Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Are you ready for a writing masterclass from one of the best self-help writers in the world?
After graduating from, Cambridge Oliver Burkeman wrote the popular column “This Column Will Change Your Life” in ‘The Guardian’ for over 15 years sharing his real-world, real-time poetic exploration of the self-help universe. In 2021 he published 'Four Thousand Weeks,' a literary examination of how we live today. Mark Manson (our guest in Chapter 28) called it “a reality check on our culture’s crazy assumptions around work, productivity and living a meaningful life” and Adam Grant (our guest in Chapter 72) called it “the most important book ever written about time management."
Oliver Burkeman is my favorite self-help writer so it was a great pleasure that he joined me on 3 Books. Join me to learn how Oliver manages his writing projects, his 3 most formative books, the best question to ask before making big decisions, why mess is necessary, and much, much more.
Let’s flip the page to Chapter 142 now...
To learn more about Oliver and read the full show notes, go here 👉🏾 3books.co/chapters/142
00:00 Humans are the Best Algorithm
11:27 The Power of Audio-Only Conversations
15:18 Navigating Book Launches and Emotional Psychodrama
25:09 'Stasiland' by Anna Funder
30:42 The Signs of Totalitarianism
35:19 What Does Writing Success Look Like Today?
43:41 'The New New Journalism' by Robert S. Boynton
52:31 Reporting vs. Researching
58:36 Oliver's Writing Tools
1:06:47 Managing Multiple Writing Projects
1:17:09 Systems Cannot Do the Work For You
1:21:54 'Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life' by James Hollis
1:26:20 Navigating Adulthood and Midlife Crises
1:28:21 Embracing Misery, Failure, and Death
1:31:03 Choices That Enlarge or Diminish Us
1:35:40 Ego and Uncovering the Unconscious
1:40:46 The Role of Psychedelics in Self-Discovery
1:45:42 The Impact of Parenting on Personal Growth
1:49:13 Oliver's Simple Productivity Hack
1:56:01 Why You Need to Make A Mess
1:57:17 End of the Podcast Club
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
Are you ready for a writing masterclass from one of the best self-help writers in the world?
After graduating from, Cambridge Oliver Burkeman wrote the popular column “This Column Will Change Your Life” in ‘The Guardian’ for over 15 years sharing his real-world, real-time poetic exploration of the self-help universe. In 2021 he published 'Four Thousand Weeks,' a literary examination of how we live today. Mark Manson (our guest in Chapter 28) called it “a reality check on our culture’s crazy assumptions around work, productivity and living a meaningful life” and Adam Grant (our guest in Chapter 72) called it “the most important book ever written about time management."
Oliver Burkeman is my favorite self-help writer so it was a great pleasure that he joined me on 3 Books. Join me to learn how Oliver manages his writing projects, his 3 most formative books, the best question to ask before making big decisions, why mess is necessary, and much, much more.
Let’s flip the page to Chapter 142 now...
To learn more about Oliver and read the full show notes, go here 👉🏾 3books.co/chapters/142
00:00 Humans are the Best Algorithm
11:27 The Power of Audio-Only Conversations
15:18 Navigating Book Launches and Emotional Psychodrama
25:09 'Stasiland' by Anna Funder
30:42 The Signs of Totalitarianism
35:19 What Does Writing Success Look Like Today?
43:41 'The New New Journalism' by Robert S. Boynton
52:31 Reporting vs. Researching
58:36 Oliver's Writing Tools
1:06:47 Managing Multiple Writing Projects
1:17:09 Systems Cannot Do the Work For You
1:21:54 'Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life' by James Hollis
1:26:20 Navigating Adulthood and Midlife Crises
1:28:21 Embracing Misery, Failure, and Death
1:31:03 Choices That Enlarge or Diminish Us
1:35:40 Ego and Uncovering the Unconscious
1:40:46 The Role of Psychedelics in Self-Discovery
1:45:42 The Impact of Parenting on Personal Growth
1:49:13 Oliver's Simple Productivity Hack
1:56:01 Why You Need to Make A Mess
1:57:17 End of the Podcast Club
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
