Ep. 250: Productivity Advice Meets Self-Compassion: Overcome Overwhelm and Perfectionism with Oliver Burkeman

Mary's Cup of Tea: the Self-Love Podcast for Women

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your to‑do list? This episode is truly the best productivity advice you'll ever receive because it's built on a foundation of self-compassion. It's Oliver Burkeman exposes why mainstream time management hacks fail and how accepting your human finitude liberates you to be meaningfully productive.

You will learn how to...

• redefine productivity beyond endless to‑do lists
• ditch hustle culture, but still do what matters most
• approach time management with self-acceptance and self-compassion
• unlock mental shifts that free you from perfectionism, anxiety, and overwhelm
• care about the world’s problems without succumbing to paralyzing despair

Remember: One day, you will die with an unfinished to-do list. No amount of productivity hacks will avoid that. Let this truth liberate you to focus on what truly matters and approach your workload with self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-love.

OLIVER BURKEMAN is the acclaimed author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts. His earlier works include The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking and HELP! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done. For years, he penned the Guardian column “This Column Will Change Your Life,” and his writing has been featured in the Observer, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Psychologies magazine, and New Philosopher. A former Brooklyn resident, Oliver now lives with his wife and son in England’s North York Moors.

Sign up for Oliver’s newsletter, The Imperfectionist Please get yourself copies of Four Thousand Weeks and Meditations for Mortals!!

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Mentioned In This Episode...

• Productivity for Self-Lovers, Ep. 125 on Mary's Cup of Tea Podcast
• Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray, Love
• Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Committed
• Resonance: A Sociology of Our Relationship to the World by Hartmut Rosa
• New York Times article on Novelty
• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
• Are We Still Empathic if We Don't Take Action?