How to Make Time for a Better Life

Kathryn Eisman

TIME IS OUR GREATEST LUXURY, DON'T WASTE IT

Most of us feel like there just enough time to do the things we want to do?
But I can let you into a little secret - there actually is!!!

Laura Vanderkam is not only a mother but the renowned author of "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" and " Grindhopping: Building a Rewarding Career Without Paying Your Dues" and living, breathing proof that you can fit EVERYTHING you love into your life without losing your mind. Her secret? Managing your time.

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved










WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE 168 HOURS?

Laura warns us that the traditional 24/7 thinking is limiting our ability to see just how many hours we really have in the week- which is 168 hours folks! Seems like a lot of time right?
Laura suggests we free ourselves from the shackles of trying to fit everything we love into one day and instead look at what we can do in a week.


THE MAGIC "FREE TIME EQUATION"

Laura kindly did a little math for us (thank you, Laura!)
· Most of us work around 8 hours a day = 40 hours.
· If we're lucky we squeeze in a solid 8 hours sleep a night = 56 hours.
· When we take all that away from 168 hours = we are left with 72 glorious hours of free time.

Laura advises we spend that wisely doing things we WANT to do, things that bring us joy and fulfillment, instead of wasting it like it is so easy to do.

Now, it's not just important to use our free 72 hours up wisely, Laura believes that ALL our time should be used wisely so we can really lead a happier life.


When it comes to our 40 hour work week, Laura suggests we really analyze whether what we are doing at work is keeping us happy and if she suggests making changes.










ASK YOURSELF THIS ONE QUESTION…

Before you launch into any activity, Laura advises looking at everything on your plate and asking yourself, "If I were starting over again, is this what I would put on there?"

If the answer is no, and if the activity isn't advancing you towards your goals, be ruthless and cut it out of your life. Pronto

GRINDHOPPING ISN'T A WEIRD DANCE MOVE

These days many people build their careers in a non-linear way. We don't "climb the ranks", working our way up within the same company as we once did. Instead, people are jumping from traditional employment to periods of self-employment to freelance and back again…all the while getting where they want to go. This is Grindhopping, a term Laura coined and the title of her successful book.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH "GETTING AROUND"

Once upon a time people were harshly judged for switching positions and employers, these days career advancement often relays on being nimble and switching jobs and employers and taking the risk to seek greater opportunity.

Laura encourages us to be brave and to value our time enough not to waste working even 40 hours a week in a job that doesn't challenge us or make us happy.

"If you're not in the right job, you could waste 40 hours a week", she says. "So better to spend that time figuring out what you would like to be doing, and trying to make it happen."

Makes sense to me!

How are you spending your 168 hours? Could you be using your free time for effectively? What tips have you learnt to get more out of your week?