The Serendipity of Leaving Open Space

If life is a circus, then maybe there’s a way to get better at performing in it. As Laura shares in this conversation about ways to calm time chaos, “Nobody gets shot out of a cannon at the wrong time in a circus . . . it’s a miracle of precision.”

In this week’s episode, you will learn how to shift from a sense of time scarcity to spacious serenity, how to overcome “horror vacui” and guilt when creating a more open schedule, the importance of margin and creating back-up slots (”rain dates”) for building a resilient a calendar, and committing to time that’s just for you.

More About Laura: Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including Off the Clock, I Know How She Does It, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours, and her newest book, Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters. She hosts two podcasts Best of Both Worlds and Before Breakfast. Her 2016 TED talk, How to Gain Control of Your Free Time has been viewed more than 12 million times.

🌟3 Key Takeaways:

• Plan on Fridays: Create a 3-category priority list for the upcoming week for career, relationships, self.
• Create back-up slots: Build in “rain dates” for important events makes it more likely they will happen, even when unexpected events arise. Laura’s mantra, ‘If I plan tight, then light.’ Having space in a schedule is the psychological equivalent of sitting on a large emergency fund.”
• Do effortful fun Before effortless fun: When you get an unexpectedly free moment, make the effort to do something more meaningful to you than screen time on social media or Netflix. As Laura says, “Daydreaming counts, whereas wasted time is time spent mindlessly on things we don’t care about.”

📝Permission: Give up the idea that you need to book yourself solid and that the busier you are, the more important you are. Leave room for things to come up, whether they are interesting ideas or full-blown opportunities. 

✅Do (or Delegate) This Next: List some activities you’d like to do regularly. Choose one for the next week and aim to tick the “three times a week is a habit” box. Bonus: Create a 100 Dreams list with items large and small. Super bonus: Take one night (or full day!) just for you, just for fun. No working, care-taking, or people-pleasing for anyone else.

📘Books Mentioned:

• Free Time: Lose The Busywork, Love Your Business
• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One
• Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done
• Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters

🔗Resources Mentioned: 

• Laura on the web, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
• Laura’s Podcasts: Best of Both Worlds, Before Breakfast
• Articles: Laura’s NYT Op-Ed — There’s a Better Way to Reclaim Your Time Than ‘Quiet Quitting’
• TED Talk: How to gain control of your free time

🎧Related Podcast Episodes: 

• 003: Liberate Your Life Force with Christine Arylo
• 027: Time Management for Mortals with Oliver Burkeman 
• 123: “Pricing is Branding” — Anti-Time Management with Richie Norton

💻 Access Free Time episode transcripts on Podscribe »

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