Oliver Burkeman is a journalist and an author of multiple books, including his bestseller, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. During our conversation, Oliver talks about being an insecure overachiever, his historic obsession with productivity, learning to say no to things you want to do, the 80/20 principle, and how modern life rewards winners with an unending, lifetime supply of intense work. He also discusses getting clear on what matters to you in life, the work and ideas of James Hollis, and, when facing a big life decision, asking the question, "does this choice diminish or englargen me?" ------------ Book a meeting with Dan ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:49 Oliver's struggles with time management 03:58 "The mistaken belief that it can be cured" 06:53 How Oliver has addressed his productivity addiction 12:29 The importance of saying no 16:57 Insecure overachievers and people pleasers 21:52 Today, the reward for winning is a lifetime of intense work 28:25 Human's concept of time over time 32:15 Time management in other cultures 37:33 When deciding, ask: "Does this choice englargen or diminish me?" 45:03 Quotes from James Hollis and Carl Jung 51:14 Closing comments about "Four Thousand Weeks"
Derek Sivers is an author, a TED speaker, a businessman, a musician, and one of my favorite thinkers on the planet. During our conversation, Derek talks about pursuing mastery, having enough, what success means to him, how he thinks about money, having and raising a kid, and more. Derek's book Hell Yeah or No is one of my all-time favorites, and his essays have had a huge influence on my life. I love Derek's originality, his enthusiasm for life and ideas, and most importantly, his generosity, kindness, and friendliness. ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes Book a meeting with Dan ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:37 Written off from an early age 02:45 How Derek knew he wanted to be a musician 08:55 Transitioning from a musician to a businessman 15:45 Having enough 22:33 Money 28:20 The importance of quiet, journaling and solitude 40:50 Freedom and children 54:53 Giving away $22 million 01:03:57 Lifestyle creep 01:08:39 Why Derek chooses freedom 01:11:19 Envy and maintaining minimalism 01:19:30 Success 01:21:26 Quotes from Derek's essays 01:26:07 Dan's New Zealand story 01:35:11 Small actions can have big consequences 01:37:28 Reach out to Derek: https://sive.rs/contact
Hemant Mehta is an author, a YouTuber, and an atheist activist. During our conversation, Hemant talks about his journey to atheism, the threat of Christian nationalism to secular society, and the atheist and secular movements. He also addresses the loss of community felt by those who leave religion, and the life and legacy of Daniel Dennett, including his work with The Clergy Project. ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:37 Hemant's personal and religious background 06:58 Hemant's experience losing his religious belief 08:40 Has Hemant's atheism changed him? 11:30 What persuaded Hemant to become an atheist? 14:49 Modern instances of religious overreach into secular society 20:37 Hemant's definition of atheism 22:57 What motivates Hemant's work 30:50 Christian nationalism in America 36:25 Reasons for optimism 42:19 The loss of community as people leave religion 46:58 Does Hemant have doubts about his atheist convictions? 49:22 Who does Hemant go to for information? 55:49 Dan Dennett and The Clergy Project
D.J. Taylor is a novelist, a literary critic, and the author of two biographies of George Orwell: Orwell: The Life, and Orwell: The New Life. During our conversation, D.J. talks about Orwell's life, why Orwell's books, particularly his two on totalitarianism, Animal Farm and 1984, have endured so many years after his death, and the relevance of his ideas and insights to modern times. ------------ Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:49 Who was George Orwell? 03:03 Why is Orwell so intriguing to D.J. Taylor? 05:01 Orwell's relevance over the past 20 years 08:21 How did Orwell capture totalitarianism so clearly? 13:30 The totalitarian impulse in Orwell 18:06 Orwell's commitment to his beliefs 21:59 A power of facing unpleasant facts 26:47 The void filled by the decline of religion 30:15 What was Orwell for? 34:58 Orwell's final years on Jura 38:48 Criticisms of Orwell 45:19 How would Orwell view modern times? 52:07 Euphemism and Newspeak today 54:43 Famous quotes from Orwell 55:45 Why does Orwell endure?
Camilla Kring is an author, a global speaker, and is the founder of B-Society, an organization fighting for "chronotype equality." During our conversation, Camilla talks about night owls and morning birds, why humans have a wide spectrum of sleep cycles, our cultural bias towards early birds, the damage done to night owls who are asked to fit into a morning bird society, and how we might be able to provide greater time autonomy to people to live in accordance with their own rhythms. ------------ Camilla's org, B-Society Keep Talking Substack Rate on Spotify Rate on Apple Podcasts Social media and all episodes ------------ Support via Venmo Support on Substack Support on Patreon ------------ 00:00 Intro 00:41 An "A person" vs "B person" 02:42 Social jet lag of night owls 04:17 Evolutionary reasons for night owls 11:17 How society became biased against night owls 15:32 Are night owls lazy? 21:02 The range of preferred sleeping cycles in humans 26:29 The guilt of and bias against night owls 32:14 Advice for night owls who can't control their schedule 36:12 How AM sunlight and light exposure helps people 37:22 The importance of sleep 43:18 Chronotypes and a quote from "Why We Sleep" 48:46 Can night owls turn into morning birds? 54:32 Is our society chronically sleep-deprived? 58:25 How does a sane society approach sleep?