Ep. 253: Making Time for What Matters (w/ Laura Vanderkam)
Jun 19, 2023
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Laura Vanderkam, a renowned time management author and co-host of the Best of Both Worlds podcast, shares her insights on balancing life's demands. She dives into how parents can find time for both work and family while pursuing fulfillment. The discussion highlights practical strategies like time tracking and weekly planning, challenging the myth that a deep life is only for the privileged. Vanderkam also shares fascinating lessons from Japan's Edo period about sustainability and productivity, urging listeners to embrace intentionality in their lives.
Identifying pockets of availability and making time through strategic planning is essential for balancing various important aspects of life.
Challenging negative beliefs about skill levels and reframing them as growth opportunities can boost confidence and personal progress.
The sustainable lifestyle and resourcefulness demonstrated during Japan's Edo period can serve as inspiration for modern practices and promote sustainability.
Embracing flexible time units that align with natural rhythms and variations in our environment challenges the conventional idea of fixed minutes and seconds and encourages adaptable work habits.
Deep dives
Feeling overwhelmed and like skills are lacking
The engineer feels overwhelmed and surrounded by colleagues who have more skill and knowledge. Remote work leads to distractions and dissatisfaction with the quality of work produced.
Feeling stuck in a secure career
The engineer moved into a secure career to provide for his young family, but now feels like he is drowning. The idea of finding another programming job is daunting.
Suggestions for finding time to study
Tracking time to identify pockets of availability, waking up earlier or finding time in the evenings, negotiating with spouse for dedicated study time, exploring options like hiring a nanny to reduce sick days and increase productivity.
Reframing perspectives on work and skill levels
Challenging negative beliefs about skill levels and reframing as an opportunity for growth. Focusing on personal progress and building confidence.
Japan's Edo period and the concept of slow life
During Japan's Edo period from 1603 to 1868, the nation practiced a sustainable lifestyle focused on wasting as little as possible. This included using every hour of daylight efficiently and living according to seasonal time. Instead of fixed time units like minutes and seconds, they measured time in six parts based on sunrise and sunset. This aligns with the idea of working at a natural pace and varying work intensity based on seasons and daylight hours, which is a core principle of slow productivity.
Lessons from the Edo period on resourcefulness and sustainability
The Edo period in Japan exemplified resourcefulness and sustainability by reusing materials extensively and finding innovative ways to make the most of limited resources. People would mend clothing multiple times, use human ashes as fertilizer, and employ various methods to minimize waste. This mindset of preserving and reusing aligns with the principles of sustainability and can serve as inspiration for modern practices.
Regulating life by natural rhythms and optimizing time usage
The Edo period's approach to time management focused on maximizing daylight hours and adapting to seasonal variations. By dividing the time between sunrise and sunset into six parts, they embraced flexible time units that changed depending on the season and day/night cycles. This concept challenges the conventional notion of fixed minutes and seconds and encourages us to consider how our work habits can adapt to natural rhythms and variations in our external environment.
In this episode, Cal is joined by Laura Vanderkam (author of Tranquility by Tuesday and co-host of the Best of Both Worlds podcast). Cal and Laura tackle a collection of your questions about the struggle to make time for the various things that matter most, from your career to your family to your hobbies.
Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo
— Is the deep life only available to people with high salaries? [31:47] — Is it possible for a mom to succeed in academia? [40:19] — How do I find the time to land a job that requires less time? [50:26] — Am I too old to leave a career that fills me with dread? [55:53] — Am I crazy for thinking I can work from home with a baby? [1:00:31] — How do I create a deep life with kids? [1:05:31] — How do I stop over-committing? [1:13:47]
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Slow Time During Japan’s Edo Period [1:30:11]
