168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think

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Well, now I know how to structure my time so I can prioritize the things that are most important to me. She advises: OMG. HAHAHA. Seriously? Raise your hand if you have a dedicated assistant? OK, even if you do have an assistant, raise your hand if that assistant is tasked with managing your work schedule/calendar AND your personal schedule/calendar (i.e. haircuts, appointments, etc.). Yeah, didn't think so. Dear Laura Vanderkam: Mad Men is not a show that takes place in the present tense. Vanderkam proposes the concept that you have 168 hours available to you in a week; if it were a blank slate, how would you fill it? After a thorough assessment of current time usage, Vanderkam provides advice on how to both design and implement your “ideal” 168-hour plan. Even 10- to 30-min pieces of time can be utilized as micro-steps towards achieving larger life goals if you are prepared and managing your time accordingly. With this approach, she insists you can accomplish everything you’ve ever wanted to do.

Even if you sleep 49 hours a week (seven per day), and work 40 hours a week, that still leaves you with a whopping unallocated 79 hours. I’m willing to go out on a limb and bet you’re either overestimating or underestimating what you’re doing with your time.There were also several insulting references to families that chose to have the wife/mom stay at home, which admittedly made continuing to read more difficult for me (I'm a stay-at-home mom). I also felt that, while she's clearly devoted to nurturing her children and advocated that strongly, the references made to nurturing one's spouse/partner were a nod-and-wave at best. So, let’s dig a little deeper into how you can go about implementing this time management strategy in your life. Laura Vanderkam’s 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think (Penguin) has two genuine insights to offer. The first is right there in the subtitle: Many of us—especially those of us who claim to be insanely busy—probably aren’t quite as overworked as we claim, and that it is in fact possible to fit in most of what you actually want to do during the typical week. The second follows more or less directly from the first: Become more self-conscious about how you use your time, and you will both accomplish more and be happier about it.”

I think Laura Vanderkam has a great take on modern life, especially for women. Since reading 168 Hours for the first time, I've returned to her thoughts on managing my time with a "portfolio mindset" again and again. Vanderkam somehow manages to combine the revolutionary with the completely practical, and the result is a fresh take on time management. If you answer “no” to these questions, look for what you can change this week and this year. Controlling Your Calendar Every time you want to do something unproductive, just do something productive instead. If you just exercise every time you want to watch tv, you'll be a competitive athlete in a couple years! Super simple.You should now have a good understanding of why thinking about your time in 24-hour increments is not always the best solution. After all, I don’t mow my lawn every 24 hours, and therefore wouldn't normally think about reducing the frequency of mowing. Monitor your energy throughout the day and figure out when you'll need zone out time. You may find that you have lower energy as a result of psychological factors (not just less sleep). Even high-intensity positive emotions can be physically and mentally taxing. And this is all not to mention that I think she just emphasizes career too much. For anyone. Of course, that reflects her audience, I suppose. Don't spend time cooking in the kitchen. You can still have a home cooked meal by opening a can of lobster bisque or microwaving a frozen burrito. (My kids thought this one was particularly hilarious.)