Time management expert Laura Vanderkam challenges the narrative of being busy, revealing we have more time than we think. She discusses tactics to reduce chores, stay focused at work, and differentiate between efficacy and diminishing returns. The podcast explores the disparity between perceived and actual time usage, optimizing tasks for efficiency, redefining domestic responsibilities, and maximizing productivity by navigating time vortexes.
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Quick takeaways
We have more time than we think, revealed by tracking time in 15-minute increments.
Identifying and avoiding time vortexes is crucial for optimizing productivity and personal time.
Deep dives
Understanding Time Vortexes
Identifying and avoiding time vortexes, periods where neither work nor relaxation occurs, is crucial. Tracking time in 15-minute increments can reveal surprising time losses. For instance, almost 10 hours a week were found to vanish without productivity.
The Power of Time Logs
Keeping a time log highlights unexpected time usages. Tracking time can lead to revelations, like wasted hours that could be better spent on deepening relationships or pursuing personal goals.
Focus on Core Competence
Prioritizing tasks based on core competencies can enhance productivity. Identifying tasks unique to oneself, like engaging in personal relationships or exercising, and outsourcing others, such as household chores, can optimize time usage.
Valuing Time Efficiently
Rethinking the time-money relationship can lead to effective time management. Focusing on core competencies, rather than a rigid time-money trade-off, helps in determining the best use of time, balancing personal and professional responsibilities more effectively.
#38: There are 168 hours in a week. If you work 40 hours per week and sleep 8 hours per night, you’ve accounted for 96 hours. You have an additional 72 waking hours per week. What are you doing with this time? That’s the question today’s guest, Laura Vanderkam, tried to answer by analyzing more than 1,000 time logs kept by full-time professional workers. Our collective narrative says that Americans are overworked, sleep-deprived and don’t have enough time for family or personal lives. That’s our emotional truth. But statistics paint a different picture. When more than 1,000 professionals track their time in 15-minute increments over the course of a 168-hour week, the data doesn’t point to time deprivation. In today’s episode, Laura describes this surprising fact: we have more time than we think. She also shares tactics on how to reduce chores and errands, stay focused and productive at work, and recognize the difference between efficacy and diminishing returns.