Scan barcode
bookishconnections's review
3.0
Enjoyable and much better than Lean In but I think her latest book, Tranquility by Tuesday succinctly puts together all these ideas in a better work flow
brookerhees's review
3.0
This was recommended by a colleague at work, and overall I enjoyed the anecdotes, and the themes of being mindful about time - nothing groundbreaking, but a good chance to pause and reflect. I did find myself taking issue with specific tips she gave, which felt targeted towards people who are already "successful" by her definitions. However, she acknowledged the narrow field and limitations of her time log research right from the start, which gives it the benefit of honesty.
kellylynnthomas's review
4.0
[I'm shelving this on my writing shelf because even though it doesn't talk specifically about writing, the only reason I really read time management books is because I want to write more.]
This book is geared toward women with huge careers and small children. I do not fit either bill, but I still got a lot out of this book, and look forward to reading its predecessor, 168 Hours. I really like the idea of actually tracking your time for a week to see where you spend it, and thinking about your time in week long chunks instead of 24-hour long chunks. You can't do everything in 24 hours, but you can probably do it in 168 hours.
I also really appreciated that the author addresses the fact that some women want to work MORE, not less. I am one of those women. I have things to do, dammit. Vanderkam also suggests letting the laundry pile up while you do actual meaningful things--because the laundry will always be there, but you can never get back that time.
Vanderkam never suggests women can be super women who never sleep and do EVERYTHING, but she does provide a solid basis that any woman can use to build a life that brings her joy, happiness, and fulfillment.
This book is geared toward women with huge careers and small children. I do not fit either bill, but I still got a lot out of this book, and look forward to reading its predecessor, 168 Hours. I really like the idea of actually tracking your time for a week to see where you spend it, and thinking about your time in week long chunks instead of 24-hour long chunks. You can't do everything in 24 hours, but you can probably do it in 168 hours.
I also really appreciated that the author addresses the fact that some women want to work MORE, not less. I am one of those women. I have things to do, dammit. Vanderkam also suggests letting the laundry pile up while you do actual meaningful things--because the laundry will always be there, but you can never get back that time.
Vanderkam never suggests women can be super women who never sleep and do EVERYTHING, but she does provide a solid basis that any woman can use to build a life that brings her joy, happiness, and fulfillment.
mlottermoser's review
2.0
I'm not a working mom with a huge income, so maybe this book isn't for me. I still appreciated the idea that we sleep, spend time with our family, and have more leisure time than we think. The natural tendency is to remember the bad and forget the average. When we focus on where our time is going we are more likely to use it effectively and not on FB, Instagram or email.
My favorite ideas:
Plan ahead for weekends and nights to maximize time and potential
Invest in people
Take care of yourself
Make a list of things you like to do to fill small breaks
I don't feel like this book had any grand ideas to change my life, but appreciated the reminder to focus on my top priorities.
My favorite ideas:
Plan ahead for weekends and nights to maximize time and potential
Invest in people
Take care of yourself
Make a list of things you like to do to fill small breaks
I don't feel like this book had any grand ideas to change my life, but appreciated the reminder to focus on my top priorities.
gcullman's review
4.0
I listened to this book and really liked hearing all the positive ideas for getting more balance in your life and thinking of the whole mosaic of 168 hours in your week as a way to achieve that balance rather than focusing on only one 24-hour period. I am impressed with what people get done in their 168 hours! I am excited to try some of this stuff out in my life, but mostly it is about trying to focus in on the good times and those moments of transcendence rather than the moments of chaos and craziness.
bluedharma's review
2.0
I was underwhelmed by this book. While it was fascinating to see how women in high paying jobs juggled their commitments, most of the information wasn't new and most women working with kids will be used to trying to make it work...somehow.
The tone of the book regarding family life and personal growth just seemed a bit soulless. You're getting great family time if you're just managing to sit down to eat with children at the same time, and it's a great thing to be getting up at 5am to cram a cardio session in at the gym before continuing on with a full schedule of work and running around kids. Oh, and it's also great to then carry on working when the kids go to bed and not enjoy such a terrible thing as watching TV (which could be documentaries, period drama, classic film/theatre for example) or just doing something quiet and enjoyable. Where are the lie ins, long breakfasts, time with families and friends just hanging out, quality time with children, individual hobbies? Slowing down at all didn't seem to be a respectable option.
In my mind, there were a few cases when women didn't have it all and Laura Vanderkam's acceptance and promotion of work driven lives and everything else fitting in around it didn't do it for me.
The tone of the book regarding family life and personal growth just seemed a bit soulless. You're getting great family time if you're just managing to sit down to eat with children at the same time, and it's a great thing to be getting up at 5am to cram a cardio session in at the gym before continuing on with a full schedule of work and running around kids. Oh, and it's also great to then carry on working when the kids go to bed and not enjoy such a terrible thing as watching TV (which could be documentaries, period drama, classic film/theatre for example) or just doing something quiet and enjoyable. Where are the lie ins, long breakfasts, time with families and friends just hanging out, quality time with children, individual hobbies? Slowing down at all didn't seem to be a respectable option.
In my mind, there were a few cases when women didn't have it all and Laura Vanderkam's acceptance and promotion of work driven lives and everything else fitting in around it didn't do it for me.
ktcarlston's review
3.0
I do like Laura Vanderkam but this book took me awhile to push through and some of her suggestions as to how to make the most of your time just don't work for me. Her idea of just letting dishes pile up so that you do them all at once is something I just can't handle - it's not how I work. In response she would say, "let it go" and in response to her I would say, "but I don't like living with ants." Also her suggestion of "if you are going to pay for housekeeping really pay for it" - I am happy that she and her husband seem to have an inexhaustible budget - we have someone who comes in and does the big jobs (for which I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE) and in all honesty, I would love to have this woman come in everyday and take care of everything but in reality - I also like having money to spend on other things besides paying someone else to do my laundry (which continues to be one of my most hated tasks).
I really do like the idea of doing weekly planning on Fridays and I also really love the idea of being much more thoughtful about using work time and home time wisely. There were some good things in here but also some things that were hard to stomach.
I really do like the idea of doing weekly planning on Fridays and I also really love the idea of being much more thoughtful about using work time and home time wisely. There were some good things in here but also some things that were hard to stomach.