Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

The average human lives 4000 weeks. What is the best way to use that time? Rather than advocate ways to squeeze maximum productivity out the time. This book advocates that we instead pick fewer things to do. Picking what to do can be more important than picking what not to do. An example was given of "Inbox-zero". If we respond to all emails immediately, we may find that we receive more emails. Some of the emails we take this effort to respond to may be resolved without our response. Our efforts can just lead to more work.

What is our goal in finishing things? Do we hope to finally have time at the end to do other things? Why don't we spend time doing some of those other things now? 

The other does provide a few suggestions for improving our time management. We can serialize the things we work on. Have one small list (with 10 items or less) of things that we actively work on. The overall to-do list may have many more things. However, we don't give them any effort until they move to the "active" list. We can also serialize what we do. Focus on one thing at a time to completion. Then go to the next thing. It is ok to fail at something. Just make it explicit. It is also useful to have a list of things that are "done". Other suggestions have more to do with how to deal with life as it unfolds. Looks for bits of interesting or novel things in the boring. Cultivate "instant" generosity. We have a short time to live. We should live it the best we can.