Do You Have the Time?
It turns out that you do!
The Book:
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
The Author:
Laura Vanderkam
Other Info:
Published May 27, 2010 by Portfolio Hardcover
I found out about 168 Hours because the first few pages of it were included as a free sample at the end of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, another of Lauren Vanderkam’s titles. I like Vanderkam’s writing style and the fact that she doesn’t try to come across as an expert, even though I would definitely consider her one — she’s written several books about how to improve time management skills.
In 168 Hours, Vanderkam interviews several people about how they use their 168 hours of the week. She uses some people as examples of how it’s possible to get what seems like an impossible amount of things done in a single week. Other people, she uses to demonstrate how recording your time use (by utilizing a time use survey) could help you determine where to make changes in your routine so that you can make better use of your time. The time use survey is supposed to make you more aware of how you’re spending your time so that you can find more time for the things that make you happy. In all the cases where she had people do the time use survey, they all realized that they were unnecessarily spending more time on certain things, and they were able to adjust their behavior accordingly. They ended up happier as a result.
I thought the time use survey would be the most useful thing that I took away from 168 Hours, but it wasn’t. Once I started recording my time, I realized that I didn’t really need to do the survey after all. I already have free time, and I’m already pretty self-aware of how I use my time. Instead, I found that other aspects of the book, namely the tips for getting through annoying chores and tasks more efficiently, are more useful for me.
I was inspired by learning what people can and have accomplished with their time. Another big take-away was realizing that you don’t have to make a huge change to your routines make a big difference. Changing something small about the way you spend your time, and sticking with that small change day after day, can yield some pretty impressive results. Consistency is the name of the game. Plus, smaller changes are a lot easier to make than larger ones, anyway.
168 Hours is a great book for anyone who wants to get more out of all the hours in their week. Even if you’re not crunched for time, and you have plenty of free time, you can still gain some valuable tips for how to get things done from Vanderkam.
