168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam [Book Summary – Review]


Consistently, we require more time in a day, right? We would like to have more nice times together with our partner and kids, exercise without quitting, even finish writing our book or rest for some time, would not we?

Very frequently, the requirements of family life and work are never-ending and we cannot fit other things into our days. Therefore, you continue fighting every week, hoping that this everyday fight will not make you distressed and unsatisfied.

The reality has been that there existed a distinct way to continue our lives, a way which would make you more achieved and happy with no obligation to quit the significant things in this life. However, for living like that, you require to reconsider your thinking regarding what is time – and dominate your week that has 168 hours!

Throughout the following chapters, we will read

  • the way your perfect occupation is related to your times as a kid;
  • the reason for you to quit making home-made foods; and
  • the impenetrable tasks that all housewives had in their daily routines.

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Chapter 1 – One is not very occupied – he/she just cannot dominate his/her daily time.


Daytner, Theresa drives a filled life. She has six children and manages her construction company – Daytner Construction – the firm that has 20 salaried employees and 7-figure gainings. However, her days are not related to just working and not having a good time. She is a coach of soccer, and she has frequent massages, goes for trail rides regularly, and rests with 24, a drama-action show on the TV.

Possibly, you are wondering whether she sleeps. Barack Obama wondered that too at the time he met with Daytner. However, Theresa sleeps for complete 7 hours each night. The secret for fitting all these things into one day is not traveling in time like in Dr. Who. That’s how she thinks about time. She dominates her time, utilizing that just for whatever she finds worthwhile: family, work, and self-care. Rather than telling herself in mind “I am full today”, she inquires herself, “Is this my prime concern?”. If that is not, she just does not think about it. In this way, Daytner can concentrate on the things she is good at, and the things that make her life rich.

The stresses in contemporary life let us consider that we do not have enough time. We are always busy, working for long hours. The smartphones we own force us to be always “on”. Finding time for our cognitive and physical health is challenging for us and we may even fail to remember talking with our children and partner properly. When the week finishes, we sense tiredness, unrelatedness, and unfulfillment – without a hope to follow what we are ambitious.

However, studies have demonstrated that people have more time than they assume. The research named the US Time Utilization Questionnaire discovered that a lot of American people sleep for 8 hours every night and the ones who are mother or father that works full-time are employed forty-three hours weekly at most. This gives sixty-nine hours more – people can do their exercises, spend time for their hobbies, childcare, or chores. However, in a way, only a handful of people think that they have ample time.



Great news! You may dominate your time according to how you arrange your life. However, before this, you should learn the way you are expending your week of 168 hours. For understanding, make your timetable and record. Make a table of 7 columns and 24 hours, for days in a week and hours in a day, respectively. Afterward, expend 2-3 weeks noting down the way you are expending each hour. That would present you with the image of how you are expending each of your hours.


Chapter 2 – For having a satisfactory life, concentrate on what you are good at.


Fitness as a group is something Jackie Camborde enjoys a lot – a fondness that made her establish her fitness place around New Mexico named “Santa Fe”. However, Jackie had not been into exercising all her life. The adventure started around 1990, at the time she was willing to lower in size after getting a little bit fat following quitting smoking. Jackie turned out very passionate about fitness as a group that Jackie’s trainer motivated her to get a certificate and be a trainer. After a short time, Jackie recognized that being an instructor had been the real occupation for her. After some years, she quit her occupation as a fundraiser and started her fitness studio.

Businesses that concentrate on their strengths inside the competitive environment have been the greatest achievers. This applies to people as well. When you put your time into anything you love and do excellent, you would find yourself successful and happy.

Achieved individuals knowingly highlight the things they are good at. They put the utmost time they can to utilize their strengths and put things unrelated to their strengths to the second stage. For an ability to become the distinguisher strength, it should make sense for yourself. It should be resilient sufficient to implement in a lot of places in life. This ability needs to be a thing you are greater compared to competitors. That might be a thing as basic as being supportive to others; it is not required to be a mastermind for having a satisfactory life.

For pinpointing your distinguishing strengths, jot down 100 activities you wish to make till you pass away as a list. This list may involve abilities you wish to enhance, locations you would like to be at, and the things you would like to live. Include individual milestones as well, such as meeting your partner, having a kid, or finishing school. Include your dreams that are already accomplished in your notes as well!



Afterward, skim your list and find out everything simple to accomplish. Put effort into those points quickly, and think of the extent of enjoyment you got from those. In time, you will understand the things you are great at and the things you enjoy doing. Those activities show your distinguishing strengths.

After you find out 2 or 3 distinguishing strengths, you may utilize them for checking the way you are expending time. Throughout the following chapters, you can read how this works in real life including home and work.


Chapter 3 – Selecting an occupation that utilizes your distinguishing strengths boosts your whole life.


Sylvia Earle, forty years following her start in marine biology, had still been ambitious for her occupation. She had borne with lucubratory hours, exhausting trips, and conspicuous gender discrimination inside her sector, science. However, at the age of 62, still, she was excited about the possibility of having a life inside a lab in the ocean, underwater, below 60 feet from the surface, therefore, she could work on marine life. Earle had attained the mean age for retirement around the USA, however, retiring was not something she was thinking of. Her occupation had been a foundation of deep enjoyment.

Yes, there exist best-seller books named things like “work for 4 hours in a week”. However, a 2002 social questionnaire discovered that the majority of the people select working for some more, although they did not require to. When similar to Earle, you are ambitious for your occupation, you would like to work further than just 4 hours weekly. All you require to do is discover that occupation.

Inside you, you know the type of occupation that thrills you. That would be the occupation that utilizes your abilities and inventiveness at the same time inspiring you by addressing what you give importance to. Frequently, anything that thrills us may be coming from our times as a kid. In Earle’s memoir journal, she explains that she was captivated by the sea when she fell on the sands because of a wave at the age of 3. When you have hardship in selecting your dream occupation, just skim your “100s of dreams” notes. Do you think some of them bring back your thrills as a kid? Then, those may be signs for you to discover the occupation you may outshine.

The thing that is called “flow” has been a beneficial signal for you to discover the correct occupation as well. Flow can be defined as the condition of being very soaked in a task that every anxiety flies away. This happens at the time you are involved at the level just right, and that raises an excellent feeling of pleasure. The more pleasure you feel, the more efficient you would be.



When you do not have flow in your work, expend more time on thinking regarding other things that you feel the flow and try to discover where you feel it. What was the task you had at that time? Is there an occupation including those tasks? An occupation that involves those would be based on your distinguishing strengths, changing your professional life from a tool to gain money to the thing you love doing.


Chapter 4 – For having ample time, you should dominate your calendar for work.


Fassbinder-Orth, a biologist, made herself get used to exempting herself from any meeting. A lot of people might be very anxious to express their views, however, she views it in another way. When she recognizes that a gathering is not something she cares about, she thinks it is just a loss of time. Her time might be greater expended on activities that would further her professional life.

Fassbinder-Orth has been an expert in productively utilizing her time in accomplishing her aims. She got her Avian Immunology Ph.D. with no requirement to work for 80 hours each week as customary. Rather, she grasped the way to design her program for enlarging her advancement. In 5 years she had finished her Ph.D., was guaranteed a professorship, and got pregnant for 8 months to her 2nd baby.

For pursuing Fassbinder-Orth’s path, define the things you would like to accomplish in your professional life. When you are certain of those, you would become to the greater point to assess what you give value in this life. One year is equal to nearly two thousand hours of work. Although it is not infinity, this provides you with the place to go after what you have dreamt of.

Starting with the place you would like to reach in 5 years, put annual aims, and break those goals into turning points for each month. Every Sunday, jot down your aims of that week and figure out how much time those would require. Plan your tasks in an agenda, and put effort into completing those – whatever happens.

For assisting you in pursuing your dedication, you would be required to become at ease with skipping activities that are not related to your distinguishing strengths. Pursuing those activities is equal to expending unnecessary time and you would be greater if you would have expended that amount of time on other things. When you cannot run away from those activities fully, lessen the amount of time it consumes up from your agenda. Group gatherings, for example, consume up a great time from your days. For becoming more efficient, inquire your employer whether group gatherings could be switched to one-by-one gatherings of related workers. In this way, others could continue with more significant activities.



Recall, it is not required to perform anything since you could do them. When somebody is greater at a thing compared to you, work on giving those tasks to them.


Chapter 5 – For attaining a career leap, integrate your strategy with your tale.


The writer of the book “Suddenly Frugal”, Leah Ingram, wrote that book to describe the way families in the USA could save USD 25 thousand yearly. For a person who looks from outside, the way to release her book might seem abrupt. Around November 2008, the agency she worked with presented the book to publishing firms; when the month ended, there was the contract for her, accomplishing the leap she desired.

However, that “leap” was reached in 2 years, by becoming a daily blogger regarding how to live frugally. Previously, at the time she moved to Pennsylvania with her family to a dream house around New Hope, she found out that they needed to pay for big maintenance costs, therefore, needed to toughen their belts. Getting tired of her general work regarding etiquette and weddings, she determined that this was the moment for a transformation and devoted to becoming a blogger related to life with a budget.

She grasped that the monitors of her wish – publisher firms – require to see proof that her book would be a great investment to present her with a contract. Therefore, in her initial time as a blogger, she concentrated on developing her visitors. At the time of year 2, the blog had five thousand daily visitors. With her strategy and devotion, she could demonstrate to the publisher firms with statistics that showed that her book would make money.

When you develop your career leap, consider those statistics which would influence the gatekeepers of the industry. This may be an honorable portfolio, visitor statistics, or outputs of fundraising. When you are not certain, connect to a gatekeeper to inquire his/her regarding the benchmarks they are looking for in taking you to the further step in your professional life.

A captivating tale would back up your aim as well. Give an hour for thinking about the things a journalist could pen when they are telling about you in a newspaper. For example, did you begin your business at the time you had been a painstaking child who evaluated the weather reports and opened a lemonade stand on each hot day? A tale similar to this would make an attention-grabbing hook.



Certainly, there exists the presence of luck included in attaining a dream, however, pursuing chances may change anything favorably. Get used to being out there, no matter you are or not ready.


Chapter 6 – People may develop their relationships with their kids by concentrating on their distinguishing strengths.


Around the 50s and 60s, routines such as ironing electrical blankets and cleaning ceilings with vacuum cleaners were on the agenda of housewives. At that time, the majority of the mothers around the USA expended thirty-four and a half hours weekly cleaning the house. Gladly, currently, this number is near to sixteen hours.

Having a lot of mothers in paid occupations, they have no time for cleaning with that strength. Furthermore, although mothers and fathers have more time together with kids currently compared to the 50s and 60s, that might be surprising the amount of time it is. Around America, full-time housewife mothers expend approximately twenty-two and a half hours weekly taking care of kids lower than 6 years old. That is equal only to more than 3 hours daily only. Therefore, if it is all you have for raising your kid, you would possibly like to benefit from it as much as possible.

These days, a lot of mothers and fathers sense stress for having an extra for their children. From sending their child at the age of 4 to football Pee Wee to crafting Valentine’s presents for all children, or preparing baby food by hand from zero. However, those things may not be significantly fostering affectionate intercourse with your kid.

Being a parent, raising your kid has been a distinguishing strength for you. Recalling that may assist you in benefiting as much as possible from your time as a family. If you do not enjoy cooking, have a cake for treating yourself. You can expend time for reading to your kids with funny sounds for making the tale sound real rather than expending time for cooking.



Search for common ambitions among you and your kids by inquiring them regarding what their 100 dreams are. For example, if you see you are enjoying swimming, plan frequent times at the regional pool. The shared enjoyment of music may be thought times for singing. Elder kids tend to join when you do things you two love and they recognize that you would like to have some time together. Recall that that means valuing this time as much as possible by closing your phones.

Intentionally schedule activities that would make you not watch television. Acting as a couch vegetable would not help in demonstrating intense communication, or would not give you the feeling of satisfaction.


Chapter 7 – Delegate chores that are not related to your distinguishing strengths.


Sid Savara, a software developer, has been very good at making music with guitars. However, he was not very good at cooking or grocery shopping. This healthy guy at the age of thirty was avoiding the danger of takeouts. However, since he was not scheduling beforehand, he was spending a lot of time following work for shopping and refreezing chickens.

Therefore, Savara made his plan. He published an advertisement for an individual chef on Craig’s List. A mother who had freshly quit a paid occupation replied, and they had the deal of preparing twelve to fifteen simple meals for him at the fee of $60, and the price of shopping. Although he needed to pay for another thing now, his bills decreased since the mother knew the ways to shop inexpensively and she did not buy extra things she saw at the store. Crucially, Savara gained 10 hours weekly! This is 10 hours he can put into making music.

Although you have been a mother or father full-time, it is improbable that chores are your distinguishing strengths. The things required 10 hours weekly from Savara required just 4 hours from the chef. Essentially, Savara benefited from delegating cooking and shopping. Likewise, when you give priority to chores more than having time with your children, you have probably been deceiving yourself for the chance to have good family intercourses. That is always valuable to evaluate if there is space for you to pay extra fees for any service.



For acquiring back time by delegating, have a look at your agenda and find the chores that consume up your time. Generally, preparing meals and taking care of the house has been the most time-consuming activities.

A lot of mothers and fathers expend 9 hours weekly in total for filling their families – however just 3 hours for playing with children. Change this equilibrium by recruiting delivered meal services such as Jenny Craig or Nu-Kitchen. If those are expensive for you, begin online grocery shopping. In this way, you will be saving time from going to the store and queues and may get food after-hours. Developing a list of essentials may make this task less tiring and less time-consuming as well.

Furthermore, have another view for cleaning. Always cleaning toys consumes up valuable time. Do not be a house-proud. Put time and effort into your distinguishing strengths. This is more significant than making your house squeaky and shimmery.


Chapter 8 – Schedule your free time and boost the value of it.


Have some time for calculating your free time weekly. Some people may have none and some others may have only 1 or 2 hours. The majority of the people tell that they do not own sufficient – having all those stresses of work, being a parent, and household activities, they do not have time for socializing, not even consider pursuing their dreams or volunteering for something significant.

However, research has demonstrated that ordinary US citizen owns thirty hours of free time weekly. It is 4 hours daily. The issue is, people do not sense it as if those times are free. Since we do not schedule this free time meticulously, we find ourselves watching television. We spend 20 hours on this activity weekly. Consider the things you might accomplish when you put only half of that for the things you enjoy.

For refraining from your free time to go away, think about a plan and schedule that. Put block times for exercising, caring for yourself, socializing, and for an enjoyable hobby. Those things will be prioritized. Afterward, you may utilize other times for watching television or for the Internet.

Selecting 1 or 2 tasks for concentrating on may assist in forming your free time. Laura Vanderkam, the writer of this book, enjoys singing, and she utilizes a lot of her free time for rehearsals. By devoting time every week, she can follow her ambition that gives her enjoyment and power.

You should be vigilant in selecting the time blocks in your agenda that would fit the greatest for free time tasks, or you would find yourself afraid of committing and watching television instead. That is specifically crucial when you require to schedule caring for children. The author likes running and staying fit as well. Working from her home, Vanderkam should run in the early afternoon or late morning, utilizing exercise like her break for lunch and eating while working on the table.

When you consider it is hard for finding time for free time activities, work on mixing those with social time. Inquire a peer for cycling together or be volunteers for regional food banks. Going grocery shopping with a friend may change an ordinary household activity to an enjoyable activity. Without you recognizing it, the week would be filled with enjoyment and life would be wealthier for you.



168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam Book Review


That is simple to turn out to be a servant for the contemporary life requirement. Family responsibilities, work, and chores would fill our agendas, giving the feeling of time-poorness, so we think like we cannot put the time for things that make us feel great. However, we may dominate our time by continuously assessing if the activity we are going to do has been our number one. When we think it is not, we may select not investing time on it – or giving as little time as possible. That would give you more time for concentrating on meaningful things for you.

Gain more time with your family by planning a little night change.

Working mothers and fathers generally think it is hard to have time together with kids in the week. However, you may block your 5 – 8 after work in your agenda each night – and see this time as the holy time as a family. Change your shorter day of work with a day of work from 8 to 10 in the evening some days in your week. In this way, you would maximize times with your children while they are awake. On the contrary, you would be spending your free time between 8 – 10 in the evening watching television.


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Savaş Ateş

I'm a software engineer. I like reading books and writing summaries. I like to play soccer too :) Good Reads Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/106467014-sava-ate

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