An older book, so the links/anecdotes can be a bit dated; but the concept is still sound. Unfortunately, it seems to be more stories and anecdotes than concepts most of the time. I found myself skimming chapters because I didn't care so much HOW somebody else applied a concept as wanting more information/data to back up a concept. I read "Off The Clock" last year and remember thinking the same thing. My guess is that because Vanderkam is/was a journalist first and then an author that that style carries over? It's not bad, just wasn't for me. Many people will find the stories more helpful than I did, which is why this gets three stars. ( )

Book title and author reviewed 2/17/2024: 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam

Why I picked this book up: This was the next book on the Ad for headway. I have never read it so chose to read it.

Thoughts: 
Full Book Name: 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
* Author Name: Laura Vanderkam
* Book Genre: Business, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Productivity, Self Help
* ISBN # 9781591843313
* Date of Publication: 2010-5-26
Vanderkam wrote this after establishing a blog about using her time efficiently. It starts an exercise: List 100 things you want to do with your time. I often have the list that goes on and on and on. The second exercise keep a time log. It helps me be aware of my thoughts and what I do. Sometimes my mind runs-jumping from one thing to the next. I get distracted at times.

Why I finished this read: I finished it because I enjoyed what she was saying. For me it was not a demand, it was about developing an awareness of what I fill my 168 hour of my week with. Time is highly elastic and time stretches to accommodate what we choose to put into it.” Everything I do is my choice.” What I learned is I can look at the whole of time I have and I can put the important things I want to into the time I have. In the end it is about being mindful of the time I have and put into it what I want.

Stars rating: 5 of 5 stars. ( )

Excellent read if for no other reason than to remind us to be mindful and intentional with our time. I stopped multi-tasking simply to make it easier to keep a time log, and I'm getting more done because I'm not allowing myself to be distracted. I highly recommend this book for everyone who needs 30 hours in every day. ( )

3,5 stars.

There are some great ideas in this book. However, sometimes it is a bit chaotic and over-detailed with data from the American Time Survey. I listened to it on Audible so a lot of data can make it very confusing, maybe that is less the case if you read it.

There is also a focus on more "rich people" possibilities to increase the time you have to focus on what you want, which can be hit or miss for some people. For me, mostly a miss 'cause I just don't have the financial room to hire a fulltime cleaning service or personal chef.

Nevertheless, it helped me realise how much time you actually have and how you can be more mindful about it. All by all, quite a decent read and even though I will not use all of the concepts there are some ideas of Laura Vanderkam that I can incorporate into my own life. ( )

more guilt-inducing than helpful, aimed at affluent accomplished individuals ( )

This book has the potential to be life-changing. It's a must-read. ( )

Along with personal anecdotes, and references and examples from other's lives, the author has turned this book into a valuable resource for time management.

Yes, you have more time than you think.

The tips and strategies might not work for everyone, but the book will still be beneficial, even if a little bit.

Remember, every small improvement counts. :) ( )

I have a sickness where I inhale productivity books.

But they all have a sickness where they think that capitalism is good. Sigh.

Yes Brenda, "we all have the same number of hours in a week." But allllll this optimization shit is running on the same false premise of individual will, even when it tries to be quaint and talk about family/relationships and not just increasing surplus labor value.

why do I do this to myself? ( )

We're all pressed for time and rushing around. At least, that's what a lot of self help books, online articles, and your brain would have you think. But author Laura Vanderkam challenges you to reassess that: even if you work a 50-60 hour week and get enough sleep there are enough hours to fit in what you want to do - we just have to be intentional about how we use them.

Suggesting keeping a time log, writing a list of things you want to do and start working your way through it, and looking at time management from a work and home perspective, Vanderkam perhaps has little new to say, but nonetheless I found it useful as I think intentionally about how I use my time. There aren't a lot of specific time management techniques, so there's ample room for you to decide how it will suit your own life. She's very much coming from the perspective of a working mother which, on the one hand, I liked because I felt assured I could, perhaps, have kids some day and not short myself on sleep. But it also meant that a lot of the "home" section was not applicable as a single woman, because much of her focus was spending time with spouse and kids. Some of her advice is very first-world, for example, if you don't like groceries or housework, outsource more of it. Much like budgeting, time management is about opportunity costs: if I do this, I can't do that. But we don't always think of it that way. As a result, the biggest takeaway from the book is simple: take back control. ( )

I'm sort of allergic to self-help books. But once in a while I indulge in one that purports to show me a way of taking control of the way I spend my time. This one isn't bad.

Vanderkam wrote this after establishing a blog about using your time effectively, and of course it starts with the kind of exercise that brings out my hives: List 100 things you want to do with your time. I immediately resist, although it would undoubtedly make me think of all those things I think I want to do but don't explore. The second exercise is more useful to me - keep a time log. It's the kind of no-brainer my brain tends to avoid, but it can be amazingly useful. For instance, do I really want to spend the first hour and a half of my day surfing Facebook and playing Words With Friends before I even brush my teeth? Maybe it's not the most helpful way to energize my morning.

The book itself is in some ways an exhortation to use your time mindfully, even if you have a tough job or a houseful of kids. It doesn't directly address the vast time field of the newly retired, but I can adapt the message. I think. ( )

Interesting. Instead of think 24hours a day think 168hours a week. Made me realize that I spent way too much time idling, not enough time gardening and reading. Haha. Recommended. ( )

How many hours do you spend working? Now, during those hours, how much is spent on actual work – responding to emails, finishing up that project, sitting in productive meetings? How much of that time is spent on truly non-work tasks – checking social media, being in a meeting where everyone repeats what they argued last meeting, or socializing with coworkers at the water cooler? When you begin to break down your time and get a good look at how its spent, you begin to realize you have a lot more time than you initially would’ve thought.

“…You have to place many bets, and leave nothing you can control to chance. In other words, be open to possibilities, and plan for opportunities.”

In 168 Hours, Vanderkam breaks down these hours into the primary categories of work and home, asking what amount of time is spent on the tasks that you are good at (your core competencies). She goes on to make a number of suggestions on freeing up your time to focus on those core competencies such as reading to your children, furthering your career, and getting much needed “me” time. As I read through this book, I went back and forth on how applicable some of the suggestions were. For example, I don’t have any children but a large chunk of the family (and even career) section is on spending time with them. Or, an item that I’ve seen other reviews bash, her opinion on knitting and sewing as being entirely unnecessary which I greatly enjoy (but maybe that’s because it could be considered one of mine own core competencies).

Additionally, I really enjoyed Vanderkam’s writing style and her bluntness with calling things how they are. For example, that women do the bulk of household chores while men may only be responsible for mowing the yard, but that lawn care is one of the most common outsourced tasks. Or that as a society we are okay outsourcing child care but thing it a luxury to outsource household chores. While I don’t think I’ll ever pay someone to do my laundry or cook for me, I do see her point. Much of the time the issue I found with this argument, which she eventually briefly addresses, is multitasking such as using meal prep time to chat with your spouse or teach your children how to cook.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and found some useful tips on better managing my time. I would recommend this to others who are similarly looking to better manage their time. However, with all books of this nature, its important to take away what can be applied to your life and don’t expect any one book to be the answer to all your problems – take it with a grain of salt. ( )

Innovative look at how we really use our time. Main take aways: collect your own data about actual time use first. Data driven decisions! Use the time that you have including planning for big dreams and fully using the 10 minute and 30 time blocks available. A good reminder that I'm in charge. ( )

This books makes me reaffirm my policy of not reading books by journalists. I was expecting a detailed time management study of different people, but in fact it was a very brief outline of their work life and very little on their organisation. ( )

Challenged me to truly examine how I spend my time and to stop insisting that I just "don't have time." I choose how I spend my own time. I have two small children, and I'm starting a small, online business. Tracking my 168 hours was monumentally informative, and I never would have done so without Vanderkam.
I also love that she's freelance writer with two kids, so her ideas on how to manage home and job were inspiring. I'm not at home with the kids so I can clean house. I should focus on time with the kids and not how spotless my floors are. ( )

Helpful: 168 hours should be enough time to achieve balance if you stop wasting time on the Internet, etc...The book caused me to look at my schedule and attempt to streamline.

However, the book's format read as a journal the author kept about how she manages to apply time management principles to a privileged, upper-income, urban lifestyle. Outsourcing laundry in New York City probably is a solid idea--and less expensive than one would expect to free up a large chunk of time. But, the book is generally not relatable for average Americans. ( )

In the beginning I couldn't put this book down. It sounded all so true, so valuable and I believe a lot of the ideas are great, until the home section. Unfortunately, although the author makes a strong argument for why she believes outsourcing so much of the housework of our lives is worth it, I just don't believe it's an attainable goal for myself and many others. I had hoped, as a SAHM, I'd get more ideas on how to balance housework, my own life goals and spending time with my kids. I feel like because the author is a working mom, she doesn't really understand how the other half lives, and devalues it more than necessary. Although some tips and the overarching ideas are helpful, in my opinion, she could have used a co-author that would have helped make the other side of the book more useful. ( )

This book has some good general ideas (mostly in the early chapters), but the specifics are so bogged down in the lifestyles of the author and her associates that they wouldn't really apply to the general public.

Good: Look at the whole week of 168 hours and consider where you can find the 10 hours a week to do this or the 5 hours a week to do that. Prioritize activities by core competencies and reduce the things that don't truly give you satisfaction. Create a plan and stick to it.

Bad: Almost all of the author's examples relate to high-end business people, tenured professors, sales execs, or work-at-home people like herself. And her suggestions relating to family seem to consist entirely of finding play time for toddlers.

I'm not saying these examples are awful, they just seem to lack variety beyond urban professionals. It's probably best to pull what you can from the first few chapters, skip the rest, and make your own examples.

Find more of my reviews at Mostly NF.