 The title of this book spoke to me, in light of many conversations this year about the depressing imposition the news represents, and the goal of reclaiming my attention from the whirlpool of online sites. According to Dobelli, the only way is cold turkey - as the title says, stop reading the news – and through the 35 easy-to-read, short chapters, he presents many provocative points and examples on why and how to do just that. The writing style is somewhat uninspired (I think that’s perhaps a feature of the translation rather than the original), but the message is still engaging.
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 I wish I could remember where I heard about this book. I suspect it was an impulse purchase on a bookshop online store, where the lovely cover illustration and tagline appealed to me: You are not a To Do list.
Part philosophy, part self-help, this manifesto advocates introducing conscious and deliberate pauses into one’s day as a way of clearing and calming the mind, and makes a compelling case for the necessity of doing just that. The purpose of pause is to disrupt or change our work or thoughts to shift our thinking and ensure we’re getting and giving our best. It’s not about getting things done; it’s about recognizing that, unlike machines which are designed for constant work and maximum efficiency, humans need to shift gears regularly and take a breath (literally and metaphorically)  Recently, someone asked me how I think about the remaining time in my life. Not because of anything immediate or impending - just as part of conversation of how we use our time, and whether or not we can truly make it more productive.
 Burkeman was, for many years, a columnist at The Guardian, wrote "This column will change your life." I recall reading several of his columns, and then in 2020 he stopped. As he expands on in this book, he had a bit of an epiphany: that all his efforts to be more efficient/productive/happy (and the associated advice he gave about it) was responding to the wrong questions: trying to be more productive is really trying to stave off the inevitable recognition of our finite lives. The title refers to the average human lifespan in modern Western society, approximately 4,000 weeks.
 Is this familiar? You're trying to remember something - it's on the tip of your tongue but you just can't get it. You try hard to think of it, but get even more frustrated, and the answer seems even more elusive. Then, as soon as you think about something else, the answer comes to you.
Or this: you're working on something and it's going really well. Before you know it, an hour or two has passed by and you didn't notice. You don't recall exactly what you did during that time, but you can see what you accomplished, and it feels brilliant. Yep, me too. |
Who is Robyn?
My career as a research project manager is rewarding, dynamic, challenging, and fun. I'm looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experience in communication, organization, and common sense approaches in research management and leadership, and to enabling others to learn and grow in this exciting career. 
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