Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
So one way in which you can be more intentional with your time is to pick something to fail at. Oliver Burkeman writes about this in his book Four Thousand Weeks.
An area that I have picked to fail at is playing guitar. I'm a half-decent guitarist, but I used to beat myself up about not practicing more. I've got a lot going on in my life and playing guitar is just not a priority. And having made the conscious decision that it's okay to fail at playing guitar has been liberating!
A side effect of picking something to fail at is that you may start to enjoy it more. Often, time is only considered well spent if it's something instrumental to a better future. In fact, Oliver Burkeman argues that spending some leisure time wastefully is the only way NOT to waste it. Because we're simply doing it for the pleasure of the experience, without an ulterior motive.
Hobbies are a great example. When I was young, I played a lot with Lego. I had this big box of Lego pieces and I would build entire villages for hours. My goal wasn't to become better at Lego. I just did it for the fun of it.
– WHAT TO WATCH NEXT –
Why You Never Have Enough Time ('Four Thousand Weeks' Review): youtu.be/7P-kIgJ5GUo
So one way in which you can be more intentional with your time is to pick something to fail at. Oliver Burkeman writes about this in his book Four Thousand Weeks.
An area that I have picked to fail at is playing guitar. I'm a half-decent guitarist, but I used to beat myself up about not practicing more. I've got a lot going on in my life and playing guitar is just not a priority. And having made the conscious decision that it's okay to fail at playing guitar has been liberating!
A side effect of picking something to fail at is that you may start to enjoy it more. Often, time is only considered well spent if it's something instrumental to a better future. In fact, Oliver Burkeman argues that spending some leisure time wastefully is the only way NOT to waste it. Because we're simply doing it for the pleasure of the experience, without an ulterior motive.
Hobbies are a great example. When I was young, I played a lot with Lego. I had this big box of Lego pieces and I would build entire villages for hours. My goal wasn't to become better at Lego. I just did it for the fun of it.
– WHAT TO WATCH NEXT –
Why You Never Have Enough Time ('Four Thousand Weeks' Review): youtu.be/7P-kIgJ5GUo
