The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

For Whom the Alarm Clock Tolls

May 25, 2020

Ashley Willans, a Harvard Business School professor and author of 'Time Smart,' joins to discuss the pervasive feeling of 'time famine' and its impacts on happiness. They reveal how our busy lives can strain mental health and relationships, and emphasize the importance of embracing time affluence over scarcity. Strategies for effective time management and the necessity of 'idling' for creativity and well-being are explored. Listeners are encouraged to rethink productivity norms and cherish well-deserved downtime.

34:16

Creator website

Episode guests

Ashley Whillans

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Time Perception Discrepancy

01:03

Maximizing Small Pockets of Time

01:02

Time Scarcity and Altruistic Behavior

01:02

Intro

4min

The Power of Idling

9min

The Paradox of Time Affluence and Mental Health

5min

The Cost of Time Confetti

8min

Combating Time Poverty for a More Fulfilling Life

3min

Mastering Time Affluence

11min

Reclaiming Time for Greater Happiness

4min

'Time famine' is when you just don't feel you have a spare moment... and it can make you miserable. It's a feeling Dr Laurie Santos knows only too well, so she seeks help from her time affluence hero, Idler author Tom Hodgkinson.

Tom lives life to the full, but he ensures he carves out time to wander around, think, chat with friends and even take naps. He argues that 'idling' is vital to leading a happy, creative and productive existence. Is he right? And if so, what can we all do to break free from the tyranny of time?

For an even deeper dive into the research we talk about in the show visit happinesslab.fm

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