The efficiency trap

AI, Productivity, and Human Finitude: A Conversation With Oliver Burkeman

An empty to-do list is a familiar fantasy. We yearn for the mundane to be complete (inbox empty, laundry clean, plumber called) so that we can turn our attention to the sublime. The novel we’d write, the marathon we’d run, the vacation we’d take if we just had the time. “The day is never coming when all of the other stuff will be ‘out of the way,’ so you can turn at last to building a life of meaning and accomplishment that hums with vitality,” writes Oliver Burkeman in his book, Meditations for Mortals. “For finite humans, the time for that has to be now.” That means choosing carefully how we want to use our limited time and letting the rest fade away. ….[READ]