recitations for mortals

These are my personal 'audiobook' recordings of Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman — the 'anti-self-help' book that inspired my podcast, A Podcast for Mortals, which I co-host with my good friend Amin.

If you're interested in supporting the author (or hearing a more professional recording), you can find the official audiobook here.

Otherwise, if you want to literally hear days 9, 15 and 20 in action, listen on...


week 1 — being finite

day 1 — it's worse than you think — on the liberation of defeat

day 2 — kayaks and superyachts — on actually doing things

day 3 — you only need face the consequences — on paying the price

day 4 — against productivity debt — on the power of a done list

day 5 — too much information — on the art of reading and not reading

day 6 — you can't care about everything — on staying sane when the world's a mess

day 7 — let the future be the future — on crossing bridges when you come to them

week 2 — taking action

day 8 — decision hunting — on choosing a path through the woods

day 9 — finish things — on the magic of completion

day 10 — look for the life task — on what reality wants

day 11 — just go to the shed — on befriending what you fear

day 12 — rules that serve life — on doing things dailyish

day 13 — three hours — on finding focus in the chaos

day 14 — develop a taste for problems — on never reaching the trouble-free phase

week 3 — letting go

day 15 — what if this were easy? — on the false allure of effort

day 16 — the reverse golden rule — on not being your own worst enemy

day 17 — don't stand in generosity's way - on the futility of 'becoming a better person'

day 18 — allow other people their problems - on minding your own business