The Dark Side Of Being A Perfectionist - Oliver Burkeman

Oliver Burkeman is a journalist, a writer for The Guardian and an author. We often find ourselves caught in a productivity spiral, feeling as though we aren’t accomplishing enough and scalding ourselves when we fall short of impossibly high bars. What drives this constant pursuit of perfection? Is it truly beneficial to continuously seek efficiency? Expect to learn why so many of us have a ruthless obsession with being productive, the problem with trying to optimise efficiency as much as possible, why control is such a point of tension in our lives, what the relationship is between control and emotions, whether there is power in embracing your limitations instead of trying to fix them, why it’s so hard to cut ourselves some slack, how we can make writing less hard and much more… Check out Oliver’s BBC Maestro Course - https://www.bbcmaestro.com/courses/oliver-burkeman/time-management - 00:00 Why We’re Obsessed With Productivity 07:12 Humans Crave Control Over Their Lives 17:21 Strategies to Relinquish Control 23:47 Why You Need More Self-Compassion 28:33 The Source of Our Inner Tyrants 34:37 Recognising High-Quality Interruptions 39:27 Getting Rid of Fear as a Motivation 48:56 The Benefit of External Accountability 53:44 Accepting that Life is Messy 1:02:24 Oliver’s Work With the BBC 1:08:12 Where to Find Oliver - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostOliver Burkemanguest

Apr 18, 20241h 8mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: April 18, 2024
Duration: 1h 8m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Oliver Burkeman is a journalist, a writer for The Guardian and an author. We often find ourselves caught in a productivity spiral, feeling as though we aren’t accomplishing enough and scalding ourselves when we fall short of impossibly high bars. What drives this constant pursuit of perfection? Is it truly beneficial to continuously seek efficiency? Expect to learn why so many of us have a ruthless obsession with being productive, the problem with trying to optimise efficiency as much as possible, why control is such a point of tension in our lives, what the relationship is between control and emotions, whether there is power in embracing your limitations instead of trying to fix them, why it’s so hard to cut ourselves some slack, how we can make writing less hard and much more… Check out Oliver’s BBC Maestro Course - https://www.bbcmaestro.com/courses/oliver-burkeman/time-management - 00:00 Why We’re Obsessed With Productivity 07:12 Humans Crave Control Over Their Lives 17:21 Strategies to Relinquish Control 23:47 Why You Need More Self-Compassion 28:33 The Source of Our Inner Tyrants 34:37 Recognising High-Quality Interruptions 39:27 Getting Rid of Fear as a Motivation 48:56 The Benefit of External Accountability 53:44 Accepting that Life is Messy 1:02:24 Oliver’s Work With the BBC 1:08:12 Where to Find Oliver - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Oliver Burkeman
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Oliver Burkeman, The Dark Side Of Being A Perfectionist - Oliver Burkeman explores perfectionism, Control, And The Hidden Misery Of Overachievers Unpacked Chris Williamson and Oliver Burkeman explore why so many high achievers are driven by insecurity, perfectionism, and a compulsive need to prove their worth through productivity.

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