Laura Vanderkam

Explains how to reorganize and prioritize a weekly schedule in order to meet the demands of today's high-pressure lifestyles while still making time for personal needs and interests, sharing inspirational success stories about people who have effectively implemented the author's principles.

You Have More Time Than You Think

168 Hours

Sarah Vaughan

This book was just okay for me. While I was very interested in the idea of the book and the concept of thinking of time in weekly 168-hour blocks, a lot of Vanderkam's ideas were completely unrealistic. As a freelance graphic designer, I understand that working from home is not always a piece of cake like some people may think. But I also realize that working from home gives one a more flexible schedule. As a freelance writer who works from a home office, the author seems to think it's absolutely possible for those who work in corporate environments to simply take time off from work for personal reasons. Perhaps some people have that luxury, and that's great. But most people cannot take time off from work to exercise, spend more time with children, or invest themselves in extracurricular activities unless they are willing to give up a day without pay. At one point, the author even suggests outsourcing anything in your professional and personal life you don't want to do. Again, I'm not sure the average person can afford to hire someone to do the family's laundry simply because it's not an enjoyable task. She even suggests not doing anything at work that is not enjoyable or productive. "First, 'My boss said I had to' or 'My client said I had to' is no more a reason to do something than "I don't have time" is an excuse not to do something else. Everything in life is a choice of whether to accept certain consequences." I'm not sure about Vanderkam, but my boss and my clients are the ones who've always signed my paychecks, and the consequences of not doing what they ask me is unemployment, which would certainly free up for more time for exercise and relaxation, but would not go over so well when I couldn't pay my bills. In addition, her main argument seems to be that 168 hours is plenty of time in a week to get all you need and want to get done, done. However, when she considers 8-hour work days multiplied by five as only taking up 40 hours of a 168-hour work week, she fails to consider the five or more hour commute some people have weekly, the 9-hour workday most people have (whether or not they are able to take a lunch break is a different matter), and the fact that most people take between one and two hours preparing for work in the morning, during which most people don't have time to go on hikes or do fun activities with kids as the author suggests. In reality, the average person, after work, commuting, preparing and eating dinner, and doing housework, really only has around three hours of leisure time a day (weekday.) That adds up to around 15 hours for exercise, leisure, book clubs, and other extracurricular activities, but let's be honest, on paper that might seem like a lot, but in real life, it feels like seconds.

Explains how to reorganize and prioritize a weekly schedule in order to meet the demands of today's high-pressure lifestyles while making time for personal needs and interests.

Julien Sobczak

Alexandra Sklar

There are 168 hours in a week. This book is about where the time really goes, and how we can all use it better. It's an unquestioned truth of modern life: we are starved for time. With the rise of two-income families, extreme jobs, and 24/7 connectivity, life is so frenzied we can barely find time to breathe. We tell ourselves we'd like to read more, get to the gym regularly, try new hobbies, and accomplish all kinds of goals. But then we give up because there just aren't enough hours to do it all. Or else, if we don't make excuses, we make sacrifices. To get ahead at work we spend less time with our spouses. To carve out more family time, we put off getting in shape. To train for a marathon, we cut back on sleep. There has to be a better way-and Laura Vanderkam has found one. After interviewing dozens of successful, happy people, she realized that they allocate their time differently than most of us. Instead of letting the daily grind crowd out the important stuff, they start by making sure there's time for the important stuff. They focus on what they do best and what only they can do. When plans go wrong and they run out of time, only their lesser priorities suffer. It's not always easy, but the payoff is enormous. Vanderkam shows that it really is possible to sleep eight hours a night, exercise five days a week, take piano lessons, and write a novel without giving up quality time for work, family, and other things that really matter. The key is to start with a blank slate and to fill up your 168 hours only with things that deserve your time. Of course, you probably won't read to your children at 2:00 am, or skip a Wednesday morning meeting to go hiking, but you can cut back on how much you watch TV, do laundry, or spend time on other less fulfilling activities. Vanderkam shares creative ways to rearrange your schedule to make room for the things that matter most. 168 Hours is a fun, inspiring, practical guide that will help men and women of any age, lifestyle, or career get the most out of their time and their lives.

168 Hours You Have More Time Than You Think

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