Oliver Burkeman (born 1975) is a British author and journalist, formerly writing the weekly column ''This Column Will Change Your Life'' for the newspaper ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. In 2021, he published '' Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals'', a self-help book on the philosophy and psychology of

time management Time management is the process of planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. It involves of various demands upon a person relating to work, ...

and

happiness Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. ...

''.''

Early life and education

Burkeman was educated at

Huntington School, York Huntington School is a coeducational, comprehensive secondary school situated in Huntington, York, England, with approximately 1,500 pupils. History The school opened in September 1966 and became a comprehensive school in September 1973. ...

, and the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

. He was an undergraduate student at Christ’s College, Cambridge and served as editor of the student newspaper '' Varsity''. He graduated in 1994 with a degree in social and political sciences.

Career

Between 2006 and 2020 Burkeman wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, ''This Column Will Change Your Life.'' He has reported from London, Washington and New York.

Publications

His published books include: *''HELP!: How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done'' *''The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking'' *'' Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals''

Awards and honours

Burkeman was shortlisted for the

Orwell Prize The Orwell Prize, based at University College London, is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a boa ...

in 2006. He won the Foreign Press Association (FPA) young journalist of the year award. In 2015 he won the Foreign Press Association (FPA) science story of the year for a piece on the mystery of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

References

Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge British male journalists 1975 births Living people The Guardian journalists {{UK-journalist-stub