“168 Hours” Book Review

168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam

For those of you who know me well, you know that I’m not a big reader. I read more now than I ever did before but it’s still not something I LOVE to do. And to top it off I’m a slow reader (probably because I don’t read often, but that’s another blog topic). When I finish a book I get such a sense of accomplishment…each book I finish I deem worthy of a celebration. So as you can imagine it was time to celebrate when I finished Laura Vanderkam’s 168 Hours; You Have More Time Than You Think. I’ve been reading Vanderkam’s blog for months and was anxious to read her book. Afterall I’ve been telling clients (and my husband) for years that it’s never a matter of not enough time; it’s a matter of making time. We make time for the events, the people, the to do’s, etc. that are a priority in our life. If we truly approach our time this way then we have time for everything we want to do!

Vanderkam’s approach is simple and thought provoking. We’re all given 168 hours each week. If we sleep for 8 hours a night and work a 50 hour work week this leaves 62 hours to use at our leisure. How do you use your time? Eating? Caring for your children? Showering? Working out? Reading a book? Watching tv?

She highlights successful individuals who seem to take on the world but still manage to have time to run marathons, start new charities, grow their business, spend time with their children and get to work on time. Each person profiled is inspiring! She also explains how easily we misjudge the use of our own time. While we may think we work a 60 hour week, when evaluated most individuals spend less time than they think at work. She also explains how we can use our core competencies to make better use of our time and to be happier.

There were a few parts of the book that I felt were redundant but Vanderkam filled this book with examples, stories, and facts to support her ideas. I love the principle behind the book. In a way, I feel like she did all the work (research, explanation, writing, etc.) to communicate what I’ve been trying to explain to clients for years. Now, if only I could practice what I preach!