The Week That Was: A Better Way to Think About Time Management
Plus lots of photos from my time in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The Week That Was is a Sunday letter crafted for those who seek to live with intention and curiosity. In each edition, I share a curated collection of recommendations, moments & musings from my week, and a question for you to take a moment of reverie.
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While spending a few days in Puerto Vallarta over the New Year, I finally turned to a book that had long lingered on my reading list—Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. It proved the ideal antidote to the season’s annual tide of resolutions and self-improvement ambitions. Burkeman offers a refreshingly honest and deeply philosophical exploration of our relationship with time. Rather than peddling yet another system of productivity, he dismantles the modern fixation on efficiency and control, urging readers to confront the finite nature of life—roughly 4,000 weeks if we’re fortunate—and focus on what truly matters. Woven with threads of philosophy, psychology, and cultural critique, Burkeman’s insights are as sobering as they are liberating.
The brevity of life has preoccupied thinkers since ancient Greece, and Burkeman masterfully reframes time management as a philosophical challenge rather than a logistical task. He critiques modern productivity culture—obsessed with endless to-do lists and rigid routines—for failing to address life’s deeper purpose: to embrace its fleeting wonder. His message is both humbling and freeing: no one in history has ever achieved a perfect "work-life" balance or completed everything on their to-do list. The illusion of getting “on top of things” is just that—a fantasy. Instead, Burkeman suggests relinquishing this unattainable pursuit and devoting our limited time to a few truly meaningful endeavors. Stop waiting to be happy, live your life, and experience joy until you “get it together,” that day will never come.
One of his most poignant observations is that every choice to spend time on one thing is a deliberate sacrifice of all the other ways it could have been spent. Burkeman argues that our reluctance to accept this reality fuels procrastination, anxiety, and indecision. Yet, embracing life’s finitude isn’t a cause for despair but an opportunity to focus on what truly matters. As he so beautifully puts it,
“So maybe it’s not that you’ve been cheated out of an unlimited supply of time; maybe it’s almost incomprehensibly miraculous to have been granted any time at all.”
This reframing invites readers to abandon the exhausting pursuit of optimisation and instead embrace the “gloriously possible.”
There’s a wealth of wisdom in Four Thousand Weeks, and it’s a book I know I will return to often. My copy is now marked with highlighted passages and notes—testament to the many moments of revelation it offers. Burkeman’s gentle yet incisive guidance feels like an ongoing conversation, one that will continue to shape how I think about time and how I choose to live.
curated finds that inspire, delight, and enrich
Penelope Lively’s Moon Tiger is a masterfully constructed meditation on time, memory, and identity. Told through the fragmented recollections of Claudia Hampton—a fiercely independent historian on her deathbed—the novel weaves together personal and historical narratives with remarkable elegance. Lively’s prose is crisp yet richly evocative, capturing both the sweep of global events and the intimacy of private lives. At its core, the book is a poignant exploration of how we construct our histories, blending the personal and the universal into a tapestry that is as intricate as it is compelling. First published in 1987, it went on to win the Booker Prize that same year.
The Christian Dior Cruise 2025 show was a tartan- and tweed-laden love letter to Scotland. Held at the historic Drummond Castle in Perthshire, the sweeping landscape and impeccably manicured gardens provided an atmospheric stage for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s homage to the country and its enduring ties to the house of Dior. (In 1955, Monsieur Dior famously staged a show at nearby Gleneagles Hotel—an iconic moment echoed in this latest presentation.) Inspired by Mary, Queen of Scots, the collection featured standout pieces such as the mustard-yellow tartan ensemble worn by Taylor Swift at the VMAs. The craftsmanship behind the collection was nothing short of extraordinary, as revealed in a newly released documentary chronicling the eight-month process behind its creation. From collaborating with Scottish fabric makers like Harris Tweed and Johnstons of Elgin to working with designers such as Le Kilt, Chiuri delved deep into Scotland’s rich heritage. The film also explored the intricate embroidery traditions linked to Mary, Queen of Scots, and the atmospheric addition of bagpipers to the runway soundtrack. It’s a fascinating glimpse into how Chiuri masterfully weaves history, culture, and contemporary fashion. More designers should follow suit with such behind-the-scenes storytelling—it brings a whole new dimension to the runway.
Isabel: The Intimate Story of Isabel Allende on HBO offers an evocative glimpse into the life of the world’s most widely read Spanish-language author. Over a career spanning decades, Isabel Allende has penned 26 books, weaving personal experiences and historical events with her signature touch of magical realism. This three-part series traces Allende’s journey from her early years in Lima, Peru, to her family’s move to Santiago, Chile, and her evolution into a literary icon. As a long-time admirer of her work, I was captivated by this deeper look into her life—revealing stories I hadn’t known—and, as expected from HBO, the cinematography is superb. The series also sheds light on the political upheavals in 1970s Chile and Venezuela, providing context that enriches her novels. Whether you’re a devoted fan or a newcomer to her writing, this series is a must-watch. And once you’ve seen it, her richly textured catalogue awaits exploration.
Friday nights without plans have become synonymous with homemade pizza nights for my boyfriend and me—a ritual we’ve perfected over the past year and never tire of. For Christmas, I elevated our tradition with a hand-carved pizza cutter from a Maine artisan and a Le Creuset pizza stone, which replicates the even heat distribution of a wood-fired oven. Not only does it guarantee perfectly baked crusts, but it also doubles as an elegant serving piece, taking pride of place on the dinner table when the pizza is ready to slice and enjoy.
The Row’s monthly playlists are always a treat, but January 2025 might just be their best yet. Featuring gems like Curtis Mayfield live, Carrie Cleveland, and Texas’s 90s classic “Inner Smile” (a nostalgic throwback that had me singing along instantly), it’s a carefully curated mix that strikes the perfect balance between timeless and unexpected.
a glimpse into the little joys and moments of my week
a pause to reflect, a moment to savor
If you could step into the pages of any book and live within its world for a single day, which would you choose, and why?
I would step into the world of The Waves by Virginia Woolf. A day by the sea, in sync with the rhythms of the waves and the introspective thoughts of the novel's six characters, would offer a profound connection to time, identity, and memory. As the tide ebbs and flows, I would lose myself in the delicate dance between individuality and the collective, each moment flowing seamlessly into the next. The beauty of Woolf’s prose—fluid, fragmented, yet deeply intimate—would invite me to explore the inner workings of my own thoughts in a space where the boundary between the personal and the universal dissolves.
With warmth and gratitude,
Jennifer
xxx