Stop avoiding your problems and start addressing them | Oliver Burkeman for BT+
Stop Avoiding Your Problems and Start Addressing Them | Oliver Burkeman for BT+
In his insightful talk, author and former productivity enthusiast Oliver Burkeman urges us to confront the ordinary challenges of life rather than evade them. Drawing from his book, “Meditations for Mortals,” Burkeman emphasizes that the belief we should reach a point devoid of problems is fundamentally flawed. He argues that problems are not mere annoyances; they represent meaningful opportunities for growth and creativity.
Burkeman highlights the dual struggle we face: grappling with the actual issues at hand while simultaneously feeling indignant that such problems exist. This avoidance not only intensifies anxiety but also robs us of fulfilling experiences. He proposes a radical shift in perspective — to “befriend” our problems, transforming them from daunting obstacles into manageable stepping stones.
Using the imagery of “gnawing rats” to describe our anxieties, he encourages us to acknowledge and engage with these challenges. By taking small, deliberate steps towards addressing them, we can often discover that discomfort might signal positive change rather than failure.
Join Burkeman as he challenges conventional notions of success and productivity, and learn how embracing life’s inherent difficulties can lead to deeper satisfaction and meaning.
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Up next, Why you’ll never “get on top of everything” | Oliver Burkeman for Big Think+ ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LMaT4rUdG4
Most of us are quietly waiting for our life’s problems to subside. We feel that after “solving” them, everything will be perfect, and we’ll achieve complete happiness.
In actuality, learning to live in the problems that come our way can make us happier, and expecting a frictionless life actually causes more strife for us. Journalist Oliver Burkeman reframes challenges as the path to a more meaningful life.
Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/ftm_episode/the-problem-trap/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description
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About Oliver Burkeman:
Oliver Burkeman is a bestselling author and journalist. He is best known for Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (2021), a self-help book on reframing productivity for happiness. He also publishes The Imperfectionist, an email on productivity, mortality, the power of limits, and building a meaningful life in an age of bewilderment.
About Big Think
Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content — with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster. Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields.
Video “Stop avoiding your problems and start addressing them | Oliver Burkeman for BT+” was uploaded on 10/29/2025 to Youtube Channel Big Think