 13/10/2024

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