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Weekly Course on Time Management – Week 1 – Laura Vanderkam Book – The Power of 168 Hours
Recently, I came across an interesting book on productivity, the Laura Vanderkam book titled “The Power of 168 Hours,” which I want to share with you.
I believe that every single one of us struggles with time management. We are juggling our personal and professional commitments on a day-to-day basis and barely manage to find time for ourselves. Our lives have become so busy that 24 hours in a day seem so little for getting all the things done. We keep thinking to ourselves, “If only I had more time.”
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You do, indeed, have more time. You just don’t realize it. Today, I will teach you what happens when you shift your mindset from 24 hours a day to 168 hours a week. So, realize the power of 168 hours a week and from a busy bee mom, turn into a punctual productivity expert.
The Origin of The 168-Hours Time Management Strategy
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In 2010, a time management expert by the name of Laura Vanderkam published her self-help book titled “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.” In the Laura Vanderkam book, she explains that when we shift our mindset from 24 hours a day to 168 hours a week, we realize that we have a lot more time on our hands than we think we do.
The author carefully plans out an average person’s daily routine. With examples and case studies of some of the busiest people, she perfectly elaborates how we can easily find time to manage our personal and professional lives and give time to ourselves for our growth and development.
How To Apply The 168 Hours Rule In The Laura Vanderkam Book
As a lot of my members struggle with creating ME time for themselves, they struggle with their long winding days and end up being stressed and frustrated.
Let me now share some calculations I have done to show you the number of hours I think you will have for some ME time if you are a mom, based on what I have learned from the Laura Vanderkam book.
Please note that I have made the calculations below based on broad assumptions, and I understand that a lot of you probably have more commitments than I have stated below. But what I am trying to do is to show you the concept behind Laura Vanderkam’s smart calculations.
Since most of the homeschool moms that I know are not full-time professionals, it saves them from the 40 or 50 hours a week work-shifts that working mothers have to report for. Even if you are a full-time working mother, along with being your children’s homeschool teacher, you are still left with 128 hours.
Calculations:
8 hours of work x 5 days a week = 40 hours of work per week
168 hours a week – 40 hours of work = 128 hours to spare
In a week, an average person sleeps for 56 hours or less. Even if your time spent sleeping and working were subtracted from your total hours in a week, you are still left with 72 hours to manage your other responsibilities or activities.
Calculations:
8 hours of sleep x 7 days a week = 56 hours of sleep per week
56 hours of sleep + 40 hours of full-time work = 96 hours
168 hours – 96 hours = 72 hours to spare
Now let’s say that you spend around 3 hours on house chores and other errands every day. It still gives you 51 hours for other things!
Calculations:
3 hours of chores & errands x 7 days = 21 hours of chores per week
72 hours of spare time – 21 hours of chores & errands = 51 hours to spare
Now let’s bring homeschooling into the equation. Let’s say you homeschool your children for 4 hours, 5 days a week. Dears, it still gives you 31 hours every week for yourself!
Calculations:
4 hours of homeschooling x 5 days a week = 20 hours of homeschooling per week
51 hours of spare time – 20 hours of homeschooling = 31 hours of spare time
What You Must Do
You have 31 hours in a week to give time to yourself and indulge in other healthy activities. Why do you keep making excuses for not exercising, meeting friends, reading a good book, or going for a long drive or walk? Stop thinking that you don’t have time and train yourself to make time for the things you love to do. Follow the 168 hours rule and learn to become a happy, healthy, and punctual mom.
What do you plan to do with your 31 extra hours?
Ashley Yeo
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