There’s one passage from The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman that has been a more potent wake-up call for my happiness than blasting trumpets, buckets of icy water, and a double espresso shot combined. It goes like this: The startling conclusion at which they [reputable psychologists and philosophers] had all arrived, in different ways, was this:…
This year, I had two exam periods that couldn’t have been more different. During the first one, I was highly committed. I had to confront five exams in four days — which included studying the most difficult philosophical text I’d ever read, the entire history of Romance languages, and the perfidious grammar of the Portuguese conjuntivo. But…
“Can I be frank?” The lady across from me looked up from the forms in her hand and peeked over the half-moon glasses that throned on her pointy nose. I stared at her like a deer caught in headlights, petrified. After an awkward silence, she allowed herself to proceed. “You seem a little…” Oh no,…
In early 2022, I found myself in a strange situation. I had just moved to Portugal, trying to make a living from full-time writing. Behind me lay months of isolation due to the pandemic and years of frustration due to a career I didn’t enjoy. Portugal was my ticket to salvation, connection, and happiness. It…
In the lonely wintertime, I often sit at my desk to observe the houses across from me. Not to spy, be nosy, or play Big Brother. I simply want to see signs of light, signs of life. When dusk sets in, the spectacle begins. Lights are switched on, and TVs start flickering. I start feeling…
I had been dreading this moment, although I was unsure why. In fact, I’d forgotten what I would find inside the boxes. I just knew they had been there all this time, taking up physical and mental space — like uninvited guests at a party. I stood there for a while, feeling the cold basement floor beneath…
It’s the most merciless environment you could possibly imagine. Extreme radiation. Temperature differences of 275°F. Meteorite hazard. Zero oxygen. An infinitely dark vacuum. But the toughest part about space — as veteran astronaut Scott Kelly once said — is “being away from your loved ones, your friends, your family.” Space is a breeding ground for loneliness. And considering that…
Until recently, reading anything felt straight-up strainful. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to read. I kept buying more books, my TBR had grown like bamboo on fertilizer, and, as a writer and philosophy student, reading is part of my job. And yet, reading patiently — let alone finishing books — had become as tough as opening a pickle…
In the past year, I published 72 articles, sent out 21 newsletters, and generated roughly 1,000 ideas. I also built a website and started toying around with several book ideas. This is a problem. Not in the sense that I should’ve churned out more content, but rather that it’s too much information. See, all wisdom…
One of the things I love most about this book is the author’s personal history. You see, long before publishing Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman wrote a weekly column on productivity. He’s a productivity geek. A guru. He knows every trick in the book — and added a few chapters. Did it make him happier, though? Complete,…