Oliver Burkeman’s line sounds like a rebuke to the entire self-help industry, but its force is more surgical than cynical. He’s not arguing for apathy or moral decline; he’s questioning the modern habit of treating life as a continuous renovation project, where the “real” living begins only after we’ve fixed ourselves.
From that angle, “stop trying to turn yourself into a better person” points to how improvement can become a delaying tactic—a way to remain preoccupied with plans, metrics, and identity upgrades instead of committing to the messy, present-tense experience of living. The quote opens a door to a different priority: depth of attention over perfection of the self. [...]
