Audiobooks narrated by Oliver Burkeman

Oliver Burkeman’s Inconvenient Truth: A BBC Radio 4 Series

Oliver Burkeman examines the insidious way in which convenience has warped our existence Bestselling author Oliver Burkeman is well known for his books and radio programmes exploring how we can lead meaningful and productive lives in an age of overwhelm. This time, he brings his keen sense of the ridiculous to bear on our obsession with convenience, looking at the hidden pitfalls of a life of ease. Over the past 20 years, the on-demand industry has flourished, promising to solve our problems, save us time and spare us from tedious, time-consuming tasks. But, in attempting to excise mundane experiences, we've inadvertently ended up getting rid of many things that are actually necessary for our well-being. Having everything delivered denies us the chance to interact with other people, leaving us lonelier. Services such as Apple Pay encourage us to make pointless purchases, meaning we're less likely to have spare cash to give to someone begging on the street. And our demands for immediacy and instant gratification have made us lazier and more impatient. In these five episodes, Oliver attempts to assess the consequences of our reliance on convenience. Helping him are a wealth of authors and thinkers, including Kat Rosenfield, Julian Baggini, Jonathan Rowson, Mark Manson and Coco Krumme. He asks how our sense of belonging is undermined by frictionless travel and effortless digital communication; spends time with the gig economy workers who pick up the tab to smooth our path; delves into the spiritual and psychological implications of convenience; and explains how, since moving from Brooklyn to rural Yorkshire, he has come to love his less convenient life. Throughout, Oliver shows how convenience culture has made our lives subtly worse - and how, by resisting its temptations at least some of the time, we could become happier, healthier and more fulfilled individuals. Production credits Presented by Oliver Burkeman Produced by Peter McManus Executive Producer: Heather Kane-Darling With Kat Rosenfield, Julian Baggini, Jonathan Rowson, Mark Manson, Craig Lambert, Coco Krumme First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 May-2 June 2023 © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman (Narrator)

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Oliver Burkeman: Living with the News: A BBC Radio 4 Series

Oliver Burkeman explains why we need to pay less, not more, attention to the news Award-winning journalist and author Oliver Burkeman has written three bestselling books on happiness, productivity and time management. Now, in this thought-provoking radio series, he looks at the way we consume and obsess over the news, and why it's so bad for us. Tracing the origins of the modern news cycle, from the first mass production of newspapers in the 19th century to 24-hour rolling news and the alluring interactivity of social media, he shows how we have gone from a scarcity to a superabundance of information. Hooked by attention-grabbing headlines, we've dived into the dramas of presidential politics, pandemics and wars, feeling actively involved in - and infuriated by - things we can't control. And this illusory sense of participation in events inevitably causes stress, anxiety and a loss of perspective. So how do we rethink our dysfunctional relationship with the news? Talking to authors, academics and media experts including Emily Bell, Robert Talisse, Pandora Sykes, Rolf Dobelli and 'Doomscrolling Reminder Lady' Karen K Ho, Oliver considers how we can free ourselves from the relentless grip of the news. Do we have to be up to speed with the latest stories to be responsible citizens, or is our increasing engagement with current affairs actually bad for democracy? Is going cold turkey the solution, or could simply stepping back, pausing and reflecting be the key to greater understanding? And is it possible, by focussing only on issues over which we can personally exert an influence, to let the rest of the world take its course? Over five fascinating episodes, Oliver shows how we can switch our default state, put real life centre stage - and make the news somewhere we visit, rather than where we live. Production credits Presented by Oliver Burkeman Produced by Peter McManus With Charlie Beckett, Tanya Goodin, Emily Bell, Karen K Ho, Bryan McLaughlin, Rossalyn Warren, Robert Talisse, Ben Toff, Pandora Sykes, Rolf Dobelli, Graeme Forbes First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19-23 December 2022 © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman (Narrator)

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Oliver Burkeman: Epidemics of Modern Life: A BBC Radio 4 collection

Oliver Burkeman's guides to leading a better life in an age of confusion Journalist and author Oliver Burkeman is well-known for his long-running Guardian column, 'How to Change Your Life', and has written three bestselling books on happiness, productivity and time management. In this radio collection, he looks at four central ills of modernity - busyness, anger, the insistence on positivity and the decline of nuance. Talking to a range of experts, he discovers how these problems became so widespread, and how we can go about tackling them. In Addicted to Busy (first broadcast as Oliver Burkeman is Busy), Oliver explores why we all feel so busy nowadays, asking whether we've talked ourselves into feeling overwhelmed, and if our problem might not be lack of time, but lack of bandwidth. Could the solution lie not in working harder, but in indulging in a little idleness? The Power of Negative Thinking sees Oliver examining the virtues of negativity. Asking why 'thinking yourself happy' can so often have the opposite effect, he probes the ways in which negative visualisation can achieve positive results; considers the phenomenon of hedonic adaptation; ponders whether workplace fun is ever a good idea; and wonders whether confronting our own mortality could make us happier. And in a special one-off episode, The Impostor's Survival Guide, he inquires why so many of us spend our working lives feeling like a fraud. Where do these feelings come from, and what can be done about them? In Why Are We So Angry?, Oliver attempts to understand why we are frequently so full of fury. Explaining how anger gave humans an evolutionary edge, he divulges how companies today profit from our outrage; investigates how anger can be essential for social change; learns how to manage rage in a healthy way; and asks if the future will become ever more angry, or if there's a point where our anger will finally break. Finally, in The Death of Nuance, he looks at how nuance is vanishing from public discourse. He discovers that our brains are wired for snap decisions, and that language can limit our capacity for nuanced thought - depending on how we choose to use it. He also considers how to open minds through moderation; explores how society has become polarised across political divides and reveals how to restore nuance and evolve our thinking in a changing world. Production credits Presented by Oliver Burkeman Produced by Peter McManus Addicted to Busy: Why Life Has Got So Hectic first broadcast as Oliver Burkeman is Busy, BBC Radio 4, 12-16 September 2016 With Maria Popova, Tony Crabbe, Jonathan Gershuny, Brigid Schulte, Stephanie Brown, Dan Ariely, David Drever and his team, Eldar Shafir, Mark Cropley, Andrew Smart, Tom Hodgkinson The Power of Negative Thinking first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21-25 November 2016 With Gabriele Oettingen, Russ Harris, Jim Trodden, Derrick Jensen, Peter Congdon, Carol Barraclough, Kelsang Zamling, Kiera Lawlor, Ian Bogost, Marcus Coates, Josefine Speyer, Rebecca Green Why Are We So Angry? first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 October-14 November 2018 With Ryan Martin, Aaron Sell, Maya Tamir, Mark Vernon, Charlie Beckett, Molly Crockett, Tobias Rose-Stockwell, Martin Boyce, Brett Ford, Martha C. Nussbaum The Death of Nuance first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 December 2020-1 January 2021 With Kevin Dutton, Susan Neiman, Tim Lomas, Naomi Baron, Damon Linker, Daniel Ravner, Robert B. Talisse, Poppy Noor, Richard Holloway © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman, Various (Narrator)

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Four Thousand Weeks: Embrace your limits. Change your life.

Brought to you by Penguin. The average human lifespan is absurdly, outrageously, insultingly brief: if you live to 80, you have about four thousand weeks on earth. How should we use them best? Of course, nobody needs telling that there isn't enough time. We're obsessed by our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, the struggle against distraction, and the sense that our attention spans are shrivelling. Yet we rarely make the conscious connection that these problems only trouble us in the first place thanks to the ultimate time-management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks. Four Thousand Weeks is an uplifting, engrossing and deeply realistic exploration of this problem that draws on philosophy, literature and psychology to cover the past, present and future of our battles with time. It goes far beyond practical tips, and its many revelations will transform the reader's worldview. Drawing on the insights of ancient philosophers, Benedictine monks, artists and authors, Scandinavian social reformers, renegade Buddhist technologists and many others, Oliver Burkeman sets out to realign our relationship with time - and in doing so, to liberate us from its grasp. © Oliver Burkeman 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman (Narrator)

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The Here and Now: 10 experts show you how to be more mindful, calm and focused

Brought to you by Penguin. Survive and thrive in uncertain times by listening to the insights and inspirational ideas of world-leading experts on staying calm, focused and in control, brought to you by Penguin. Too much time on your hands? Too busy to think? Too tired to do anything? Too anxious? Life as we know it presents us all with different challenges - whether it's the anxiety of loneliness or the stress of being cooped up with the kids 24/7, working at all hours from home or finding yourself unable to fill the long hours of each day. By listening to The Here and Now you'll discover how to master the difficult art of living in the moment. Combining the expertise of some of Penguin's most trusted authors, this audio collection of practical wisdom and calming advice will help keep you grounded during these uncertain times. · Let Chloe Madeley advise you on exercising at home. · Allow The Mindfulness Project to reconnect you with nature. · Banish anxiety with Chloe Brotheridge. · Sophie Fletcher's advice will help keep your family (and yourself) calm and connected. · Follow Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis' advice as they redefine what a successful career means. · Listen to Dr Amir Khan's advice on how to achieve better sleep results. · Let Rukmini Iyer introduce you to the joys of cooking. · Learn from Sara Milne Rowe how to adjust your habits for positive change.. Incorporating guided walks, meditation exercises, workout routines and so much more, this enriching, affirming guide will help each of us realign how we are living right now to make every moment the very best it can be, and develop habits and strategies that will last a lifetime. (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Amir Khan, Chloe Brotheridge, Chloe Madeley, Helen Tupper, Oliver Burkeman, Rukmini Iyer, Sara Milne Rowe, Sarah Ellis, Sophie Fletcher, The Mindfulness Project (Author), Amir Khan, Chloe Brotheridge, Chloe Madeley, Helen Tupper, Oliver Burkeman, Rukmini Iyer, Sara Milne Rowe, Sarah Ellis, Sophie Fletcher, The Mindfulness Project (Narrator)

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The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking

Brought to you by Penguin. What if 'positive thinking' and relentless optimism aren't the solution to the happiness dilemma, but part of the problem? Oliver Burkeman turns decades of self-help advice on its head and paradoxically forces us to rethink our attitudes towards failure, uncertainty and death. It's our constant efforts to avoid negative thinking that cause us to feel anxious, insecure and unhappy. What if happiness can be found embracing the things we spend our lives trying to escape? Wise, practical and funny, The Antidote is a thought-provoking, counter-intuitive and ultimately uplifting read, celebrating the power of negative thinking. 'Burkeman has written some of the most truthful and useful words on happiness to be published in recent years' Guardian

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman (Narrator)

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The Power of Negative Thinking: and how it can be a powerful route to joy, success and satisfaction

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman (Narrator)

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Why Are We So Angry?: And what is it doing to the world?

Why is everyone so angry nowadays, and what is it doing to the world? In the developed world we live in a blessed epoch, a time and a place where life has never been better. Infant mortality has been all but abolished, we have greater personal choice than ever before, we have access to technology that would have been seen as the stuff of science fiction little more than a decade ago. We are safer and wealthier than at any time in human history. So why are we so damn angry about everything? On-line, in the street, in the ballot box, anger is the most dominant public emotion of our age. So what are we so angry about, and how is our anger shaping our world? We know the issues that people seem to be angry about - the iniquities of globalisation, diversity, democratic disconnect - but why has anger become our default emotion when responding to the state of the world- and what is anger doing to the world we live in? Oliver Burkeman is an award-winning feature writer for the Guardian. He writes a popular weekly column on psychology, 'This Column Will Change Your Life', and has reported from London, Washington and New York.

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman (Narrator)

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Addicted to Busy: Why life has got so hectic

There's a ritual of the modern workplace - one you've heard and most likely indulged in yourself. It's the call and response we go through when you ask a workmate how they're doing: 'Busy!' 'So busy.' It is pretty obviously a boast disguised as a complaint. And our simultaneously grim and half chuckled reply comes as a kind of congratulation: 'Ha, better than the opposite.' When did we start doing that? As if he didn't have enough to do, Oliver Burkeman explores this epidemic of busyness to reveal that it may not be what it at first seems. He asks if we are talking ourselves into feeling overwhelmed with busyness, and if our problem with busyness is not that we do not have the time but rather we literally do not have the head space. He questions whether people have become addicted to busy, either because it makes them feel like heroes fighting the odds, or because problems can be avoided by never sitting still. Finally, he examines whether the solution to busyness is perhaps not to work harder and organise ourselves, but to indulge in a little idleness. Oliver Burkeman is an award-winning feature writer for the Guardian. He writes a popular weekly column on psychology, 'This Column Will Change Your Life', and has reported from London, Washington and New York. Produced by Peter McManus. This programme was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 as 'Oliver Burkeman Is Busy.'

Oliver Burkeman (Author), Oliver Burkeman (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Oliver Burkeman