168 Hours (Paperback, 2011, Portfolio)
Paperback, 272 pages
Published May 31, 2011 by Portfolio.
Not meant for all. For the person who can take their week on a grid and schedule it, this book sets up a process to do just that. Touches a bit on flow. This is essentially time block planning.
Does dive into some anonymous calendars and shows how the person used her method, saying no to useless things, focusign on what's important, and how it moved their life.
[My review of the 12min summary]
Laura Vanderkam says that we're not over-worked and time deprived. There's 168 hours in a week, and you're going to use all of them, goddammit!
Yes, it's as bad as it sounds. She advocates using every scrap of slack time——the ten minutes you're in line at the store or the three minutes that you're waiting for your frozen burrito to reheat——to be doing something productive. This, of course, ignores the mountain of research that shows that constant task switching is counter-productive and also that it's just plain unrealistic.
There are a few good things in here. Keep a time diary for a week to find out where your time goes. If it shows that you're spending too much time on stuff that's not important, then reprioritize what you're spending your time on.
You should also try to get into the right line of work. …
[My review of the 12min summary]
Laura Vanderkam says that we're not over-worked and time deprived. There's 168 hours in a week, and you're going to use all of them, goddammit!
Yes, it's as bad as it sounds. She advocates using every scrap of slack time——the ten minutes you're in line at the store or the three minutes that you're waiting for your frozen burrito to reheat——to be doing something productive. This, of course, ignores the mountain of research that shows that constant task switching is counter-productive and also that it's just plain unrealistic.
There are a few good things in here. Keep a time diary for a week to find out where your time goes. If it shows that you're spending too much time on stuff that's not important, then reprioritize what you're spending your time on.
You should also try to get into the right line of work. "The right job leverages your core competencies——things you do best and enjoy——and meets certain working conditions, including autonomy and being challenged to the extent of your abilities."
Final Notes (quoted from 12min) [I mostly disagree with this] "Most of us are brought up on the idea that time is precious. Yet, rather than living this idea, we often use it as an excuse to avoid doing things that require more energy and creativity. By demystifying the ongoing cultural narrative of a time crunch, Vanderkam makes us reshape our relationship with time to live more successful and meaningful lives."
