You only get 4,000 weeks for this?

Hello folks, and welcome to today's edition of Noteworthy by Speech to Note, where we delve into ideas that inspire intentional living.

Imagine this: you're handed a calendar with exactly 4,000 weeks marked on it. Each one represents a week of your life.

You start crossing them off. Suddenly, the idea of “getting everything done” feels… impossible.

And that’s exactly the point Oliver Burkeman makes in his bestselling book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.

The average human lifespan is about 4,000 weeks long. Most of us spend much of that time trying to be more productive rushing through tasks, chasing inbox zero, and trying to fit more into every day. But Burkeman argues that this way of thinking is actually making us more anxious, not more efficient.

According to recent studies, over 60% of workers say they regularly feel overwhelmed by their workload. The more tools we use to manage time, the more we seem to expect of ourselves. Burkeman calls this the efficiency trap — the better we get at clearing tasks, the more tasks we take on.

So what’s the alternative?

Burkeman offers a concept called “joyful neglect.” It’s the idea that we should stop trying to control time — and instead, start choosing what to care about. Not everything can be done. Not every email needs a reply. Not every opportunity needs to be chased.

Instead, focus deeply on a few things that matter. Let the rest go. And more importantly, accept that trade-offs are part of being human.

The takeaway? Productivity isn’t about squeezing the most out of every second. It’s about facing the truth of our limited time — and using it with intention.

Because when you only have 4,000 weeks, the goal isn’t to do more.

It’s to make what you do really count.

Community Corner:

How We Use Speech to Note to Make Work a Little Easier

We talk a lot about productivity — but sometimes the best tips aren’t found in books or apps. They come from real moments, small changes, and a little creativity.

Take Vedika, our social media intern. Between answering DMs, replying to comments, tracking engagement, and putting together weekly summaries, she was juggling a lot. Typing everything out? That took forever. So she tried something different.

Instead of sitting at her desk writing it all down, she started using Speech to Note in a way that worked for her.

Whenever she spotted a comment worth saving or responding to, she’d just speak a quick thought into her phone. “Question about our last post,” or “This one’s funny, good to reshare,” or even just “Follow up with this person next week.”

At the end of the day, everything was already written down — grouped by topic, cleaned up, and ready to go. She didn’t plan it to be a system. It just became one.

Now it’s her favorite way to manage comments and track trends without losing her voice (or her time).

🧰 Try This, If You Like

This got us thinking — Speech to Note works best when it adapts to you. Not the other way around.

Some ideas we’ve seen:

• Speak your daily goals while making coffee — look back at what really mattered that day.

• Talk through your monthly expenses or money thoughts — track your own financial story.

• Recap a meeting or a brainstorm before it fades — no need to retype what you already said.

No rules. Just a different way to remember and stay on track.

Wrapping Up

That’s it for today’s edition. We hope Burkeman’s message gives you a new way to look at time, not as something to control, but something to value.

Until next time,
Abhishek