© 2025 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Life is short. Here's how to decide what's worth your time

Part 2 of TED Radio Hour episode "The art of choosing what to do"

Your life could unfold in infinitely different ways, but you can only choose one path. It took author Oliver Burkeman years to accept his mortal limitations and embrace a life he's actively choosing.

About Oliver Burkeman

Oliver Burkeman is a best-selling author of Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management for Mortals andThe Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. Burkeman writes a newsletter called The Imperfectionist. Burkemna spent his early career at The Guardian. At The Guardian, his column, Will Change Your Life, led him down many productivity and self-help rabbit holes. His years of reflection and research blend modern neuroscience and ancient philosophies.

This segment of  TED Radio Hour was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook (TED Radio Hour) and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Related Web Resources

Related TED Talk: The unexpected key to boosting your productivity

Related TED Talk: How to calm your anxiety, from a neuroscientist

Related TED Talk: Your 3-step guide to setting better boundaries at work

Related NPR Links

Life Kit: How To Rethink What You Spend Your Time — And Life — Doing

All Things Considered: How to write the right to-do list for you

Life Kit: Too many goals and too little time? How to focus your attention

Copyright 2025 NPR

Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
Katie Monteleone
Katie Monteleone is a producer for TED Radio Hour. She started out as an intern for the show in January 2019. After her internship, Monteleone began producing for Life Kit before returning to the TED Radio Hour team in October 2019 as a full-time producer.
Sanaz Meshkinpour
[Copyright 2024 NPR]