Lesson 7: Make Concrete Progress on a Handful of Things | Oliver Burkeman

You know the feeling: staring at a to-do list so long it could double as a scroll in an ancient library. The weight of all those unchecked boxes presses down on you, making it difficult to get started. Now, imagine just three tasks bolded and clear, while the rest fade into the background, safely tucked away to resurface when the time is right. Notice the lightness? The clarity? What if even small shifts in this direction could transform your day? In this video lesson, author Oliver Burkeman shares how to make meaningful progress by prioritizing what matters and letting the rest wait. Typical productivity approaches try to avoid the reality of making tough choices. Instead, be rigorously sequential. Decide what needs to be done now and what can wait until later. When adding a new goal for your team, ask: What are we going to move from the front burner to the back burner? If you prioritize one thing, you have to de-prioritize something else. Focusing on fewer tasks can make work easier and more enjoyable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Oliver Burkeman: Oliver Burkeman is a bestselling author and journalist. He is best known for Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (2021), a self-help book on reframing productivity for happiness. He also publishes The Imperfectionist, an email on productivity, mortality, the power of limits, and building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment.