Vanderkam’s main premise is that everyone has 168 hours in
each week, and that the current belief that everyone is too busy and no one has
any free time is a myth. She says that we all have plenty of time…if we use it
wisely and according to our own priorities. She advocates starting with an
analysis of how you currently spend your time by keeping a detailed time log
for a week or two. I really liked this idea and downloaded the time log forms
from her website. She then details
how to analyze that data, looking for wasted time or excessive time spent on
trivial things. She also suggests identifying your core competencies, those
things that only you can do and that support your highest priorities.
She next discusses goals and suggests starting with a
brainstorming session to make your own list of 100 Goals/Dreams, just a free
association kind of list of everything – big and little – you would like to do
with your life. From that long list of goals, she says to take a few and
develop smaller steps that need to be taken to move closer to the goals. This
is something I started doing several years ago that has worked very well for
me. I used to teach and consult with companies on how to reach their goals, and
I taught them to break each goal down into specific objectives and then break
those into individual steps to take. I realized that the same things I had
taught to corporations would work for my own personal goals. I also made sure
that all of my smaller objectives were measurable, and I find that that helps
me to stay on track.
In 168 Hours,
Vanderkam addresses both work and home time, with lots of suggestions for
choosing priorities, finding work you love, meeting longer-term career goals,
and having plenty of time in your life for the things that are really important
to you, whether that’s family, work, exercise, volunteering, or some
combination of those. Her tips range from making breakthroughs in your career
to streamlining your wardrobe and serving simple meals and everything in
between. Her main focus is on using the time you have more effectively,
according to what’s important to you.
Overall, I found the book useful. I did the time tracking
and didn’t see anything earth-shattering, but it confirmed what I already
suspected – mainly that much of my time was being sucked up by e-mail and
responses to Facebook groups. Seeing that in black and white and reading
Vanderkam’s advice helped me to come up with some strategies. Now I just need
to make those into habits! Not everything in the book was applicable to me – I
have a chronic illness, so I actually DO have less time than most people
because I have to spend so much time sleeping and resting. But, I can apply her
concepts within the time that I do have, and I liked her focus on defining what
is important to you. Besides its usefulness, 168 Hours was interesting and well written, backed up by
fascinating research, interviews, and lots of inspiring examples.
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