Review: 168 hours: You have more time than you think

Vanderkam's chatty and case study driven book has the central thesis that we all have 168 hours in a week, but we are allowing those hours to bleed away on the unimportant. For example, even those who claim to work 60, 80 or even 90 hour weeks - are actually wasting many of those hours - even if we are accounting for them correctly.  And that's even before we consider time wasted in our home lives.

In short, we tend to overestimate how much time we spend on the "bad stuff" and underestimate how we spend on the "good stuff".

She has a point.

But this is more than another work/live productivity hacks book as she asks the reader to start from first principles so figure out:

• What you are best at?
• What are your dreams?
• Where your time is currently going?

She then offers a few areas to target eg meal preparation, laundry, unnecessary meetings.  To be fair many of her solutions (outsourcing/setting different standards/focussing on what makes a difference/blocking out time),  aren't particularly new - but I suspect her target audience (affluent businesswomen/professionals) probably do need to be permissioned to let go of some of these tasks.

"You should do what you love, you should love what you do".

Teresa Amabile

"This obsession is the only way to stay on top, because you can trust that your competitors are thinking about their jobs in the shower. "

Laura Vanderkam, 168 hours: You have more time than you think

Why would you outsource the creation of your children's clothes, but not your own meals if you don't enjoy it and can afford it? she asks. Tellingly, traditionally male tasks like mowing the lawn are more likely to be outsourced. Hmm...

I probably enjoyed the earlier first principles chapters of this book more than the later tactical advice (the spreadsheet of 100 dreams and time log are simple but effective).   Interestingly, Vanderkam is rather critical of Tim Ferriss' Four Hour Work Week - but I think they are closer in philosophy than she imagines.

I also enjoyed the idea of multitasking through alignment ie meeting a friend for a meal (which allows you to catch up with a friend while eating). OK that example is an obvious one - but it's easy to think of others that let you maintain personal and professional relationships while ticking off other boxes like the need to exercise, pursue a hobby, etc.

Lastly, l loved the focus on doing projects that help you answer questions you are interested in.

"There are literally millions of stories a documentary filmmaker could tell; by choosing ones that gave her a great personal answer to the question of why she cared about the topic, Mazzio increased the odds that her films would stand out in a crowded market."

Laura Vanderkam, 168 hours: You have more time than you think

Verdict: Highly motivational, and also practical for the right audience.