In the introduction to Meditations for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman describes his guiding philosophy as one of imperfectionism, an outlook that recognizes that humans are innately unable to do everything we want to do. This is not just a fact for us to accept, Burkeman asserts, but a quality that we can embrace as a starting point for finding deeper meaning in our lives and relationships. As we begin the new year and new semester, our book club will consider Burkeman’s strategy for internalizing and implementing this outlook, and discover the ways we can use it to deepen our relationships, strengthen our scholarly lives and prioritize what matters most. 

Students interested in the book club can RSVP here. We will distribute free copies of the book for the first 10 people to commit to the meeting on 📅March 5. Immediately following the book club discussion on March 5, we will host an optional workshop (open to all graduate students) with tools for implementing Burkeman’s outlook into our academic and personal lives. 

RSVP