Four Thousand Weeks
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkemanby Oliver Burkeman
Ranked 3 of 4 productivity books by recommenders
Readers recommend it as an enlightening read that helps with anxiety and with rethinking how to spend limited time. No critical comments appeared in the discussions.
6 people recommended Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
3 of the 6 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Making Peace with Your Unlived Dreams”.
Summary written by Claude from 7 comments.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 6 of 12 months
In 6 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 6 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 50% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 6 of the 8 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Enlightening, great read
“Four Thousand Weeks" is a great book.”
Comment from 15 Oct 2026 in “Suicide rates highest ever among middle-aged men” “it was an enlightening read”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “Prioritize mental health, and why communication is so important” Resonates with readers' own experience
“I just finished reading Four Thousand Weeks and this post resonates with me a lot.”
Comment from 8 Jun 2026 in “Making Peace with Your Unlived Dreams” “Oliver Burkeman writes a passage that fits the same vibe as this piece”
Comment from 8 Sep 2026 in “Tyranny of Optionality”
Other productivity books people recommend
The three most recommended other productivity books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting Things Doneby David Allen | 13 | 1 | 4 | 76% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Deep Workby Cal Newport | 7 | 0 | 1 | 88% | 7 | — | — |
| Four Thousand Weeksby Oliver BurkemanThis page | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Essentialismby Greg McKeown | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 8 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Four Thousand Weeks" is a great book.”
“Oliver Burkeman writes a passage that fits the same vibe as this piece”
“it was an enlightening read”
“these have felt instantly life-changing”
“I just finished reading Four Thousand Weeks and this post resonates with me a lot.”
“I highly recommend the book Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman to help cope with this anxiety”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.