Best Big Bend Writing Club Podcasts (2025)

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STEVEN PINKER: How Common Knowledge and Rationality Make the World Go Round 1:11:27

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4d ago1:11:27

1:11:27

Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker shares five key insights from his brand new book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows. He reveals how “common knowledge” — the hidden force of knowing what others know — shapes everything from financial bubbles and political revolutions to why we say “Netflix and chill.” Then we revisit our 2021 conversation w…

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AI & THE BRAIN: How Different Are They? 1:22:13

6d ago1:22:13

1:22:13

Today's AI runs on neural networks, a design originally inspired by the human brain. As these systems grow more sophisticated, they're raising a profound question: Even if they don't work exactly like our brains, could something resembling a "mind" eventually emerge from the machines we're building? Guests: Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland Book: The …

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Best Of: Jonathan Haidt on What Social Media Is Doing to Our Kids 1:23:31

18d ago1:23:31

1:23:31

It’s rare these days for a book to go viral, but that’s exactly what happened with The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. Now in its 75th week on the New York Times’ bestseller list, the book reveals a startling truth: Starting in 2012, teen depression rates suddenly s…

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ARTHUR C. BROOKS: Success Won’t Make You Happy — Here’s What Will 1:20:28

25d ago1:20:28

1:20:28

Arthur C. Brooks is an unlikely happiness guru. He’s not a psychologist, philosopher, or mystic. He’s an economist and public policy analyst who, for years, ran a prominent think tank. But rubbing shoulders with heads of state and titans of industry made him miserable. Confronted with the sobering realization that for too long he’d privileged work …

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THE FUTURE OF WRITING: A Conversation with Ethan Mollick and Steven Johnson 54:58

27d ago54:58

54:58

What if, thanks to AI, you can now research and write a book two, three, or even four times faster? For authors and AI pioneers Steven Johnson (Editorial Director, NotebookLM and Google Labs) and Ethan Mollick (Wharton professor and creator of One Useful Thing), that's the new reality. In this episode, they crack open their personal toolkits to rev…

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Best Of: Sebastian Junger’s Journey to the Edge and Back 1:03:25

1M ago1:03:25

1:03:25

On a June night several years ago, Sebastian Junger, bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo, lay on an operating table, dying. An undiagnosed aneurysm in his pancreatic artery had ruptured, flooding his abdominal cavity with blood. His odds of survival were between 10 and 20 percent. "I s…

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INTUITION: The Science of Trusting Your Gut 59:11

1M ago59:11

59:11

We all have eureka moments, sudden bursts of certainty that seem to come out of nowhere. What if you could summon that feeling on command? Laura Huang, a business school professor, has been studying that question. She’s found that for the world's most successful people, intuition isn't an accident. It's a skill. A tool they’ve sharpened. Today on t…

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Can Rogue Archeologists Bring the Past Back to Life? 48:14

2M ago48:14

48:14

We have a pretty good idea what ancient civilizations looked like. But what did they taste, smell, and feel like? 📕 Dinner with King Tut by Sam Kean 📱 Sign up for Next Big Idea Club+ on Apple Podcasts, and you’ll get ad-free listening, bonus episodes, subscriber-only shows, and more. 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Sign up for our …

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WHAT WE VALUE: A Neuroscientist's Guide to Making Better Choices 1:08:38

2M ago1:08:38

1:08:38

All day long, your brain makes subconscious value calculations. It looks at every decision and asks, "What is going to be most rewarding for me right this very minute?" That creates a gap, doesn't it? A gap between the person you want to be and the choices you actually make. Today on the show, neuroscientist Emily Falk explains the science behind t…

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SUPER AGERS (Part 2): Eric Topol on Sleep, GLP-1s, and AI 41:01

2M ago41:01

41:01

In part two of our interview with Eric Topol, author of the New York Times bestseller Super Agers, we cover how to get a good night's sleep, why one day everyone may take GLP-1s, and how AI is poised to transform medicine. 1️⃣ Missed Part 1? Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 📚 Become an executive member of the Next Big Idea Club, and we'll se…

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SUPER AGERS (Part 1): The Revolutionary New Science of Longevity 1:12:35

2M ago1:12:35

1:12:35

For years, cardiologist Eric Topol hunted for the rarest people in America: those over 80 who had never been sick. When he finally found 1,400 of them, he made a shocking discovery. It wasn't their genes. These "super agers" were often the last ones standing in families where everyone else died decades earlier. So what separates people who live int…

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GENIUS MYTH: The Dangerous Allure of Rule-Breakers 46:52

3M ago46:52

46:52

Sign up for our Substack! Arthur Schopenhauer said, “Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.” Thomas Edison famously claimed, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Helen Lewis has a different take entirely. To her, the term genius licenses noxious eccentricities, exasperating ego trips, and dow…

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Best Of: Life Lessons From Wired Co-Founder Kevin Kelly 55:05

3M ago55:05

55:05

Sign up for our daily Substack here! Kevin Kelly has made a career out of looking to the future. He helped pioneer online social networking all the way back in the 1980s, and he co-founded Wired, the magazine devoted to digital technology, when the internet was still an infant. But in his new book, Excellent Advice for Living, he looks backward. It…

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AI FIRST: The Tsunami Is Already Here 1:02:46

3M ago1:02:46

1:02:46

AI, according to Andy Sack and Adam Brotman, co-founders of Forum3 and co-authors of the new book AI First, isn't just a neat new tool. It's "a tsunami of technology and capabilities." And if you don't start learning how to use it properly, they say, "you are absolutely gonna be left behind." The problem? Most people are using AI wrong. They're tre…

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Best Of: Michael Lewis Runs Toward Pleasure 1:10:58

3M ago1:10:58

1:10:58

This is one of our favorite conversations from the last year. On the surface, it's an interview we did with Michael Lewis to coincide with the paperback release of Going Infinite, his book about Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX. Michael, who spent months hovering over Sam's shoulder, believes he wasn't some malevolent grifter: he was an aw…

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How Susan Cain Found Her Voice 45:23

3M ago45:23

45:23

Susan Cain always knew she wanted to be a writer. But her path to becoming one was anything but straightforward. She took a creative writing class in college and came away convinced she wasn’t very talented. So she pivoted: law school, white-shoe firm, eyes set on making partner. Seven years later, a senior partner walked into her office with life-…

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HOPE FOR CYNICS: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness 57:06

4M ago57:06

57:06

We think that cynicism protects us from being disappointed by other people. But Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki says the opposite is true. When we expect the worst in people, we create a self-fulfilling prophecy that brings out exactly what we feared. So in his new book, Hope for Cynics, Jamil sets out to prove that hope isn't naive: it's smart. 🎁…

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RISE ABOVE: How to Realize Your Full Potential 44:36

4M ago44:36

44:36

Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman broke free from resentment and rumination, shifting into what he calls an empowerment mindset. Are you ready to do the same? • Support our show by becoming a Next Big Idea Club member. Learn more here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Next Big Idea Club

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MORAL AMBITION: Are You Wasting Your Talent? 1:19:48

4M ago1:19:48

1:19:48

What if everything we've been told about having a successful career is wrong? Rutger Bregman thinks most of us are wasting our working lives and argues we should stop trying to get rich and start trying to solve the world's problems instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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NVIDIA: Jensen Huang Bet Big on AI. What Comes Next? 1:20:51

5M ago1:20:51

1:20:51

In his new book, The Thinking Machine, Stephen Witt offers a riveting portrait of Jensen Huang, who went from immigrant dishwasher to CEO of the world’s most valuable company. • If you enjoyed this episode, check out our conversation with Walter Isaacson about his biography of Elon Musk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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EXPLORATION: Why We Seek Out Big Challenges 52:06

5M ago52:06

52:06

Humans are wired to explore. So why are we less adventurous than ever — and what are we losing because of it? Guest: Alex Hutchinson, author of The Explorer’s Gene Further Listening: Looking for more episodes about adventure? Check out our conversations with Colin O’Brady and David Grann Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice…

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AI 2027: What If Superhuman AI Is Right Around the Corner? 1:36:07

5M ago1:36:07

1:36:07

Could AI take over in the next few years? Daniel Kokotajlo thinks so. Here’s why. 💿 Check out this Spotify playlist of our other episodes about AI 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter, and you’ll get daily, bite‑sized insights from the best new nonfiction books — in audio or text — straight fro…

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THE ART OF EDITING: Graydon Carter on the Golden Age of Magazines 58:38

5M ago58:38

58:38

Remember magazines? Piled high on coffee tables or tucked into seatback pockets. Savored beneath beach umbrellas or skimmed anxiously in dental waiting rooms. Glorious, glossy magazines. Graydon Carter made some of the best. He started with Spy, a sly, sharp-edged monthly that managed to feel both smarter and more mischievous than anything else on …

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FAMILY DYNAMICS: Unraveling the Mystery of Sibling Success 51:51

5M ago51:51

51:51

You know those families where the kids all grow up to be remarkably successful? New York Times journalist Susan Dominus has spent the last few years getting to know some of them, looking for parenting techniques and life lessons. She's written a book about her findings called The Family Dynamic. "I thought I wrote a book about high-achieving famili…

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ABUNDANCE: Derek Thompson on How to Actually Rebuild the American Dream 1:12:16

6M ago1:12:16

1:12:16

Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson is probably the most talked-about book in the country right now. And the most hotly debated. It’s a book about how we got here — here being a country without enough housing, a country that has lost its ambitious optimism, a country that has forgotten how to build. The prescription Ezra and Derek offer to c…

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WHY GIVERS WIN: Adam Grant Revisits 'Give and Take' 1:07:39

6M ago1:07:39

1:07:39

We’re often told that success comes down to talent, hard work, and luck. But Adam Grant's research suggests that view is missing something crucial. In today’s installment of Next Big Idea Classics, Adam revisits his 2013 bestseller “Give and Take,” explaining how our interactions with others determine who thrives and who doesn’t. 💿 For Adam’s previ…

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BITCOIN: A 15-Year Quest to Unmask the Mysterious Inventor of Crypto 57:20

6M ago57:20

57:20

In 2008, a mysterious figure created Bitcoin — a digital currency without banks or borders that sparked a global financial movement. And then he disappeared without a trace. Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Why did he vanish? And why hasn’t he touched his $100 billion fortune? Today on the show, we talk to journalist Ben Wallace about his search for answer…

1101
YOU, BUT BETTER: The Science and Promise of Personality Change 50:25

6M ago50:25

50:25

Can you change who you are? When reporter Olga Khazan decided she was tired of being a “high-strung misanthrope” (her words), she turned to science for answers. What she discovered about personality — and how to change it — might surprise you. Host: Daniel Pink Guest: Olga Khazan Book: Me, But Better This episode was recorded live at Politics and P…

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CARL ZIMMER: The Untold Story of the Air We Breathe 55:31

7M ago55:31

55:31

Every day you inhale 2,000 gallons of air. What’s in there? 📕 Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe by Carl Zimmer 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter, and you’ll get daily, bite‑sized insights from the best new nonfiction books — in audio or text — straight from the authors. Si…

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SAHIL BLOOM: The 5 Types of Wealth 1:04:50

7M ago1:04:50

1:04:50

Turns out it’s not all about the Benjamins. Real success, according to Sahil Bloom, author of “The 5 Types of Wealth,” also requires the freedom to decide how you spend your time, meaningful relationships, a sense of purpose that pulls you forward, and the kind of health that lets you actually enjoy all of the above. 📩 Want to transform your day in…

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STORY: How to Tell a Great One (Part 2) 44:56

7M ago44:56

44:56

In part two of our conversation with Will Storr about his new book A Story Is a Deal, he reveals the five storytelling techniques you can use to captivate any audience. Plus, he helps us craft the story of the Next Big Idea Club. 1️⃣ Listen to Part 1 here 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Sign up for our Book of the Day newsletter, a…

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STORY: The Science Behind Humanity’s Superpower (Part 1) 53:54

7M ago53:54

53:54

Today, we’re sitting down with Will Storr, author of the dazzling new book A Story Is a Deal, to talk about humanity’s greatest invention: story. More than just entertainment, Will argues, story is what we do and who we are. It’s how we make sense of the world, captivate, and persuade. And yet for all its power, storytelling isn’t some elusive magi…

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The Former Head of USAID on Why Foreign Aid Benefits Everyone 52:22

8M ago52:22

52:22

When Rajiv Shah was in his late 20s and didn’t know what to do with his life, he got a job at a fledgling nonprofit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Before he knew it, he was a driving force behind a global vaccination program that immunized 900 million children and saved 16 million lives. At 36, he became the administrator of the United Sta…

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Three Things We Learned Last Year 36:14

8M ago36:14

36:14

In this special audio essay, Rufus reflects on the big ideas from 2024 that altered his worldview. 🎙️ You can find all of the interviews mentioned in this episode in this Spotify playlist 📩 Want to transform your day in just 10 minutes? Subscribe to our Book of the Day newsletter, and you’ll get daily, bite‑sized insights from the best new nonficti…

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SUPERAGENCY: What Could Go Right With AI? 1:00:29

8M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

A recent Pew Research survey found that most Americans are more worried than excited about AI. Reid Hoffman, however, isn't one of them. He knows the risks — arms races, runaway superintelligence, the whole humans-being-turned-into paperclips scenario — but he's still convinced that AI is poised to usher in an era of extraordinary human progress. A…

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SHIFT: How to Manage Your Emotions 1:07:15

8M ago1:07:15

1:07:15

We've got a special treat for you today. We invited Ethan Kross — psychologist, neuroscientist, and author of the bestseller "Chatter" — to give us a sneak peek at his new book, "Shift." It comes out in February, and it's a myth-busting, science-based guide to mastering your emotional life using tools you already possess. 📕 Pre-order Ethan's book h…

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WINTER: The Secret to Thriving in the Darkest Season 58:57

8M ago58:57

58:57

In our deeply divided nation, there's one thing many of us seem to agree on: winter is the worst. A recent study found that nearly half of Americans would skip winter if they could. Yet not everyone dreads the cold months. Psychologist Kari Leibowitz has spent years studying these winter-lovers, and she's arrived at a surprising truth: people who t…

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DRIVE: A Fresh Look at the Science of Motivation (with Daniel Pink) 1:10:47

9M ago1:10:47

1:10:47

What drives human motivation? For years, the answer seemed simple: rewards. Dangle the right carrot — a bonus, stock options, "Employee of the Month" certificate — and people will perform. But Daniel Pink's 2009 bestseller "Drive" flipped this idea on its head. Drawing on decades of scientific research, Dan revealed that our deepest motivations com…

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James Clear’s Ultimate Guide to Building Good Habits (Encore) 1:16:13

9M ago1:16:13

1:16:13

Forming a new habit is tough. Sticking with it is even tougher. That’s probably why someone buys a copy of James Clear’s 2018 book “Atomic Habits” every 11 seconds. James breaks down the science of habit formation into simple, actionable steps anyone can take — even you. Today on the show, he talks Rufus through the four laws of behavior change, ex…

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How to Find Purpose, Meaning, and Success (2022) 1:10:59

9M ago1:10:59

1:10:59

Arthur C. Brooks used to run a prominent think tank where he was paid handsomely to influence public policy. Did all that success make him happy? Nope. So Arthur quit his job and set out to transform his life. Now he’s written a book about what he learned along the way, the #1 New York Times bestseller “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, H…

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WHAT IS LIFE? (Part 2): Consciousness, AI, and Aliens 58:09

9M ago58:09

58:09

Does free will exist on a sliding scale? Will humans and AI co-evolve? Are aliens already here on earth? These are just a few of the many mind-bending questions Rufus and Sara Walker, author of “Life as No One Knows It,” explore in the second half of their conversation. 1️⃣ If you missed the first half of Sara’s interview, you can find it here 🧪 Wa…

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WHAT IS LIFE? (Part 1): A Mind-Bending Conversation with Sara Walker 1:01:26

10M ago1:01:26

1:01:26

We’ve had many bracing thinkers on this show, but Sara Walker might take the cake. A physicist and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, she's just written "Life as No One Knows It: The Physics of Life's Emergence," a thrilling exploration of life's origins and the search for it across the cosmos. 🕐 The second part of this conversation will b…

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STRATEGY: How to Make Better Plans 1:00:47

10M ago1:00:47

1:00:47

You may think you know what strategy is, but Seth Godin is willing to bet you haven’t got a clue. It’s not just setting goals. It’s not just making plans. It’s— Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out. 📕 This Is Strategy by Seth Godin ✉️ Want big idea delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for our newsletter Book of the Day here 🎙️ If you enjo…

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TECH AGNOSTIC: How Technology Became the World's Top Religion 52:59

10M ago52:59

52:59

Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard and MIT, wants you to think twice before putting your faith in Silicon Valley's promises. 🎙️ Follow The Next Big Idea Daily on Apple or Spotify 🎁 Take 20% off a Next Big Idea Club membership or gift when you use PODCAST20 at nextbigideaclub.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho…

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The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect (2023) 1:07:06

10M ago1:07:06

1:07:06

When he was 26, Will Guidara took the helm of a middling brasserie in New York City called Eleven Madison Park. A decade later, it was named the best restaurant in the world. How did he pull off this unprecedented transformation? By practicing unreasonable hospitality. (This episode first aired in Sept. 2023.) 📕 Unreasonable Hospitality 📬 Take 50% …

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CATCHING SOULS: An Obituary Writer’s Lessons for Living 52:55

10M ago52:55

52:55

For two decades, Ann Wroe has written weekly obituaries for The Economist. Some of her subjects are luminaries (Queen Elizabeth II, Paul Newman). Others are little-knowns (cheesemakers, storm chasers, typewriter repairmen). But all of them, in Ann’s words, “have enhanced the world by their existence.” Her obituaries are celebrations of life, and An…

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THE INTERESTING: How to Live the Good Life 1:04:35

10M ago1:04:35

1:04:35

Philosophers have long maintained that the Good Life is braided from two strands: pleasure and purpose. But Middlebury’s Lorraine Besser says there’s a third: psychological richness — or, as she calls it, The Interesting. Interesting experiences, she contends, captivate our minds, engage our thoughts and emotions, and often change our perspective. …

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A Productivity Podclass with Cal Newport 41:19

11M ago41:19

41:19

Do fewer things. Work at a natural pace. Obsess over quality. These are Cal Newport's three principles for achieving your goals without burning out. Today, in a special preview of our first-ever podclass, Cal explains how to harness the power of slow productivity to bring meaning, purpose, and a genuine sense of accomplishment into your life and wo…

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Human History Is Not Set In Stone 1:10:15

11M ago1:10:15

1:10:15

What if everything we think we know about the history of our species is wrong? That’s the provocative question at the heart of a new book by today’s guest, David Wengrow. Hailed as fascinating, brilliant, and potentially revolutionary, “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity” debuted at no. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. Drawin…

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Want a More Meaningful Life? Embrace Your Limitations. 1:20:16

11M ago1:20:16

1:20:16

In his mega-bestseller “Four Thousand Weeks,” Oliver Burkeman showed that the shortness of life “isn’t a reason for unremitting despair, or for living in an anxiety-fueled panic about making the most of your limited time. It’s a cause for relief.” Now, in “Meditations for Mortals,” he invites us to embrace what he calls “imperfectionism.” Accept yo…