Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts

“Your limitations aren’t obstacles to a meaningful existence”—they’re key to building one, according to this refreshing guide from journalist Burkeman (Four Thousand Weeks). He contends that once readers accept that “doing it all” is impossible, they can identify the handful of priorities that deserve their time and attention and better enjoy engaging in them. Laying out 28 brief lessons to be practiced over four weeks, Burkeman suggests swapping a daily to-do list for a “done list”—cataloging the tasks one has completed each day—to improve self-satisfaction; treating a to-read pile as an option rather than an obligation; and breaking tasks into “small, clearly defined packages of work” to be completed daily. Burkeman’s light touch when discussing such modern ills as doomscrolling, coupled with the smart balance he strikes between motivation and reassurance, make this an especially useful resource for burnt-out readers who want to ease their minds without upending their lives. Amid a sea of efficiency-focused, do-it-all self-help guides, this is a welcome alternative. (Oct.)