More serenity in everyday life - A book tandem for a balanced life
Two books read in connection offer an excellent combination of thoughts: the first is “4000 Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman, and the second is “Personal Kanban” by Jim Benson and Demaria Barry.
4000 weeks
4000 weeks is about the philosophy that life is too short to optimize it and operate time management constantly. The book's subtitle is, accordingly, “Life is too short for time management.” The first reflex with too little time is how to use it optimally. For many people, this also leads to overwhelming. To contain this overwhelming, there are usually different methods. This includes, for example, time recording for later analysis and refinement, GTD (Get Things Done) for a better overview, Pomodoro techniques for higher productivity, and parallelization and/or automation of activities for increasing efficiency.
In retrospect, many people have shown that little has proven itself and has brought little - especially with the new perspective: the top maxim is the focus on “feeling good.” The unconscious feeling “The constant optimization is not good for you” was taken up by the book “4000 Weeks,” which delivers good answers and new views: things take as long as it takes - be calm and enjoy the way. If you have goals, be clear about what you want and why - whether the time is being used in meaning is done by itself. This book is recommended for everyone who wants to be a feast in these turbulent times, and the dogma " Time must be used.”
Personal Kanban
The second book, Personal Kanban, is deliberately chosen as a contrast. It shows ways to identify the tasks currently affecting you—for family, finances, volunteering, or hobbies. This overview is required to avoid feeling under or overwhelmed and, at the same time, keep an eye on the essentials to comply with commitments—because reliability is a significant value for many people.
The described “Personal Kanban” method projects the tasks that buzz in your thoughts on a structured area (the Kanban Board) to create greater clarity and control over all upcoming tasks. This also gives a feeling of security not to forget anything. Then, you can always grab and do tasks, keeping an inner serenity. Things on the board take as long as they need, and you nudge your favorites in peace.
Conclusion
Combining both books can offer an optimal balance between the serenity of the “4000 weeks” book and a clear idea of the tasks that can be achieved by “Personal Kanban.” Both books complement each other ideally and, at the same time, offer a new perspective on time management, personal well -and effective workflow. It is worthwhile reading material for anyone who strives for more clarity in life and thinks there is more than always concentrating on work and constantly optimizing.
