Podcasts about mortals

Welcome to The Mortals—where true stories of near-death experiences, miraculous rescues, and the unexplained come to life. Hosted by Nathan Morris, this podcast explores the mysteries that blur the line between life and what lies beyond. Start here to discover what makes The Mortals unlike any other show, and why you won't want to miss a single story. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Worrying can take up so much of our time, especially when most of what we worry about never actually happens. This worrying uses up time that could be better spent on the things that truly count, but how can we reduce this and actually free up that time? Oliver Burkeman is a New York Times bestselling author of books such as ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals’ and ‘Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts’. Oliver is also a regular columnist for The Guardian. Oliver shares:

This week, we're revisiting a topic & conversion that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I had the opportunity to speak to the public at our local library about Executive Function skills for four different age groups, ranging from early elementary students to adults. In all four groups, we talked a lot about the importance of self-regulation and coping skills to get through challenging times. As we learned from Megan McClelland in the last episode, our ability to persist through challenges is hugely important, even as early as age four. This episode brings our attention specifically to our upper high school students, college students, and young adults. The challenges that teens and young adults face during those years bring all kinds of emotional and logistical hurdles, and having a set of reliable coping tools can make a huge difference in how successful and grounded young people feel during that time.To explore this further, I spoke with Dr. Jackie Wolfman, a therapist based in the Boston area. She teaches her clients coping strategies through DBT—or dialectical behavior therapy. If you're familiar with CBT, or cognitive behavior therapy, DBT is a related approach that also focuses on how our thoughts and behaviors interact. CBT helps people notice and challenge unhelpful thought patterns, while DBT adds tools specifically for managing intense emotions and building practical coping skills. The tools and strategies Jackie shares from DBT are for everyone, regardless of age or mental health needs, so I know that this episode will truly be useful to anyone. I even use these strategies myself!Thank you for listening! Here are the show notes from today's episode: Learn More About Dr. Jackie Wolfman and DBThttps://villagepsych.com/DBT® Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition, by Marsha Linehanhttps://www.guilford.com/books/DBT-Skills-Training-Handouts-and-Worksheets/Marsha-Linehan/9781572307810Dialectical Behavior Therapyhttps://dialecticalbehaviortherapy.com/What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents - A helpful YouTube videohttps://youtu.be/Stz--d17ID4Other Resources MentionedAnd Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sense of Middle School by Judith Warnerhttps://www.amazon.com/Then-They-Stopped-Talking-Me/dp/1101905883Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkemanhttps://www.oliverburkeman.com/meditationsformortalsLearn More About Our MAP Programhttps://map.worksmartcoaching.comLearn More About 1:1 Coachinghttps://www.beyondbooksmart.com/how-it-worksGet in Touchpodcast@beyondbooksmart.comInstagram/Facebook/Tiktok: @beyondbooksmartcoachingwww.beyondbooksmart.com

What if the key to a remarkable life isn't doing more—but doing less, better? In this episode, Peter McGraw welcomes author Oliver Burkeman to explore themes from his latest book Meditations for Mortals. They dive into the beauty of limits, the folly of perfectionism, and why embracing imperfection might be the most productive thing you can do. Tune in for kayak metaphors, scruffy hospitality, and practical wisdom for the Solo life.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.petermcgraw.org/solo

Hi all, Jess here. This episode was Sarina's idea, and when you listen you will understand why. It can be hard to focus on the work, whether it's editing, world building, conjuring meet cutes, or translating research-based hope for the next generation. That said, it's important that we keep creating and putting our words out into the world. We hope you are able to keep working while navigating the a balance between consuming, processing, and reacting to the news cycle and shutting the world out in self preservation. Stuff we talked aboutWrite Through It: An Insider's Guide to Writing and the Creative Life by Kate McKeanKate Mckean's websiteWe Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter (release date August 12, 2025)The OpEd ProjectAuthors Against Book BansPossession by A.S. Byatt and the film I adore based on the bookA Complete Unknown filmHamilton, Non-Stop (“why does he write like he's running out of time?”)On Writing by Stephen KingAll In by Billie Jean KingPermission by Elissa AltmanMeditation for Mortals by Oliver BurkemanHEY. Did you know Sarina's latest thriller is out NOW? Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she's a mess. She knows that stalking her ex's avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she's out of ice cream and she's sick of romcoms. Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car. Instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect.Digital books at: Amazon | Nook | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Audible Physical books at: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | More paperback links here!New! Transcript below!EPISODE 448 - TRANSCRIPTKJ Dell'AntoniaListeners who I know are also readers. Have I got a summer book for you, if you haven't yet ordered Dying to Meet You. Sarina Bowen's latest thriller with just enough romance you have to so let me lay this out for you. Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high profile commission restoring a historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine, but inside, she's a mess. She knows stalking her exes avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup, but she's out of ice cream and she's sick of rom coms. Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car. But instead of catching her ex and a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder and the primary suspect. But Rowan isn't the only one keeping secrets as she digs for the truth, she discovers that the dead man was stalking her too, gathering intimate details about her job and her past, struggling to clear her name, Rowan finds herself spiraling into the shadowy plot that killed him. Will she be the next to die? You're going to love this. I've had a sneak preview, and I think we all know that The Five Year Lie was among the very best reads and listens of last summer, Dying to Meet You, is available in every format and anywhere that you buy books and you could grab your copy, and you absolutely should…right now.All TalkingIs it recording? Now it's recording, yay, go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. Try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm gonna wrestle some papers. Okay, now, 123,KJ Dell'AntoniaHey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, and this is hashtag AmWriting podcast the weekly podcast about writing all the things, short things, long things, pitches, proposals, fiction, non fiction, memoir. This is the podcast about finding a way to get your work done, and that is sure what we're gonna talk about this week.Jess LaheyI'm Jess Lahey. I am the author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation and you can find my journalism over at The New York Times, Washington Post and The Atlantic.Sarina BowenI'm Sarina Bowen. I am the author of many contemporary novels, including Dying to Meet You, which is brand new right now. KJ Dell'AntoniaYay!Sarina BowenYay. Thank you.Jennie NashI'm Jennie Nash, I am the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry, and also the author of the Blueprint books, which help people get their books out of their head and onto the page.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd also in your past life, the author of a lot of other books.Jennie NashI know indeed. KJ Dell'AntoniaI think it's worthy. I do. I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, I am KJ Dell'Antonia. I am the author of three novels and two non fiction books, and the former editor and lead writer of the mother lode blog at the New York Times. We have all had a number of careers. And the reason I brought that up, Jenny is that I was just interviewing Kate McKean, who has a new book about the mechanics. Like, it's a great book. It's called Write Through It, and it's sort of like everything we've ever talked about the podcast on the podcast, all the how to stuff all rolled up into one book, which is really cool. But I was telling her that I kind of have a unspoken motto of only taking writing advice from people who have not published a book, very judiciously. Now my freelance editor is not someone who has, or, I think I don't know if she even wants to publish a book, and she's amazing. So with with some thought, but my point being that you have also published many, many, many books. So if anyone out there hesitates around that don't, don't. Yeah, all right, that was a really lot of introductions. We got something to talk about today, and I'm going to demand that Sarina announce our topic, because she came up with it. Okay.Sarina BowenWell, my topic is how to be present and devote yourself to your writing in a world that is so loud and confusing and it feels like whatever you're working on can't possibly matter as much as what's going on in the world, and all my writer friends are struggling with this right now. Jess LaheyIt's, it's hard, especially when the work that I do, the work around like writing about kids and parenting and stuff, requires a fair amount of optimism and requires a fair amount of like, it's gonna be great, and here's what you have to do in order to make it be great. And it's really, it's been very hard for me lately to to be in that head space.Sarina BowenWell, Jess, I would argue that, like, at least you're literally helping people. And some of us are fighting meet cutes and first kisses. Jess LaheyOkay, you are no but you are so helping people, because over and over and over again, what I hear from your readers and from readers of happy kiss, he a and kissing books that they are the the self care and the reprieve that they really need.Sarina BowenOkay, you you just are. You just gave, like, the point, the point at the top of the notes that I made for this discussion, because people keep saying that to me, and they're not wrong. But for some reason, it hasn't been enough lately, and I, um, I was struggling to figure out why. And then over the last 48 hours, in a feverish rush, I read this Karin Slaughter book that's called We Are All Guilty Here that doesn't come out until August, but please pre order it now and do yourself a favor, because it's so good. Jess LaheyI love her books. Sarina BowenYeah, so I had the opportunity to have that same experience from the reader side of the coin, which is that I totally lost myself in this fictional world. It It mattered to me as a person to work through those problems, um, in the way that a novel has a beginning and a middle and an end and and I think that part of my big problem right now is that I can't see an end to any of the stuff that's you know happening. So it was helpful to me to have the same experience that my readers described to me, to be like totally sucked into something, and to feel like it mattered to me in the moment.Jess LaheyWell…And to add on to that, I had a fantastic sorry KJ and Jenny, we're just we're off on our little happy tangent here. But I had a wonderful conversation with a fan recently in on one at one of my speaking engagements, and she was apologizing to me for feeling like she had a really close relationship with me, even though we hadn't met. And she said, and the reason for that is that you're in my head because I'm listening to your audiobook. And I said, You do not need to apologize to that for that to me, because I have the same experience. And she said, the thing that was nice, you know, because I'm such a big audiobook fan, I feel this weird, parasocial, fictional connection to this person, because it's not just their words, it's also their voice. But the thing that she said was really sweet was she listened in her car, and her car became a place of refuge and a place where she knew she was going to hear a voice that would make her feel like it was going to be okay. And so even though I hear that and I know that, and I've experienced it from the other side with the audiobooks that I listen to, it's still, it is still very hard to look down at the empty page and say, How do I help people feel like everything's going to be okay? And it's, it's a difficult moment for that.KJ Dell'AntoniaI have been thinking about this too, because I think we all are, and let me just say that this is not just a, you know, we're not, we're not making a grand political statement here, although we, we certainly could. This is, uh, it is a moment of some global turmoil. Whether you think this global turmoil is exactly what the universe needed or not it is still... um, there's a lot.Jess LaheyIt's just a lot, and it's all the time, and it's like, oh, did you hear this? Did you hear this? And I feel like I'm supposed to be paying attention, and then if I pay attention too much, I feel like my head is it so, yeah, it's just a lot. KJ Dell'AntoniaSo what I want to say is, I think we have to get used to it, and I think it can be done. And I take some encouragement from all the writers who wrote their way through World Wars, who wrote their way through, you know, enormous personal trauma, who have written their way through, you know, enormous political turmoil, in their own countries, both as you know people who are actually writing about what was going on, but also as people who were not, I happen to be a real stan of the World War II books about, not like the drama of the war, but then the home that keep the home fires as they as they would say, stuff like The Diary of a Provincial Lady in Wartime and Angela Thirkell. And it's just, this is what was going on. There's some stuff... I can't think of all of it, but anyway. I love that reminder that life went on, and I think we have had a pretty calm few decades, and that that's been very lucky, but it's actually not the norm. So we gotta get used to this kids.Jess LaheyYeah, I actually, I just flew home from a trip, and Tim was watching on the plane. Tim was watching a film with Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. You may know Wilfred Owen as the person who wrote, you know, Dulce et Decorum Est, the whole thing, these are the world war two poets and a world war one poet, sorry, and yeah, they had a lot going on and they were writing poetry. Yeah.Jennie Nash Well, I knew from the moment that Sarina posed this question that I was going to be the voice of opposition here today, because I am seeing this and feeling this great surge of creative energy and people wanting to write, wanting to create, wanting to raise their voice, whether it is in opposition or as an act of rebellion or as an active escape, or just as a thing that they've always wanted to do so they're finally going to do it. It feels similar-ish to me as the pandemic did, in that way. And you know what I was thinking about Sarina, is that you are in the both enviable and also not enviable position of having done this a really long time and and you you know how it goes, and you not that it's wrote by any means, writing a book is never wrote. But the the creative process is not new to you, I guess, and I have encounters with a lot of writers through the book coaches I train who are just stepping up into this and just raising their voice and just embracing that. This is a thing that they could do. And this is a, you know, like I just, I've seen people, you know, a lot of dystopian fiction, obviously wanting to be written, climate justice, social justice, you know, books from people who previously marginalized, even like satire about the crazy stuff going on in education, you know, in all genres, all realms, I just feel the people doubling down. And so I wonder if it's, if it's, you know, the writer friends that you talk to are largely in that same boat as you very accomplished and in it. And I don't know it's my conjecture, because I just, I'm really feeling the opposite.Jess LaheyActually, can I? Can I? Can I verify that through something else? So KJ and I have both mentored with The OpEd Project. It's about raising all voices to publish op eds in newspapers, not just, you know, the people that we're used to hearing from. And they put out an email for their mentors, because they said, This moment is generating so much interest in writing op eds, so that's a good thing too.Jennie NashOh, that's interesting. Yeah, yeah, I don't know i i also have to say that I personally have made a choice that is inspired by Oliver Burkeman, which is I'm not paying attention, and I know it's a luxury to not pay attention to the news, and I know that that it's a privilege and maybe not always a good thing, but I just made a personal decision that can't right now, or you don't want to, for what it's worth, so I feel a little ashamed about that, to be honest... I feel a lot of times that I'm not doing enough when I catch a glimpse of what's happening or what's going on, or my husband is a voracious consumer of the news, so I it's not like I'm not getting news. I just get it filtered through him and through my children, for sure, and and I would also like to just give a shout out to this podcast, because sometimes through this podcast, I listen to Jess and Sarina, On a podcast you recorded a couple weeks ago about pirate the pirate site episode, and learned so much, and it was so great, you know, so I don't know. I have to say that too, that maybe my stance is coming from a place of not being fully... pulling a little over my own eyes, I guess.KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, I think it's great that you are finding something that you're seeing like a surge of of positive energy. I mean, part of me, as I'm listening to you guys, wants to go well, but you know, nothing I'm I'm doing is a voice of protester opposition, but that's okay. We don't have to be voices of protester opposition. And we have to remember that most of the people in our country do not oppose this. So it's a little bit of a weird I mean, it's it's a weird moment that one's that one's tough, but it's also true. It's not, it's just change. It's just, it's just turmoil. But I love your point that there's, um, there's excitement and energy in turmoil. Maybe this is also a question of sort of where you are in your life, like, where, whether, the turmoil is exciting or stressful, or, I don't even know where I was going with that... okay.Jennie NashWell, but I, I think there's, I've been thinking just a lot about AI and where it's going and what's going to happen. And some days I worry, and some days I fret, and some days, you know, I don't, I don't think about it or whatever, but, but I, the thing I keep coming back to is you can't keep a creator down. You know, the creators want to create. And it's the the process of that, the the creative process, whether somebody doesn't matter what they're writing and and Sarina, that speaks to where, where you are. You know, they could be writing a meet cute, or a first kiss, or what have you, but the fact that they want to be a creator in a world that's on fire is, to me, the hope... the sign, the sign of hope. You know, I actually I'm about to take a trip to Amsterdam, where I've never been, and of course, we're going to go to the Anne Frank House, and I may reengage myself with that story, and thought about it and looked at it, and it's like just the the urge to create, the urge to put it down, the urge to do the thing. And maybe that was an act of protest as well. But, you know, not, not a meet cute, but I just, I just, I believe in the power of the creator and and of that. And Sarina, you're so good at it, at that, at that process, and putting yourself in that process, and being in that process, and it makes me sad that you're questioning it in a way. Sarina BowenWell, you know, I don't know. I actually kind of disagree that, that we can look away right now, because there's a lot at stake for for the for the world that writers operate inside and AI is really important, because there's a lot of super important litigation going down right now about what what is legal in terms of using our work to create AI and to not pay us for it. But also, there are other writers who are being silenced and having their student visas, you know, rejected and and it's only work of other people that is pushing back on this. So it's in some ways, I I can't really say, Oh, it's okay for me to look away right now and go back to this scene, because there are moments that matter more than others, but but in order to not give up my entire job at this moment, because it's so distractingly difficult, what I find I've had to do is figure out which sources really matter and which parts of my day are productively informational, and which parts are just anxiety producing. So by by luck, I went on this long vacation, long for me is like nine days, but we'd been planning it forever because one of my kids is overseas, and we were going there at his exact moment of having a break. So I had a vacation in a way that I haven't in a really long time. And I found that being off cycle from the news really affected my the way that I took it in. And it improved my mental health, even though I was ultimately about as well informed as if I hadn't left but I didn't have any time in the day to, like, scroll through the hysteria on threads. I could only take in the news from a few, like, you know, real sources and and that was really informational to me, like I didn't.. I had not processed the fact that how I take in the necessary information affected whether or not it merely informed me or also made me feel like everything was lost. So that that was pretty important, but also just the fact that that I've also been trying to be out in the world more and be where people are, instead of, instead of looking at my computer screen. And it's not like a work smarter, not harder thing, but like, choose your moments. You know, I believe that we still need to be engaged at this moment and to ask ourselves, what is possible for us to do. But that doesn't mean we have to scroll through all the stress online all day long in order to get there. And to me, that's that's what's made the difference.Jess LaheyWe've had a rule in our house for a little while now that I'm not allowed to bring up any newsy things or talk about any newsy things after a certain point in the evening, because it messes with Tim's sleep. He would wake up, you know, churning about and thinking about whatever it was that I talked about from the news most recently. So any of those outrage moments are just not allowed in our house in the evening. And I think that's a really healthy barrier to put up and realize that there are points in my day when I can handle it and points in my day when I can't.KJ Dell'AntoniaIt's also possible that the thing that I could most usefully do to change things that I think should be changed is to give money to other people who are working to change them. Because, you know, we can't all... shouting on social media?, not, not useful, right? I'm not gonna run for office, personally. I do have a family member who does that sort of thing, and I love that, but I'm probably not going to, I guess, check in with me in 10 years. I'm, you know, there's only so much I when I think about, okay, what could I possibly do? Most of it is I can give money to people who are doing things that I want done, and the only way I have money to give to people who want things, who are doing things that I want to get done, is to do my job, which is, is to to write books. So there's that. Jess LaheyI would like to highlight, however, that Tim and I have both been periodically calling our representatives and having some really, you know, it's obviously not the representative themselves or our senator that we're talking to. We're talking to, you know, someone in their office, some college kid in their office, but the conversations have been fascinating. I've learned a lot just through those conversations. And they don't just sort of take your message and then hang up. They're willing to have a conversation. And it's been, it's been really fascinating. So calling your representatives is a really worthy thing to do.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, many decades ago, I was that person, and therefore I'm a little cynical about it.Jess LaheyWell, I do want to give a shout out right now, I've been watching one of my former students who ran for Mitt Romney's Senate seat in Utah as a Democrat, which is an impossible task, but she did really, really well, and she just got to open for Bernie and AOC at the at a thing in in in Utah. And so watching her, or watching people who are, you know, really getting engaged, and by a lot of them are younger people. That's and, you know, my thing is younger people. And so it circles back around to the more supporting I'm doing of people who are younger and people who are energized and excited about getting in there and writing the op eds and speaking and running for office, that has been another place of reprieve for me.Jennie NashSo I would love to to ask Sarina about... No no, because something she said, you know, when she said, I I disagree, it just it got me thinking, because I wanted to defend myself, and I don't know, and say, Well, no, I'm not I'm not that terrible. I'm not whatever. But I been listening to you talk, I was realizing that I I really have prioritized my own mental well being over anything else, and in terms of checking out of the things, and I've heard you talk about this before, on on a podcast, but my default response, like on the piece you talked about, about writers and being under attack and what's going on, that's just one tiny thing that's going on in the world of chaos. But that tiny thing I do tell myself I can't do anything. I'm just one person, you know, what? What can I really do? And therefore, then I don't do anything. So I do the bare minimum. I do the bare minimum, you know, like I give money to Authors Guild, right? You know, but it, I'm just going to put myself out there as the, the avatar of the person who says that and doesn't do anything and and then, to be perfectly honest, feels is a little smug when you're like, I'm dying and I'm wrecked and I'm whatever, because you're informed and you're actually doing things, and I'm like... oh, you should be like me and and not do, and then I feel bad about myself. So I just want to put that back as a conversation piece, because I know you have thoughts about that, that one person can't do anything. Sarina BowenYeah, so I often feel like there's a lot of problems I would like to solve and and if I tried to take on all of them, then I would be paralyzed, like there would be nothing I can do. And also, there are moments when we have to really pull back and and put our oxygen mask on before assisting others like that is a totally legitimate thing to do. And when I had this experience of going on vacation, and then it was such a big reset for me, I thought, Oh, you dummy, like, you know, that's like a thing I need to keep relearning is that, oh wait no, sometimes we really do have to drop out for for a little bit of time, because we will be more energized afterwards, but, but I bet that that one thing that you're supposed to do will announce itself to you fairly soon. You know what I mean? Like it just because you're having this moment of pulling back and needing to do that doesn't mean that that's a permanent position for you. Like, I don't, I don't believe that, like, because, because I know you care. So...Jennie NashYeah, yeah. But it's, it's just interesting the different, the different reactions and responses. And I often find myself saying something to my husband, which I'm not proud to share. But the thing that I say is, where is our leader?, who's stepping up?, whatever the topic is, or the area or the realm is like, who's who's going to save us? I I'm looking for somebody else to be the solution. Sarina BowenWell, but, but that that's important though, because part of that is just recognizing that, that without a power structure, who knows what to do? Like, I've been lucky in that, like, I've spent a lot of time on conference calls with The Authors Guild, and I've found that I respect those people so much that you know, when the CEO of The Authors Guild, Mary Rasenberger, has an idea, you know that it's always worth hearing out and not everything you know gets done or becomes a priority of of the but, but I know who to listen to, and that wasn't always true, you know. So I've also subscribed to the emails from Authors Against Book Bans. That's another organization that has a lot of energy right now, and they're doing a fantastic job of paying attention. So, you know, it's, it's okay to pick one little realm and, and that's lately been my solution. Because, yeah, we're not we, we need leaders and, and the reason we're all we're so frustrated is because the lack of true leadership, the lack of leaders who can say, I made a mistake. I don't know everything. I don't have all the answers. Like, that's, you know, that's the kind of people we need in the world, and they're pretty thin on the ground right now. So, yeah, I totally hear what you're saying.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo, I mean, why do we have to say that's useful? I mean, how are we... We're all still working. I mean, yeah, you know, you can listen to Jenny and I trying to write our book every week. And I happen to know that, you know, Sarina is chowing is, you know, nibbling away at new drafts, as is Jess. So we're doing it. We're just distracted.Sarina BowenWell, I always say that everything about writing, you have to learn more than once, like you learned it on a project, and you figure something out and you're like, Oh, right. And I think this is another one of those moments when how to reset yourself, how to. To you know how to find that moment of peace is, this is maybe the the lesson of the week, like, even if you don't, even if you don't write the best chapter of your life between now and the middle of of May, you know you can turn your attention to paying attention to your inner voice and how, how am I feeling right now? And how could I feel better? Like, do I need to go meet a friend in a coffee shop to work? Because that has been a real boon to me lately. Just being changed my scenery change the hours when I look at my inbox, that's another thing that I've done. Right now, I asked my assistant to please watch this one inbox, because I can't watch it myself right now. It's too much of people pulling on my arm. So just, you know, to turn some of the small levers that we have in our lives with regard to how writing fits into your life and see what's working. Like, it's okay to, like, break your strategy a little bit to see, you know, if you can shake up the problem.KJ Dell'AntoniaI've been trying really hard to answer the voice in my head that says... I just can't do this right now with, well, okay, maybe, maybe you could, like, what if we just sat here for another 10 minutes? Like, what if you just, okay... I hear you like, to sort of like, be the other side for myself, like... hey I hear you, that sounds really rough, but what if we just did this anyway? Just, just tried. And you know, it's, it moves, it moves.Jess LaheyAlong those same lines. What's been saving me is, as you all know, anyone who's listening to this for a while knows I love, love, love the research process, and I have a very big stack of books to get through, that is research, formative, sort of base level research, foundational research for this thing I want to write and and hearing other people's ideas, and hearing how other people put ideas together, and that just fuels me. And then on the fiction side, I've been and I hadn't even realized I've been doing this until we started talking about this topic. I have been watching a lot of movies I love about the act of creation. I re watched one of my favorites, “Possession” with Jennifer Ehle, and it's just one of my favorite films about… it's based on the the A.S. Byatt novel, Possession, and it's about poets. And then I was watching a movie about a novelist, and I was just re-listening to the new Bob Dylan movie a complete unknown, and hearing about other people's creative process fuels things in me. And I even just listening to the Bob Dylan movie while I was watering the garden, I was like, Oh, I could go, I can't write music, but, but I can still write these other things. Wait, hold on, I'm a writer. And then you start realizing, oh, that creative process is accessible to me too. And you know, whether it's the creative process that changes the world, or the creative process that gives you an outlet. Selfishly, either way, I think it's, it's important, and so I love digging back into and I've talked about, you know, re listening to Amwriting sometimes when, when I need that boost.KJ Dell'AntoniaIsn't it funny that if Stephen King says, well, I spent, you know, 2016 not doing something, but, but like writing this new book. We're all like, yay, you do that, we love you for that, and that for all of us, we're just like, oh no, you should be... I mean, we gotta, we should do what we do.Jess LaheyYeah, I guess I always think about, there was a moment when I first I saw him, I was so lucky to get to see Hamilton on Broadway, and I remember just that line about writing like you're why does he write like he's running out of time, that idea that like the stuff just is coming pouring out of you, and you've got to put it somewhere before it's over. You know, I love that feeling of desperation, and I get that from listening to other people's creations and other people's research and other people's creative acts. It's, it's good.Jennie NashThat's very cool. That is very cool. I I don't know, I guess I'm really good at, or lately have been really good at, at turning off, turning off the inputs, just because I have to too many input puts that will just do me in. And so for me, it's catching myself, catching myself floating over to social media, or catching myself clicking into something that I don't really want to read like you're saying, Sarina, at this this time of day, you know, I sit down to lunch and I don't, I don't want to read that thing. So setting setting aside time to engage with that is like the, the only way that I'm able to do it. And I'll try to choose to read something longer, a longer form thing, or or listen to a podcast. Rather than sound bites or snippets of things. So I'm trying to be self aware about not getting pulled down into the sound bite things. That's, That's what I mean by disengaging is, you know, not going on threads at all. I'm not going on... I sort of can't even look at Facebook or even Instagram. It's just all too, too much, and especially, especially Instagram, where, you know, you'll have all these calls to action, and then... bathing suits. I mean, maybe that's just me, right?KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, you're right. You're right. It's very...Jennie NashJarring. you know...KJ Dell'AntoniaYou can't control which bits of it like, at least, if you're looking at The Times, you're you know... or The Wall Street Journal, you're getting a section. Instagram is like, this terrible thing just happened here by this Jenny K quitter...Jennie NashIt's very jarring. So I don't wish to be there, and I do have to give a shout out to Substack. How great is it to be able to read things without all the noise and distraction from the people that you choose, who are smart and saying smart things. That's that's the thing that I choose, that I really like and kind of toward what you said Jess, happened to be reading the memoir from Billie Jean King called All In. Jess LaheyIt's so good!Jennie NashAnd and it's, I mean, talk about just a person who lived her values and made massive change, and understood how change is made, and is paying it forward in her life, and it is so inspiring. And it's, it's not quite, it's not quite the creative act, but it, I guess it's creation of change, but I find it hopeful and inspiring, and I think that's where I come up with the the question of, who's gonna who's gonna save us? Like, Where's, where's our person to lead? Like, like she was at the time when women's... not just athletics, but equality. She did so much for women's equality, and still is, you know, so it makes me hopeful that such people will be rising up and and I will be able to identify and support them. Jess LaheyI just finished listening to and reading on the page. I did it both ways. Permission by Elissa Altman about having the courage, it's a memoir, and the courage to create. And she it, she also articulated for me, just how wonderful it is to... I don't know, even if it's not out for mass publication, sometimes writing things down that are the stuff you've gone through and the way you're feeling that's just worth it in and of itself. But anyway, that was a lovely book I highly recommend, Permission by Elissa Altman.KJ Dell'Antonia But also I just want to say, and this is sort of suddenly hopped into my head. So I'm working on a book, surprise! Um, I'm trying to do something bigger and different that says a lot of things, and I have thoughts about it and and, um, I actually think I need to shut down input... for... I'm not gonna, I can't do this if, if there's a lot of stuff pouring into me, all the time, and I, I think that's, I think that's fair. I think sometimes, I mean, I was thinking about the person who wrote Permission, and I was thinking, You know what I'll bet she didn't read a lot of while she was writing that? People shouting at her that, that, you know, the better thing for her to do would be to churn butter in a nap dress. I think it probably It took some time to do that. And these poets that we're talking about, they're not writing a poem. Oh, you know, line by line. In between reading thread's posts, they're they're putting their time and energy into their work, and this is kind of what we've been saying all along, like, like, moderate it, choose your things, pick pick your moments. And maybe, you know, some time of quiet to hear what you think about what's going on, as opposed to what everyone else thinks about what's going on, and to let that, to give yourself permission for that to be whatever it is. Maybe it's not what we think, you know? Maybe, maybe its something different. That's okay. So I, I want to shout for, for that, for, okay, do, turn it off, work on a thing.Sarina BowenYeah, I feel like if, um, Jenny's point about taking your news from social media is totally different than taking your news from the front page of your favorite newspaper. And I guess to KJ's point that if we turn off the voices that are serving us the least well at this moment, what we might find is that there are more hours in the day to both get our work done and then have a minute to say, what else could I... what else could I do? Is that donating my time somewhere or just getting my own house in order? You know, I find I have more time to do things that matter when I am spending less time in the loud places that aren't serving me personally.Jess LaheyAgreed. Jennie NashSo well said.Jess LaheyI think we should end it there, mainly because we're we've run long, but, I'm really grateful for the four of you, I was going to my last point was going to be that my saving grace has been realizing recently that that it's the people in my life that I want to invest in. I had a realization someone told me some news of via someone else, and I didn't realize how disconnected I had become from the people that are real in my life, and how much more attention I was paying to people I don't know anything, people who I don't know that I have a parasocial relationship with. And so I'm my I have sort of a mid year goal, which is to make sure that the people who are actually in life real important to me, are most important to me. And so I've pulled back from those parasocial relationships and gone toward the real relationships, and I'm grateful so much for the three of you. I feel like you all rescue me in moments of doubt. So thank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaYay! People are a good use of time, as our friend, Laura Vanderkam says. So Jess shouted out the book Permission. I think if anybody else has a useful book for this moment, I want to offer up, as we have before, Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. It is a series of four weeks, worth of basically three page long thoughts on how to deal with our own inevitably limited lives and personal resources. And I love it. Does anybody else have anything that would maybe serve people in this moment?Jess LaheySarina. Sarina, nothing to serve Jenny. Jenny has the Billie Jean King. I mean, the Billie Jean King...that stuff is fantastic. Yeah, she's amazing.Jennie NashShe's amazing.Jess LaheyAll right. Well, thank you so so much everyone for listening to the podcast. We're great. So grateful for you, because you're why we get to keep doing this. And this is fun, and we love lowering our… sorry flattening the curve for a learning curve for other writers. So until next week, everyone, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game. The hashtag AmWriting podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music, aptly titled “Unemployed Monday,” was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your to‑do list? This episode is truly the best productivity advice you'll ever receive because it's built on a foundation of self-compassion. It's  Oliver Burkeman exposes why mainstream time management hacks fail and how accepting your human finitude liberates you to be meaningfully productive.You will learn how to...redefine productivity beyond endless to‑do listsditch hustle culture, but still do what matters mostapproach time management with self-acceptance and self-compassionunlock mental shifts that free you from perfectionism, anxiety, and overwhelmcare about the world's problems without succumbing to paralyzing despairRemember: One day, you will die with an unfinished to-do list. No amount of productivity hacks will avoid that. Let this truth liberate you to focus on what truly matters and approach your workload with self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-love.OLIVER BURKEMAN is the acclaimed author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. His earlier works include The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking and HELP! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done. For years, he penned the Guardian column “This Column Will Change Your Life,” and his writing has been featured in the Observer, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Psychologies magazine, and New Philosopher. A former Brooklyn resident, Oliver now lives with his wife and son in England's North York Moors.Sign up for Oliver's newsletter, The Imperfectionist Please get yourself copies of Four Thousand Weeks and Meditations for Mortals!!And if you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and share it on social media! Make sure to tag @maryspodcastMentioned In This Episode...Productivity for Self-Lovers, Ep. 125 on Mary's Cup of Tea PodcastElizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray, LoveElizabeth Gilbert's book, CommittedResonance: A Sociology of Our Relationship to the World by Hartmut RosaNew York Times article on NoveltySlow Productivity by Cal NewportAre We Still Empathic if We Don't Take Action?

Main Topic:  Anti-Hustle Culture with guests Rachel May and Emily Golden, book coaches and editors at Golden May Editing, and podcast hosts of the Story Magic podcast.   Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code VALERIE20 at checkout You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.  Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie): revamped website  Emily: ARC just came in "Crimson Tide: Up in Molten Lights", 20K in to new book;  Rachel: revising third book is slower than planned. (Erick): Preorder up for Shadow Signals , front and back matter done What are you reading? Valerie: How To Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly from the Accidental Icon  (Lyn Slater) (Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ;  The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong  Erick:    Mr. Mercedes (Stephen King), The Autopsy: Best Weird Stories of Michael Shea, (Daniel Clowes) Patience Rachel: Cassie Mint's new book, Wild Peak; the stack is waiting Emily: Assistant to the Villain (Hannah Nicole Maehrer) Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits): Tidbit #1: • Tidbit #2:    Segment 3 (Main Topic):  Years ago, in the days before COVID, they met on Twitter through the #WritingCommunity hashtag. As fantasy writers, they immediately hit it off through beta reading each other's work, which evolved into critique partnering, and then a mutual fascination with writing craft. They became obsessed with learning a) how stories worked, and b) how writers' mindsets could help or harm their progress. Together they dove head first into book coaching and editing training, which ultimately resulted in Golden May. Please welcome Rachel and Emily. Value is based in what you produce = hustle culture Pitfalls of hunger to create and make an impact on world. Make money, make a lot, make it fast Sustainable success comes from the opposite place Mindset is more important, untangle perfectionism and hustle culture Generational/societal = capitalism ranked over all; "You are only valuable and worthy if you make money." You can't rest because ...  If you do more, you make more money. We aren't machines. Burnout. Less effective. Care for yourself so you CAN work.  Mindset breeds shame is what drives the hustle culture . Anti-hustle is about separating mindset from the "norm." What did you do to separate and feel worthy? 1. Come down to earth: what are the stakes? Writing is not life/death situation. If I don't ..., then I'm not worthy and I'm gonna die. (Start reframe it) 2. Awareness. Hustle culture. Learn the opposite. (Amy McNee - We Need Your Art) Ask where these thoughts are coming from? Follow the threads. Reparenting inner child. Catch the thoughts in the moment. What's my programming? 1st thought: programming, 2nd thought: what I really believe. Talking to coworkers and family about "letting them down." 3. Join a community interested in anti-hustle. Reframe daily. 4. Devon Price "Laziness Does Not Exist", "Burnout" (Nagaski sisters) 5. Affirmations 6. What is your brain trying to tell you?  Rest is a learned thing. The Power of Ritual (Casper ter Kuile)  We all rest differently.  The tenants of anti-hustle culture: Worth is not tied to our output. Your success isn't determined by someone else's standards. Body and Brain deserve rest.   "I don't have time to learn how to rest." Learned how to be productive in your body.   tenaciouswriting.com goldenmayediting.com Story magic podcast IG @tenaciouswriting   And don't forget: Get 48% off the Magic Mind : https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 and use Valerie20 at checkout. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance   Next episode:  Find Us:   Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan (Find Passion Planner discount codes here.) Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor Patreons:  https://patreon.com/valerieihsan    https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries Tools: ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Join us for Day1 Episode #4182 featuring writer, activist, and preacher Sara Miles of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. In her sermon “Among Mortals,” based on Acts 11:1-18, Sara explores what it means to truly embrace God's inclusive love in the messy, broken world we inhabit. Preaching on the 5th Sunday of Easter, she invites us to let the Spirit tear down our walls and reveal Christ among all people.

When it comes to life and the amount of it we actually have to spend on Earth, it can be hard to figure out how best to utilise the time we have and to make it our own. Oliver Burkeman is an expert in this field whose books include ‘Meditations for Mortals' and 'Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals'. He joins Anton to discuss.

How can we embrace the limitations of time and the certainty of death and create real fulfillment that thrives on an honest assessment of our human predicament? These are the questions at the heart of this episode. Ethan welcomes back bestselling author and journalist Oliver Burkeman for a discussion of finitude, death, limitations, productivity, and dueling concepts of the meaning of meditation.  Oliver Burkeman is the author of Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, and the bestselling Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, is now available. Oliver wrote a long-running weekly column on psychology for The Guardian, "This Column Will Change Your Life," and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Psychologies, and New Philosopher. Learn more about him at oliverburkeman.com, and subscribe to his regular newsletter, The Imperfectionist. Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Meditation Group starts up again on May 15th, and a special podcast/meditation on “Intuition” will be released to paid subscribers this Friday, May 2nd. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Spotify,Ethan's Website, etc). Check out all the cool offerings at our podcast sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program beginning June 13th, 2025. Free video courses co-taught by Ethan and others, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download. 

What if the time is never coming when you're ‘on top of things', or finally feel like you know what you're doing?For years, New York Times Bestselling author Oliver Burkeman has dared to ask provocative questions like these.The sort of questions that invite us to examine popular cultural views about what it means to work and live well.In his beautiful and brilliant books, his longtime column in the Guardian, and other writings,Oliver has been a leading voice helping to unravel myths about the often celebrated idea that we can 'do it all'.Rather than chasing perfectionism he invites us to embrace our imperfections,To confront our mortality,and to explore deeper questions about what matters, and what will bring us fully alive in the brief time we're here.Today we are re-releasing this inspiring conversation from 2024 - one of the most popular we've ever had on the show.In it we'll thoroughly explore how and why imperfectionism may actually be the path to experiencing a more meaningful, productive, absorbing and energizing life –not later, but right here in the midst of the overwhelm, the distraction, and the anxiety-inducing news headlines.For more on today's themes be sure to check out Oliver's profound new book, Meditations for Mortals, which you can pick up wherever books are sold. Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are other conversations we think you'll love:On Wholeness, Service, and Enduring Happiness | Stephanie HarrisonOn Unwinding Toxic Productivity | Israa NasirEnjoying the show? Please rate it wherever you listen to your podcasts. Thanks for listening!More about Oliver:Oliver Burkeman is a best-selling author and keynote speaker. His books include Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, Four Thousand Weeks, as well as The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. For many years Oliver wrote a popular weekly column on psychology for the Guardian. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Psychologies and New Philosopher. For more please visit: Oliverburkeman.comSupport the show

Main Topic:  Elements of a Nonfiction Book (Starts at 16:55)   Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code VALERIE20 at checkout You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.  Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie): learning IG Stories from @tidalbaymedia (Kat), updated passport, new Chiro, monthly reflection, carport, now buy print  (Erick): Preorder up for Shadow Signals , ARCS out in the morning, back/front matter to write, re-release Witness accounts with new fresh content, experiment with going Wide on the print What are you reading? Valerie: How To Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly from the Accidental Icon  (Lyn Slater) (Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ;  The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong  Erick:    Mr. Mercedes (Stephen King), 

Why did Charles Darwin, Virginia Woolf, and Henri Poincaré all follow the same four-hour rule? In this episode, bestselling author Oliver Burkeman returns to explain why three to four hours of focused work might be the secret to productivity and peace. Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/d4e55ac69d You'll learn: The 3–4 hour rule: why it worked for Darwin, Trollope, and Dickens and still works today. How to tackle overwhelming tasks with a simple mental trick called “just go to the shed.” Why keeping a “done list” might be more motivating than a to-do list (feat. Marie Curie). How inboxes, perfectionism, and productivity guilt trap us in modern-day Sisyphus cycles. The two-part system Oliver uses to stay focused, without feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of life. ---  Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/d4e55ac69d Sign up to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ Oliver's book Four Thousand Weeks: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourthousandweeks Oliver's book Meditation for Mortals: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/meditationsformortals ---  Sources:  Burkeman, O. (2021). Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Burkeman, O. (2024). Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The Delian Tomb is being tested by patrons, the layout for the core rules is nearing completion, and an adventure to run at conventions is in the works. Also, the dice from the crowdfunder is shipping, and Flee, Mortals! and Where Evil Lives is out on Foundry.Links to everything: https://www.goblinpoints.com/2509#linksChapters:00:00 Intro00:42 The Delian Tomb01:06 The Conventure02:20 The Clounns03:34 Warfare04:33 The Layout05:47 Initial Support07:48 Draw Steel Actual Play08:13 The Codex08:36 The Monstrous Bundle09:24 The Djordice10:17 From the Community12:36 OutroSupport the show MCDM Discord MCDM Subreddit Draw Steel Subreddit Matt's YouTube Channel MCDM's YouTube Channel GoblinPoints.com Leave a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or send me an email at tips@goblinpoints.com.Theme music by Patrick Haesler.Art by Chris Malbon.

Acclaimed author and journalist Oliver Burkeman has captivated readers with his refreshing insights on how to embrace the finiteness of existence and find meaning in the everyday. Author of the bestselling book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and formerly a columnist for the Guardian, Burkeman challenges conventional productivity advice, offering a more realistic perspective on how to live well. In April 2025 Burkeman came to the Intelligence Squared stage, where he was in conversation with Financial Times Columnist Tim Harford, to discuss Meditation for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts – the sequel to Four Thousand Weeks. Together, they explored how letting go of the relentless pursuit of productivity and accepting our imperfections can lead to a more fulfilling life. ----- This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Acclaimed author and journalist Oliver Burkeman has captivated readers with his refreshing insights on how to embrace the finiteness of existence and find meaning in the everyday. Author of the bestselling book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and formerly a columnist for the Guardian, Burkeman challenges conventional productivity advice, offering a more realistic perspective on how to live well. In April 2025 Burkeman came to the Intelligence Squared stage, where he was in conversation with Financial Times Columnist Tim Harford, to discuss Meditation for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts – the sequel to Four Thousand Weeks. Together, they explored how letting go of the relentless pursuit of productivity and accepting our imperfections can lead to a more fulfilling life. ------ This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Main Topic:  3 arcs in every book (begins at 15:31)   Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code VALERIE20 at checkout You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.  Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie): writing How to Write a Novel (ask ChatGPT for new title), homework from the business coach, thinking about content creation and refining my book coaching offer; back pain (Erick): Trunk "shopping" for summer work = Witness accounts. Book a retreat for world-building. Preorder up for Shadow Signals (cover from Miblart) What are you reading? Valerie:    The Stars and Their Light (Olivia Hawker) (Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ;  The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong  Erick:    Mr. Mercedes (Stephen King), Somna (gn) (Becky Cloonan) Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits): Tidbit #1: • Tidbit #2:    Segment 3 (Main Topic):   The Three Narrative Arcs (Bill Kenower) The Physical Arc (Story arc, plot, what happens in the book) Character/Emotional arc (how the character changes) Intentional Arc (Thematic arc) Narrative arc (how the story is told) If problems with character (flat, 2 dimensional, "Just didn't connect with them"): Add inner dialogue for tension and character motivation; Make sure your emotional arc is solid. (Character + Flaw + Death of Flaw at end = Character/Emotional Arc)   And don't forget: Get 48% off the Magic Mind : https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 and use Valerie20 at checkout. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance   Next episode:  Find Us:   Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan (Find Passion Planner discount codes here.) Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Adrienne is looking back at some of her favourite Power Hour episodes from years gone by!Oliver Burkeman worked for many years at The Guardian, where he wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, “This Column Will Change Your Life.” His books include the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. Oliver's new book Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts is described as "A map for a liberating journey toward a more meaningful life―a journey that begins where we actually find ourselves, not with a fantasy of where we'd like to be". It's available no in stores and online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oliver Burkeman will be known to many of our listeners as the best-selling author of “Four Thousand Weeks – Time Management for Mortals”. His new book 'Meditations for Mortals' has left an impression on Ray and the author joins the programme from London.

Could staring at a painting for three hours make you more productive?  In this episode, I try a strange experiment inspired by bestselling author Oliver Burkeman. Based on lessons from his book Four Thousand Weeks, I stare at Picasso's Guernica for three hours. No phone, no distractions, just a notepad and mic. Did I go mad?  Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/d4e55ac69d You'll learn: Why investing time and effort can increase our appreciation (feat. the Mauritian ritual study). How control impacts happiness, health, and even longevity (feat. nursing home experiment). Why AI and “life-optimising” tools often leave us feeling more stressed, not less. The power of patience (and how to cultivate it in a hyper-distracted world). What happens when you do nothing for three hours… ---- Access the bonus episode: https://nudge.kit.com/d4e55ac69d Watch the 3-hour time lapse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paKup2BuN38 Sign up to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ Oliver's book Four Thousand Weeks: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourthousandweeks Oliver's book Meditation for Mortals: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/meditationsformortals --- Sources: Burkeman, O. (2021). Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Burkeman, O. (2024). Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Langer, E. J., & Rodin, J. (1976). The effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged: A field experiment in an institutional setting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(2), 191–198. Xygalatas, D., Mitkidis, P., Fischer, R., Reddish, P., Skewes, J., Geertz, A. W., Roepstorff, A., & Bulbulia, J. (2013). Extreme rituals promote prosociality. Psychological Science, 24(8), 1602–1605.

Main Topic:  The Confidence Paradox with guest Angus Nelson   Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code VALERIE20 at checkout You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.  Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie): writing, gardening, homework from the business coach Angus: daughter just moved to Portugal a block away (Erick) Writing new novella. Great client meetings. Preorder up for Shadow Signals (cover from Miblart) What are you reading? Valerie:   Shadow Signals (Erick Mertz) The Stars and Their Light (Olivia Hawker) (Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ;  The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong  Erick:    Houses of the Unholy (gn) Tender is the Flesh (horror) (Agustina Bazterrica) (Angus:) The Art of Possibility (Rosemund Zander and Benjamin Zander) Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits): Tidbit #1: automated email sequences Tidbit #2: Notes App (writing) Angus's tips: use AI to write; helped me see perspectives I couldn't see. Prompt it to be a bestselling NY Times editor. What would you say about this passage? (Jeff Goins was his book coach.)     Segment 3 (Main Topic):    Confidence Paradox Waiting for something. If I was only more ... confident. What if I just believe in myself?  The book will write you. Rising to a different level. Let your power be seen. Stories we tell ourselves.  1. Inputs: What are you listening to? (News, sports, agitation, layoffs) We are in failure mode, scarcity mindset, all the time. Affects how I see myself. Living by default vs. intentionally decoupling self from negative stimuli. 2. Change the environment. Give yourself the permission to be the self I want to be. Letting go. What are you holding on to from the past?  TODAY = The Only Day Actually Yours Go from limitation to possibility.   We tell ourselves changing will take a long time and be really hard. But that's just a story. "It doesn't matter." What matters is I choose to be this. 10x is easier than 2x (Book rec by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy) Burnout based on story: not worthy, don't have what it takes. Need for external validation. Self love/ self grace (Reset days, cheat days, every phase of growth requires altering mindset) 5-8 weeks for transformations 3 month sprints alter the narrative, upgrade iOS in brain.  Methodology: Experience the feeling you want to become. Powerful motherfucker. Culture of perpetual failure. Embodiment:  Just Be Free. Let me do me. Angusnelson.com Free mini course: Message him the word "Activated" and he'll send it to you.  And don't forget: Get 48% off the Magic Mind : https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 and use Valerie20 at checkout. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance   Next episode:  Find Us:   Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan (Find Passion Planner discount codes here.) Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor Patreons:  https://patreon.com/valerieihsan    https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries Tools: ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 19:45:00 GMT http://relay.fm/focused/228 http://relay.fm/focused/228 David Sparks and Mike Schmitz Author Paul Loomans joins us to talk about time surfing, a zen approach to keeping time on your side. Author Paul Loomans joins us to talk about time surfing, a zen approach to keeping time on your side. clean 4339 Author Paul Loomans joins us to talk about time surfing, a zen approach to keeping time on your side. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast. Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free. Guest Starring: Paul Loomans Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Timesurfing | The zen approach to keeping time on your side I've Got Time by Paul Loomans Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 19:45:00 GMT http://relay.fm/focused/228 http://relay.fm/focused/228 Time Surfing, with Paul Loomans 228 David Sparks and Mike Schmitz Author Paul Loomans joins us to talk about time surfing, a zen approach to keeping time on your side. Author Paul Loomans joins us to talk about time surfing, a zen approach to keeping time on your side. clean 4339 Author Paul Loomans joins us to talk about time surfing, a zen approach to keeping time on your side. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast. Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free. Guest Starring: Paul Loomans Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. Timesurfing | The zen approach to keeping time on your side I've Got Time by Paul Loomans Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman The M

They weren't going to hire me for EDC anyway1- not based off of that mix! But it had been a long week, and a long day, and of all the excuses in the world o had to make, the greatest excuse was this: it just wasn't my best mix( I simply wasn't ready. In fact, my entry was more like a spoof— I hadn't any pictures on my laptop and instead included a photo of my logo; my entry included a bio that was short and direct, vague and said more about my invisible cat than I did me. I didn't include a soundcloud, because I didn't have one, and when it came down to it, I wasn't a fan of the mix; it didn't sound as well as I knew I could do, or even as good as some of my past entries. I was going off the top of my head, with no tracks analyzed to sync—which meant I was wasting valuable playtime selecting tracks, and pitchyhingbthen manually to be exact, which made my mix not sound like me at all. I sounded like an amatur/- and with this being my first on-camera appearance, I certainly was an amatuer. The top of the line technology was foreign to me— and I knew EDC was at a loss; I hadn't handed in my best work or even looked my best, not understanding how fat the camera would make me look. Still, I hadn't even given them the video, and with every bit of my might leading up to the very deadline, I still made a ridiculous effort to hand in something— because it was some thing. I was already on somebody's radar in the DJ world for a very long time— this was my way of showing I was still doing as much as I could to actually catch up to speed with the kids, the hot girl DJ's, and the prostitots who at least could figure out how to analyze and sync their pre-recorded sets and press play on time. My set was janky, and it made it look like I couldn't even do that. But I could. As I had learned by spending that amount of time at the decks, I had actually become quite the technical DJ— little use of effects by choice means that I had precision focused in speed and ability— how many tracks can I get up and down and to stay in line? It was harder than ever without the ability to use sync at all, but I was learning by hand a skill enough DJ's didn't have to make it a skill worth having. Then, there was more I needed not just to learn, but for it to become second nature. For it to be easy to do not just in a room myself, but potentially in front of hundreds and thousands of people. I didn't want to be the average disc jokey. I wanted to play EDC— and not on a little controller on a side stage at 3:30 PM; I was sure I would one day start there, but this year was a wash. I had been thrown off by trying and failing to record the mixed I needed to enter the contest on my birthday and then all that accumulated in the pressure of anxiety, disappointment, and movements I hadn't made in months under the circumstances— for about four days in a row it seemed unlikely that it would happen at all, and when it did, it was at the very last moment, at the literal deadline, with a mix I wasn't particularly proud of and a track which was technically unreleased without using “unlicensed content”— I had selected it in hopes that the judge of the contest, SLANDER might hear something from it. A bass music DJ— and this was bass music, however, with somewhat outdated samples and a rare and very unique technique, I would hope that someone would listen to the track before the mix— and hear something special in it. It was a special song, at least to me— but these people were hard to impress to say the least, still I wanted to at least be on the radar, and I had an Insomniac tattoo that pleaded with me at times to just do whatever it takes. Besides, they had opened up another contest, which meant I had four tracks to present in total— three more tracks and three more mixes, and I was determined that with each passing day I would do better. For now, I was recovering from being out in New York on a rolling basis; my collected self confidence and poise from isolation had dwindled into the rotting core of depression of just being “just another poor black girl in Brooklyn” not an identity I wore on me at all times, but something like a badge that was placed on me by location, and the color of my skin. I hated my apartment, and I hated everything about my circumstances— because it separated me from the other DJs and producers. I wasn't safe, supported, popular, pretty, or well-to-do— and I didn't have the access to thentechnology on a whim, through a friend, or with privelege. Everything I did in the DJ world was a fight, a push, a breakthrough from a world that had no such luxuries— and for the most part, what wasn't going into my music, was going into my mouth. When I wasn't excersising, I was working, and when I wasn't working, I still was. I spent my time writing, and reading, and there was no such thing as a waste of time when I was learning about my predecessors— J.K. Rowling, George Lucas, and even Jim Henson, who I'd learned had made the very first muppet from scratch and by hand! Besides the play on words, I wasn't just a DJ; I was a writer, and a filmmaker, and I was trying to figure out how somehow also I was this strange puppeteer man, coming to the conclusion with the fact that I was also sort of always just obsessed with TV and wanted something to do with it. But I was stamping my foot, and heavily— I didn't just want to be an actor! I didn't just want to be a comedian. And certainly, because it sometimes seemed as if anybody could do it and with the sync button and pre-recorded mixes in mind, any bikini clad hot girl or basic bitch Chad boy could and were very most often DJs—I certainly did not want to nor did I have the choice of being just a DJ, or JUST a producer— because it seemed nothing made sense without being any of the others. But the problem remained that I was still not making any money from anything really worthwhile, and I was sick of subsisting, with the limited choices I had for nutrition and vitamins because of my government subsidies; the foods I wanted were out of reach— the energy sustaining, clean and organically sourced best foods and vitamins were just simply unavailable to people with food stamps, and even on the days I should have felt happiest, I became depressed. How was I going to escape the system— and why was no strawberry flavored vegan protein available to people on EBT?! I was almost a comedian, but lately too depressed to perform. All I wanted was my music world to be real— and it was real— I was doing just about as much as anyone else in the industry was, despite my limitations, and just not getting paid for it. My neighbors banged on the walls when I played music and slammed doors even even I didn't— and when I sang or rapped it sounded like they were slamming things around like they were throwing tantrums and fits. It might have been easy to look past if I were inebriated in some sort of way like most rappers, singers, and performers— but I was stone cold sober. Even in ear plugs, I heard every slam, every bang, every boom— and not to mention the motorcycles and the rest of the idiots outside. It seemed like I was being trapped by an energy that just simply never wanted me to make the best music I knew I could make, and so the best music I knew I could make wasn't going to be in this place. But how would I escape it? IT STARTS NOW. Agh. I promised myself that on my next Instacart subscription I would brush up on my Saturday a Night Live and whatever Which included but wasn't exactly limited to— Seth Meyers, 30 Rock, And almost dreadedly The Tonight Show, starring . Oh look. There he is. What was that dude's name again? Fixed it, You're welcome. What was wrong with it. Just needed some adjustments. Uhh. Wow, I never saw that before. A very strange man has appears to have affixed a giant pair of television antennas to his oddly specific television-shaped house. Hm. Aha, I see… I told you before, Marty. I don't like you hanging out with that old man. He is— — he's strange, Marty! He's strange, Well, maybe I'm strange. I don't think so! Remember this? LORRAINE points at a picture on the refrigerator; Her son, MARTY is clean cut, smiling and well dressed— almost the opposite of his newly adopted Whatever, I just got bored. But mom, he's a genius! Genius my patatootie! Let's not— [The Festival Project ™] Ugh, Mom! —say, “patootie” alright? Especially when I'm watching TV! I can say patootie all I want, especially if it's my patootie! Eww, mom!! Patatootie, patootie, patootie! Alright. I only got two weeks to learn everything I can about Saturday night Live… For whatever reason. WHY! I don't know. WHY! I don't know. WHYYYYYYYYYY?! I don't know, Kenan, shut the fuck up! Woah woah woah. Hold the phone. KENAN cries out into the universe inconsolably about his newly entirely totaled Beamer. KEL can't seem to console him, but doesn't really try. He seems preoccupied with twisting up the perfect blunt, licking it from the sidewalk as KENAN, hunched over the crumpled hood and completely totaled vehicle cries out once more, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?! There appears to have been a hit-and-run. L E G E N D S Earlier: Well, for… Wait who did I write Flowers for? Bill Hader. That's right. I never found Bill Hader. I was trying to avoid— Oh look, a penny. Aurumph. —oddly enough, I also promised myself a Rick and Morty marathon. Oh, that's right; it was Was I right? I can bet. CHRIS PARNELL seems to have awakened from a very deep sleep. As he lie on his back in the middle of the floor in an unknown room, the location becomes familiar ; he appears to be at Rockerfeller Center— however, not in a usual setting. PARNELL Oh, Jesus Christ… I don't know how I had him and sudakis mixed up. I don't even think they were on the same cast. Also, explain to me why. EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THIS DUDE: [Apparently Rob Riggle] SHOT ME. Shot— yo, wait. And you said— I'm waiting. He was wearing some kind of cloak . A cloak of invisibility. Everything was hidden besides— whatever he was drinking. He was drinking something . Yes, that is correct, apparently! “Apparently” Apparently! “Apparently” Do you remember what he was drinking. Ah, yes. I remember exactly…apparently. Apparently? Yes, exactly—apparently. It appeared to be a strawberry milkshake. A—a strawberry milkshake . A strawberry milkshake! Exactly! Not apparently? Exactly, apparently! Alright… thanks. -_- Now, where were we with the actual celebrities ! I thought this was a Star-studded cast! We are star studded. Where are they then. The who?! The stars ! The what! The people! You said this movie had real star power! It does! Where! Right here, see ?! At some point I had seen all I thought that I could of one man's price — The thing to pay in response to one great, cosmic ask; And then, like nothing ; I dissappeared, and went away with it all, into my cavern, trapped like a madman; To know so much and yet, nothing at all. Shh. K. Take this. *sighs, but almost silently* Shh. *sighs even more deeply, but even more silently* The Legend of Ascencia Yo. Yo what. Yo what the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. It's Skrillex. No, I'm not. Dont tell me— Idiot . You look confused. Do it again. I am— confused. Mortals. Where's deadmau5. I'm not playing deadmau5; These speakers are loud. Play the deadmau5 No, not that. There is it. Aha. See, I found it. —noo. That's better. I'll take it from here. From where. I don't see anything. I don't feel. I don't know anything. I don't say. I lost focus. I go home drunk. I think I called the wrong number. I think I caught a cold on the tour bus. I think I brought the whole road back with me. I think I got more starstruck not watching. I think I ran out of luck— On a four leaf clover. I think I woke up to Conan at Four in the morning Like “top of the morning to ya” And it was too much It was too much. It was too much. Smile. Camera one Camera 3 Run a mile Smile Admire on in 1, 2– Why are we counting up? Somehow my whole world backwards Backend, black tights, Black dress That's right But I don't like rice and my fritters is fried I am fried I am High I guess High I guess High I guess High I guess Hi, I guess. I like his eyes, I guess. Starting to cry I guess, Will ferrel is wild, I guess But why Don't look at the thigh meat I'm high as a kite I guess I just smiled and sung my goodbyes And just stopped trying to try I guess I wasted all my good years On a poor fat boy I wasted all my goo ears on bad songs that Still blow my mind Subliminal messages And as high as I am I still see tides, I guess Whole worlds of oceans and Starting to fly, I guess Yess I'm a bird Fuck this bird All I wanted was water A kite I guess Look, mom, I still cry I guess I digest life by the light and the smiles I get Almost none of them, Retreat to the forest Where I don't see none of them To go downstairs, No hair No make up Ugly girl Black girl Broke girl New York Going downstairs Undressed, Not made up Ugly girl Black girl Nappy girl Fat girl New York Scowl like you mean it Scowl like you mean it Nobody loves be because I'm not famous And no, I don't want you Because you're not famous And no, I don't want you Because you got famous And now I don't want you Because you're too famous Yes Do wah diddy Down by the boardwalk Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2018-2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © -U.™

  Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code VALERIE20 at checkout You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.  Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie) taxes are done,    (Erick) taxes are done! Preorder up for Shadow Signals (cover from Miblart) What are you reading? Valerie:  In the Dream House (Carmen Maria Machado) Broken Open (Martha Gies) Shadow Signals (Erick Mertz) (Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ;  The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong  Erick:   (Claytemple Media podcast; (Laird Barron)  The Imago Sequence and Other Stories Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits): Tidbit #1: ChatGPT for not-writing ways; (tape defect 2 second warble) Tidbit #2:  Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):    Segment 4 (Main Topic):    Listen to people talking as an exercise Great first lines (Oh, that where this fits..) What I want to say is: My name used to be: For learning a new skill: Free writing/journaling/morning pages   And don't forget: Get 48% off the Magic Mind : https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 and use Valerie20 at checkout. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance   Next episode: Angus Nelson on burnout and confidence Find Us:   Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan (Find Passion Planner discount codes here.) Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor Patreons:  https://patreon.com/valerieihsan    https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries Tools: ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

There are only so many hours in a day, as the saying goes. That's the focus of a new book that addresses fundamental questions about how we live. On this week's “All About Books” a look at, “Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts” by Oliver Burkeman.

Welcome back to the Realm Forge, our TTRPG Worldbuilding show, and today we dive right back into our World of Omen, a World dominated by Celestial Bodies that hail good and back News for those Mortals that live below. Today, we focus a bit on creating landmasses and layouts. How do we do that? We use the Game CartographYou can find the game Cartograph right here: https://the-ravensridge-press.itch.io/cartograph-atlas-edition a world-building game created by Ravensridge Press using only a few dice and a blank sheet of paper!Check here for all further information:You can find us on the Web under these Links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.doubledm.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/DoubleDMpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/doubledmpod/?hl=de⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/doubledm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you want to reach out to us via E-Mail use: doubledmpod@gmail.comOur Midroll Music is "Midnight Tale" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Outro Music is "Ascending the Vale" Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Background Music is: "Teller of the Tales" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Main Topic: Starting a Ghostwriting Business   Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code VALERIE20 at checkout You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.  Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie) got my cover back!, started working with a business coach again, had a great time teaching at Wordcrafters in Eugene, client work   (Erick) writing, client work, interviewing,  What are you reading? Valerie:  In the Dream House (Carmen Maria Machado) Broken Open (Martha Gies) (Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ;  The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong  Erick:  The Woman in the Dunes (Kobo Abe) (anime horror) Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits): Tidbit #1: Tidbit #2:  Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):    Segment 4 (Main Topic):   Process as client vs starting own business Finished manuscript according to client requirements with no credit. Beginning is client approaches you, defines the project, educate client about your service, get the vibe from first contact/discovery call, talk money early on, decide on price, sign contract, pay on benchmarks: signed contract, outline, completed project. "Do you feel like you could talk to me about ...?" Provide referrals from other clients instead of work samples. Roughly $1/word.   Where does my own writing fit into this? (First question to ask self if considering starting a ghost writing biz.) Have to say  yes early on to establish yourself. Even jobs you don't want to do. Mindset: How do you write something that you don't want to write? State your boundaries early on. Voice: recorded conversations helps with knowing how to write. Listen to the person talk. Explain there is going to be a translation. Does it feel like you when you read it? Might not be your exact words. Manuscript based on agreed upon outline, but you'll find 25% that you'll want to change.   Network, mentor, website, sub-contracting is a great way to start. Figure out what your ghost genre is. Probably not yours. Harder to treat as a product, because you HAVE to be efficient.  Learning the business as you go and juggle process.  Find resources/communities, join them with skepticism. A lot of people on forums bring a bunch of b.s. Learn to read between the lines. Skills: flexible and confident (more of self than of writing)   And don't forget: Get 48% off the Magic Mind : https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 and use Valerie20 at checkout. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance   Next episode:  Find Us:   Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan (Find Passion Planner discount codes here.) Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor Patreons:  https://patreon.com/valerieihsan    https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries Tools: ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

In this episode of The Art of Charm, we sit down with bestselling author and productivity renegade Oliver Burkeman to unpack his refreshingly honest approach to time, ambition, and self-worth. Drawing from his latest book Meditations for Mortals, Oliver introduces a new philosophy he calls Imperfectionism — a radical shift from hustle culture and perfection paralysis. We discuss the psychology of high achievers who constantly feel behind, the traps of productivity debt, and how letting go of perfection can paradoxically lead to real momentum, deeper relationships, and a more meaningful life. If you're constantly stuck between ambition and exhaustion, trying to “optimize” your way into fulfillment, this conversation might just be the permission slip you didn't know you needed. What to Listen For [00:00] Why all decisions come with a downside — and why that's freeing [00:03:55] What is “Imperfectionism,” and how can it help you escape productivity traps? [00:08:05] How comparison and perfectionism stop you from building meaningful connections [00:13:52] Why authenticity beats polish — in branding, leadership, and life [00:22:46] “Productivity debt” — and how it silently undermines your confidence [00:29:18] What is decision hunting, and how does it unlock real momentum? [00:33:55] Why one small outreach can reconnect you to a lost part of yourself [00:40:25] The surprising key to building lasting habits (hint: it's not willpower) [00:44:00] The “Reverse Golden Rule” that every people-pleaser needs to hear [00:53:36] Oliver's favorite meditation for starting from sanity Episode Takeaways: You're not lazy — you're stuck in the illusion of finding a perfect decision. Accepting your finitude might be your greatest advantage. Momentum doesn't come from thinking your way into action. Start small. Make a decision. Any decision. The most powerful personal brand you can build is the one where you drop the mask. If your perfectionism is driving your productivity, it's probably also driving your burnout. You can't outsource meaning — you have to make the hard trade-offs and choose your consequences intentionally. Start embodying who you want to be now, not later. Even 10 minutes a day can shift your identity. A Word From Our Sponsors Tired of awkward handshakes and collecting business cards without building real connections? Dive into our Free Social Capital Networking Masterclass. Learn practical strategies to make your interactions meaningful and boost your confidence in any social situation. Sign up for free at theartofcharm.com/sc and elevate your networking from awkward to awesome. Don't miss out on a network of opportunities! Unleash the power of covert networking to infiltrate high-value circles and build a 7-figure network in just 90 days. Ready to start? Check out our CIA-proven guide to networking like a spy! Indulge in affordable luxury with Quince—where high-end essentials meet unbeatable prices. Upgrade your wardrobe today at quince.com/charm for free shipping and hassle-free returns. Ready to turn your business idea into reality? Shopify makes it easy to start, scale, and succeed—whether you're launching a side hustle or building the next big brand. Sign up for your $1/month trial at shopify.com/charm. Need to hire top talent—fast? Skip the waiting game and get more qualified applicants with Indeed. Claim your $75 Sponsored Job Credit now at Indeed.com/charm. Curious about your influence level?  Get your Influence Index Score today! Take this 60-second quiz to find out how your influence stacks up against top performers at theartofcharm.com/influence. Resources from this Episode Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts Oliver Burkeman's website Check in with AJ and Johnny! AJ on LinkedIn Johnny on LinkedIn AJ on Instagram Johnny on Instagram The Art of Charm on Instagram The Art of Charm on YouTube The Art of Charm on TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The liberation that comes from realizing that you're never going to get everything done.   Oliver Burkeman is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Four Thousand Weeks, The Antidote, and most recently, Meditations for Mortals. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Psychologies and New Philosopher. He has a devoted following for his writing on productivity, mortality, the power of limits, and building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment.    Oliver is one of many great teachers featured on Waking Up, a top-notch meditation app with amazing teachers and a ton of courses for all levels. If you subscribe via this link: wakingup.com/tenpercent, you'll get a 30-day free trial—and you'll be supporting the 10% Happier team, too. Full and partial scholarships are available.   In this episode we talk about: What the term “imperfectionism” means The illusion of reaching a point where "everything's done" Why there's liberation in seeing how finite we are  Why small, imperfect actions are more valuable than perfect plans Why overplanning is a kind of avoidance How to make decisions  The importance of finishing things Who you should develop a taste for problems Why effort doesn't always equal value Why we need to stop protecting other people's feelings And the paradox of mattering immensely and not at all   Related Episodes: The Power of Negative Thinking  Time Management for Mortals   Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel  

This week Ted continues to bring you texts to read and the theme this week is -- growing yourself. Leaders are readers and readers are leaders. This collection of texts will help you with your self-discipline, mindset, leadership behaviors, and reflections as a person for others. A great collection of texts to support you and allow you to grow. The books: Discipline is Destiny, Ryan Holiday The Let Them Theory, Mel Robbins MindCraft, Aaron Sadoff Radical Humility, Urs Koenig Meditation for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman Duke's Storm, Ted Neitzke  Buy Ted's book and tools here: https://store.cesa6.org/  

Ravi sits down with journalist and bestselling author Oliver Burkeman (Meditation for Mortals and Four Thousand Weeks) to explore what it means to live a meaningful life in a culture addicted to optimization. Together, they explore the line between healthy ambition and toxic perfectionism, the “icky middle” of mastery and why it's important to find joy in being an intermediate, and when to embrace creative neglect. Finally, they unpack the struggles of living in the digital era and discuss how we can build healthier relationships with screens. Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 321-200-0570 Learn more about Ravi's novel and upcoming events: GARBAGE TOWN Want to meet Ravi and discuss Garbage Town in person?  RSVP to one of his upcoming events: Join Ravi and former New York congressman Max Rose in Manhattan: RSVP Here! Join Ravi for a book talk in Staten Island: RSVP Here! Join Ravi and Jason Kander at Left Bank Books in St. Louis: RSVP Here! --- Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ Lost Debate is available on the following platforms:  • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LostDebate • Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vTERJNTc1ODE3Mzk3Nw  • iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-lost-debate-88330217/ • Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/752ca262-2801-466d-9654-2024de72bd1f/the-lost-debate

It's time to test your Armchair Adventures knowledge once again, with a brand spanking new episode of UNPACKED! The join in quiz show spin-off from Armchair Adventures!Our host, Connie's Uncle Chris, and his cheeky soundboard Ziggy will challenge adventurers at home and in the studio to ‘Unpack' an Armchair Adventure through a series of silly games like ‘human sound effects' and super tough adventure quiz questions!

Jason Howell and Jeff Jarvis discuss OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o image generation update, Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro release, the emotional impact of chatbots on users, The Atlantic's LibGen database search tool, and more! Support the show on Patreon! http://patreon.com/aiinsideshow Subscribe to the YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/@aiinsideshow Note: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor. NEWS 0:02:19 - OpenAI: Introducing 4o Image Generation 0:19:48 - Gemini 2.5: Our most intelligent AI model 0:32:27 - OpenAI has released its first research into how using ChatGPT affects people's emotional well-being 0:37:18 - The Unbelievable Scale of AI's Pirated-Books Problem 0:48:16 - Open Source devs say AI crawlers dominate traffic, forcing blocks on entire countries 0:52:59 - Perplexity wants to buy TikTok and open-source its algorithm 0:55:50 - "KI ist nur ein Werkzeug. Jedes Werkzeug kann missbraucht werden" 1:03:07 - AMC Theatres will screen a Swedish movie 'visually dubbed' with the help of AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maybe the best/worst book we've ever done? This week we read "Handbook for Mortals" by Lani Sarem and we will never be the same.Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! Here's the Season 18 reading list: 1. Fourth Wing by Yarros 2. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance 3. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden 4. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg 5. A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 6. The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes 7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 8. While Justice Sleeps by Stacey AbramsSend any future book suggestions to meanbookclub@gmail.com! Follow us on the socials @meanbookclub! Rate, like, subscribe, and check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/meanbookclub to become a true patron of the mean arts.CREDITS: Hosted by Sarah Burton, Clara Morris, Johnna Scrabis, & Sabrina B. Jordan. This episode was produced and edited by Sarah Burton and Blake Opper. Special thanks to FSM Team for our theme song, "Parkour Introvert."Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mean-book-club--3199521/support.

n this heartwarming episode of 'The Mortals,' Nathan Morris discusses the impact of small acts of kindness and community support. He begins by expressing gratitude for his fans checking out his new merch and explains the symbolism behind the designs. Nathan shares updates about his music, including his new single 'Waves,' and talks about upcoming tours. He reflects deeply on the value of unexpected kindness by recounting various stories: a competitor's meal bought to bridge divisive gaps, a funeral home's compassionate gesture towards a grieving family, and a WWII debt repaid decades later. Nathan also shares three random facts tied to acts of kindness and historical anecdotes. Among these, he features a Japanese hotel offering free stay for those in need for centuries, soldiers' debts repaid, and a cemetery in Italy ensuring flowers are always on graves—a gesture of continued care. Closing with an emotional story about a family finding refuge in a closed inn during a blizzard, Nathan urges listeners to recognize and practice acts of kindness that could leave a lasting impact on others' lives. Join him in the 'Mortals' community and learn how authenticity and small gestures make a lifelong difference.New Merch: https://nathanmorrismusic.com/supporters_____________________________The Mortals Podcast is sponsored by Descript: https://get.descript.com/g46icf4n88mj______________________________

Navigating the Dark Night of the Soul with Trish LawJoin Nathan and life coach Trish Law as they dive deep into the complexities of authenticity, facing difficult emotions, and navigating the dark night of the soul. From discussing the struggles of self-betrayal to the resonance that guides us toward our true path, this episode is filled with insights and heartfelt moments. Whether you're looking to understand why you're feeling certain emotions or seeking guidance on self-trust, this conversation offers profound wisdom and actionable advice.New Merch: https://tr.ee/oysbIK _____________________________The Mortals Podcast is sponsored by Descript: https://get.descript.com/g46icf4n88mj______________________________

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 19:30:00 GMT http://relay.fm/focused/226 http://relay.fm/focused/226 David Sparks and Mike Schmitz David & Mike discuss the power of review and reflection in your focused productivity system. David & Mike discuss the power of review and reflection in your focused productivity system. clean 4002 David & Mike discuss the power of review and reflection in your focused productivity system. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast. Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. MacSparky Productivity Field Guide 2025 (Plus Edition) The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington Mike's Personal Retreat Handbook Focused #225: Tiny Experiments, with Anne-Laure Le Cunff Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff Whisper Memos Plotter USA Drafts | Where Text Starts Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy I've Got Time by Paul Loomens Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman KNODY Travel Cribbage Boards

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 19:30:00 GMT http://relay.fm/focused/226 http://relay.fm/focused/226 The Importance of Review 226 David Sparks and Mike Schmitz David & Mike discuss the power of review and reflection in your focused productivity system. David & Mike discuss the power of review and reflection in your focused productivity system. clean 4002 David & Mike discuss the power of review and reflection in your focused productivity system. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Indeed: Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide using Indeed to hire great talent fast. Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended ad-free episodes with bonus deep dive content. MacSparky Productivity Field Guide 2025 (Plus Edition) The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington Mike's Personal Retreat Handbook Focused #225: Tiny Experiments, with Anne-Laure Le Cunff Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff Whisper Memos Plotter USA Drafts | Where Text Starts Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy I've Got Time by Paul Loomens Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman KNODY Travel Cribbage Boards TRMNL

What if the key to building a thriving law firm wasn't just legal expertise, but mastering the art of influence? In this episode of Great Practice, Great Life, Doug Burnetti, founding attorney of Burnetti P.A., shares how the book How to Win Friends and Influence People shaped his success in law and leadership. Doug shares how skills like empathy, active listening, and servant leadership are essential in any field. He discusses how attorneys can strengthen client relationships and build high-performing teams by implementing those values. Inspired by Dale Carnegie's wisdom, he explains why treating others with respect, showing genuine interest, and embracing humility lead to a more fulfilling and profitable legal career. Steve and Doug also talk about the power of authentic communication in law firm management, the importance of admitting mistakes to build trust, and legal legend Gerry Spence's storytelling approach to connecting with clients, judges, and juries. Doug goes into strategies for balancing professional success and personal well-being, emphasizing gratitude, leadership growth, and stress reduction. If you're looking to improve client satisfaction, strengthen your leadership skills, and build a more fulfilling legal career, this episode is packed with actionable insights. In this episode, you will hear: Doug Burnetti on the impact of servant leadership and self-help principles on his law practice Insights from Dale Carnegie's “How to Win Friends and Influence People” The importance of empathy, active listening, and authentic communication in legal practice Exploration of Gerry Spence's storytelling techniques to enhance client relationships The role of gratitude and continuous self-improvement in balancing professional and personal well-being Tips for effective leadership, including admitting mistakes and fostering trust within teams Strategies for improving client service and building strong interpersonal relationships Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources: How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie: www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034 Episode 108: Breakthrough Growth: How Empathetic Leadership Drives Success with Doug Burnetti: atticusadvantage.com/podcast/breakthrough-growth-how-empathetic-leadership-drives-success-with-doug-burnetti Burnetti, P.A.: www.burnetti.com Doug Burnetti bio: www.burnetti.com/attorneys/doug-burnetti Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman: www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/0374159122 Contact us to learn more about the Trial Lawyer's Great Practice, Great Life Program: atticusadvantage.com/contact-us Atticus Law Firm Coaching: atticusadvantage.com/coaching If there's a topic you would like us to cover on an upcoming episode, please email us at steve.riley@atticusadvantage.com. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Today on the podcast, we're welcoming Barry Ritholtz. He's co-founder, chairman, and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, a firm that was launched in 2013. He's the creator and host of Masters in Business, one of the earliest finance-related podcasts. He also regularly posts on The Big Picture, where he's been covering everything investing related since 2003. He is the author of Bailout Nation, and his latest book, How Not to Invest: The Ideas, Numbers, and Behaviors That Destroy Wealth—and How to Avoid Them, has just been published.Background and BooksBarry Ritholtz LinkedInRitholtz Wealth ManagementBailout Nation: How Greed and Easy Money Corrupted Wall Street and Shook the World Economy, with New Post-Crisis UpdateHow Not to Invest: The ideas, numbers, and behavior that destroy wealth—and how to avoid themPodcasts and MoreMasters in Business podcastThe Big Picture“Masters in Business - Ray Dalio Full Show,” Masters in Business podcast, Nov. 30, 2018“An Interview With Ken Feinberg: Masters in Business,” Masters in Business podcast, Oct. 9, 2015“MiB: Charley Ellis on Rethinking Investing,” Masters in Business podcast, Feb. 21, 2025“Why Fear Is an Investor's Worst Enemy” by Samantha Lamas from the 2017 Morningstar ETF Conference, Morningstar.com, Sept. 12, 2017“Rabbithole: What Do People Get Wrong About Money?” The Big Picture, March 10, 2025“It's Been 40 Years Since Our Cover Story Declared ‘The Death of Equities,' ” by Peter Coy, Bloomberg, Aug. 13, 2019ReadingsWinning the Loser's Game: Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing, Eighth Edition, by Charles D. EllisExpert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?, by Philip E. TetlockFour Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, by Oliver BurkemanPrinciples, by Ray Dalio

Aged 19, Jude Kriwald cycled from England to India, a journey that he describes in vivid detail in this week's episode of Cool Conversations. From embracing Iranian hospitality to sneaking through Tibet, his first major adventure left him with many stories to tell, and a taste for more. Jude Kriwald is an adventurer and a volunteer. He founded adventurementor.org to support others in their quest for adventure, and he was recently named 'Emerging Leader of the Year' by the British Exploring Society. Last year, Jude travelled to West Africa and followed an unmarked track through the Liberian jungle with his bicycle. His film about the experience, Alone Across Gola, has already won a Best Documentary Award and will be released later this year. This is a fantastic conversation and reminds us all to not rest on our laurels, but to pick up our dreams and go out to find adventure! What's Jude reading: Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman What's Jude listening to: Seek, Travel, Ride podcast. And he recommends checking out Owmi, a little known but brilliant musician

Another day, another grab bag! This time, books for dolls and/or anxious people, kitchen timers, TikTok decorum, and Miranda July's mesmerizing Substack.    Meditations for Mortals makes a great case for pleasure reading.   Two of our current top Substacks: Miranda July's and Heavies by Chris Gayomali.    Shoutout to Caroline Lusk on TikTok. We will be downloading your videos and sharing them with our pals for the foreseeable future.    Double shoutout to Nasirin's Kitchen, Erica's near–Carnegie Hall restaurant of choice.   If you're looking for a low-tech kitchen timer, wind up Dusen Dusen's Everybody Kitchen Timer and Frieling's Magnetic Retro Kitchen Timer.    We have many questions about what happened during the 100 years of NY NOW.    Finally, is the anxiety bookshelf the Jibbitz of reading? Please share your intel at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva.   Learn from the best (and most charming) with MasterClass and an additional 15% off any annual membership when you use our link. Lean into spring with Fast Growing Trees. Get 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO. Promote a balanced gut microbiome with Ritual's Synbiotic+ and get 25% off your first month with our link. Start your store on Shopify and get a $1-a-month trial with our link. YAY.

https://www.patreon.com/AdeptusRidiculoushttps://www.adeptusridiculous.com/https://twitter.com/AdRidiculoushttps://shop.orchideight.com/collections/adeptus-ridiculousThe Vampire Counts are amongst the most legendary factions of Vampires to have ever terrorized the civilized lands of the Old World, all of whom are members of the unholy von Carstein bloodline. The government, nobility and the patriotic citizenry of the Empire consider the Vampire Counts to be fiends without equal. They seek only to topple the civilizations of the living and supplant them with an empire of the Undead that will reign forever as Lords of the Night.Support the show

Philippa Interviews Heather Salisbury, Programme Manager of The Hay Festival.To book tickets for the Hay Festival and find out information about events click here: https://www.hayfestival.com/hay-on-wye/homeHeather's 3 book recommendations:Meditation for Mortals by Oliver BurkemanThe Peanut Jones series by Rob BiddulphConfessions by Catherine Airey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm excited to welcome Oliver Burkeman back to the show to discuss his new book, Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. You can find his previous conversation on the show here. Oliver is a journalist and author best known for 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. His latest book offers a practical, reflective guide to shifting our mindset about time, control, and productivity through daily meditations. In this conversation, we cover: The Through Line from 4,000 Weeks: How Meditations for Mortals builds on Oliver's previous work by focusing on action and the gap between knowing and doing. The Illusion of Control vs. Agency: Why we often seek control over our lives and how accepting our limitations can actually increase our capacity for meaningful action. Breaking Free from Productivity Debt: How many of us start each day feeling behind and what we can do to change that mindset. Imperfectionism and Action-Taking: How embracing imperfection can help us get more done and reduce procrastination. Kayaks vs. Super Yachts: A powerful metaphor for navigating life with flexibility rather than expecting smooth, predictable sailing. The Paradox of Productivity Techniques: Why strategies like the Pomodoro Technique can be helpful—when used as tools rather than salvation from feeling overwhelmed. The Value of Small Decisions and Next Steps: How making peace with uncertainty and taking the next available action can lead to lasting change. Oliver's insights will challenge the way you think about productivity, time management, and how to make space for what truly matters. Learn more about Oliver and his work at oliverburkeman.com, and find Meditations for Mortals wherever books are sold. Connect with Erik: LinkedIn  Facebook  Bluesky This Podcast is Powered By: Descript Descript 101 Castmagic Ecamm Podpage Rodecaster Pro Top Productivity Books List Make sure to support the show by checking out the sponsors! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are exposed ankles back? Luigi Mangione sure says so. Also, stuffie reports, Jibbitz musings, purchasable solutions, travel lacrosse balls, and more!   Stuffie bag charms are happening at 10 Corso Como, we ate up Liza Corsillo's "I Spent 3 Hours at the Jellycat Diner" for NY Mag, and we're just getting to know Mofusand and their loreless world via their Uniqlo collab.    Jibbitz-inspired living is taking over! The Boulder Public Library hosted a make-your-own jibbitz event, and shoe charms and sandal rings are coming for Birkenstocks. Speaking of Birks, do you have thoughts on Reykjaviks?    We love this Ruth Madievsky quote in her piece in The Cut about the Berlant/Novak podcast:  “The pair bonded over their mutual obsession with purchasable solutions to the problem of being alive.” Two of our current solutjions: a lacrosse ball when traveling and a magnifying mirror with a light. The concept made us think about the book Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.   What purchasable solutions to the problem of being alive (aka Thingies?) do you rely on? Let us know at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva.   Treat your hair nice with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month's subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. Ring in spring with Fast Growing Trees. Get 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO. Sleep better and get 20% off your Helix mattress when you use our link.  YAY.

Oliver Burkeman joins us to explore the power of imperfectionism and why waiting for the “perfect moment” is a trap. We discuss how perfectionism, productivity myths, and self-improvement frameworks can hold us back—and why embracing uncertainty is the key to doing meaningful work. Whether you're looking to improve daily habits or rethink your approach to time and purpose, this conversation will inspire you to take action despite life's inevitable messiness. ©2025 Behavioral Grooves Topics [00:00] Introduction & Why We Wait for the Perfect Moment [4:15] Meet Oliver Burkeman: Author of Meditations for Mortals [9:40] The Illusion of Control & The Productivity Trap [15:30] What “Imperfectionism” Really Means [22:45] Why Life Isn't a Problem to Be Solved [30:10] How Small Actions Create Big Meaning [38:00] The Power of Letting Go & Taking the First Step [45:50] Oliver's Music Picks & The Importance of Everyday Moments [1:00:00] Grooving Session: Final Takeaways & How to Apply This Philosophy Today ©2025 Behavioral Grooves Links Oliver Burkeman Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Join the Behavioral Grooves community Subscribe to Behavioral Grooves on YouTube Musical Links The Divine Comedy - To The Rescue  Fountains of Wayne - Someone To Love  Lin Manuel Miranda - Surface Pressure

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, Melina Palmer welcomes Oliver Burkeman, author of the New York Times bestseller 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and the newly released Meditations for Mortals. Oliver shares his insights on embracing the finite nature of life and how recognizing our limitations can lead to a more fulfilling existence. Throughout the conversation, Oliver and Melina explore the themes of productivity, time management, and the pursuit of happiness. They discuss the importance of accepting our limitations, the power of making decisions, and the benefits of focusing on what truly matters. Oliver introduces his concept of "imperfectionism," encouraging listeners to take action without waiting for the perfect moment and to embrace the messiness of life. In this episode: Discover the concept of "imperfectionism" and how it can help you live a more fulfilling life. Learn about the four-week approach in Meditations for Mortals to embrace your limitations and focus on what counts. Understand the importance of making decisions and taking action in the face of life's finite nature. Explore the idea of letting things be easier than we expect and finding joy in everyday challenges. Gain insights into how to live a more authentic and meaningful life by embracing imperfection. Visit this episode's page for important links, top recommended books and episodes, and a full transcript. Looking to explore applications of behavioral economics further?  Learn With Us on our website. Subscribe to Melina's Newsletter Brainy Bites on LinkedIn Let's connect: Send Us a Message Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube The Brainy Business on Instagram

In Episode 226 of The Mortals, Nathan returns after losing his voice and shares exciting updates about their exclusive community, including giveaways and VIP content. He dives into unfinished business, discussing everything from unresolved moments in life to haunting stories. The episode features intriguing trending topics: a haunted apartment, Facebook's AI memorials, and a eerie transmission from a lost shipwreck. It also includes random facts about a mysterious unfulfilled grave, a 90-year-old lost love letter, and a weird radio signal from deep space. Plus, Nathan shares a spine-chilling tale of a burial that resisted completion. Tune in for compelling stories, haunting thoughts, and Nathan's reflections on faith and legacy.New Merch: https://nathanmorrismusic.com/supporters_____________________________The Mortals Podcast is sponsored by Descript: https://get.descript.com/g46icf4n88mj______________________________