About the Book
Everyone has an opinion, anecdote, or horror story about women and work. Now the acclaimed author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast shows how real working women with families are actually making the most of their time.
"Having it all" has become the subject of countless books, articles, debates, and social media commentary, with passions running high in all directions. Many now believe this to be gospel truth: Any woman who wants to advance in a challenging career has to make huge sacrifices. She's unlikely to have a happy marriage, quality time with her kids (assuming she can have kids at all), a social life, hobbies, or even a decent night's sleep.
But what if balancing work and family is actually not as hard as it's made out to be? What if all those tragic anecdotes ignore the women who quietly but consistently do just fine with the juggle?
Instead of relying on scattered stories, time management expert Laura Vanderkam set out to add hard data to the debate. She collected hour-by-hour time logs from 1,001 days in the lives of women who make at least $100,000 a year. And she found some surprising patterns in how these women spend the 168 hours that every one of us has each week.
Overall, these women worked less and slept more than they assumed they did before they started
tracking their time. They went jogging or to the gym, played with their children, scheduled date nights with their significant others, and had lunches with friends. They made time for the things that gave them pleasure and meaning, fitting the pieces together like tiles in a mosaic--without adhering to overly rigid schedules that would eliminate flexibility and spontaneity.
Vanderkam shares specific strategies that her subjects use to make time for the things that really matter to them. For instance, they . . .
* Work split shifts (such as seven hours at work, four off, then another two at night from home). This allows them to see their kids without falling behind professionally.
* Get creative about what counts as quality family time. Breakfasts together and morning story time count as much as daily family dinners, and they're often easier to manage.
* Take it easy on the housework. You can free up a lot of time by embracing the philosophy of "good enough" and getting help from other members of your household (or a cleaning service).
* Guard their leisure time. Full weekend getaways may be rare, but many satisfying hobbies can be done in small bursts of time. An hour of crafting feels better than an hour of reality TV.
With examples from hundreds of real women, Vanderkam proves that you don't have to give up on the things you really want. I Know How She Does It will inspire you to build a life that works, one hour at a time.
About the Author :
LAURA VANDERKAM is the bestselling author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, All the Money in the World, 168 Hours, and Grindhopping. She is a frequent contributor to Fast Company's website and a member of USA Today's board of contributors. Her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, and other publications. She lives with her husband and their four children outside Philadelphia.
Review :
"As an entrepreneur and mother, I'm invested in honing time management strategies that enrich my life instead of taking any enjoyment or flexibility out of it--and Laura Vanderkam understands that. In her new book, she shares how busy people build full, productive careers and happy homes as well. You'll find lot of tools that can help you make time for everything that's important and cut out what's not."
-- Angela Jia Kim, founder of Om Aroma & Co. and Savor "I'm a longtime fan of Laura Vanderkam's insightful work--her recommendations for getting the most out of every day are often counterintuitive but always realistic and manageable. In her new book, she reveals the time management strategies that highly successful mothers use to build lives that work. Thanks to her findings, I'll never look at my weekly calendar the same way again."
--GRETCHEN RUBIN, author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project
"For many years I've wanted to see reflected in our collective conversation what I know to be true in women's lives: that many of us are happily combining work and motherhood, and loving both. Laura Vanderkam has written the book that's been sorely missing, and she does so with an impassioned, eloquent voice, important new research, and the warmth of a dear friend."
--TARA MOHR, author of Playing Big
"An empowering guide for professionals who want to figure out how to become superstars in their fields while building satisfying lives."
--DORIE CLARK, author of Reinventing You and Stand Out
"This book could have been titled How to Be a Superhero, because that's how it makes you feel and act after reading it. Vanderkam's curiosity for high performance and what makes it possible is infectious. Packed with research from real lives and tips for real change, this book is sure to help women around the world discover their own path to success."
--JON ACUFF, author of Do Over
"In this engrossing and eternally helpful book, Laura Vanderkam shares valuable insights from women who have mastered their most vital resource: time. I Know How She Does It stands apart thanks to Vanderkam's nuanced understanding of what it takes to become an efficient-yet-balanced individual."
--TIM SANDERS, author of Love Is the Killer App
"As a busy CEO, I was inspired by the hundreds of people Vanderkam studied who found ample time for career, family, and self in the same 168 hours available to everyone, each week. If my entire team read this book, we would all benefit."
--RICHARD SHERIDAN, CEO and chief storyteller, Menlo Innovations, and author of Joy, Inc.
As an entrepreneur and mother, I m invested in honing time management strategies that enrich my life instead of taking any enjoyment or flexibility out of it and Laura Vanderkam understands that. In her new book, she shares how busy people build full, productive careers and happy homes as well. You ll find lot of tools that can help you make time for everything that s important and cut out what s not.
Angela Jia Kim, founder of Om Aroma & Co. and Savor
I m a longtime fan of Laura Vanderkam s insightful work her recommendations for getting the most out of every day are often counterintuitive but always realistic and manageable. In her new book, she reveals the time management strategies that highly successful mothers use to build lives that work. Thanks to her findings, I ll never look at my weekly calendar the sameway again.
GRETCHEN RUBIN, author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project
For many years I ve wanted to see reflected in our collective conversation what I know to be true in women s lives: that many of us are happily combining work and motherhood, and loving both. Laura Vanderkam has written the book that s been sorely missing, and she does so with an impassioned, eloquent voice, important new research, and the warmth of a dear friend.
TARA MOHR, author of Playing Big
An empowering guide for professionals who want to figure out how to become superstars in their fields while building satisfying lives.
DORIE CLARK, author of Reinventing Youand Stand Out
This book could have been titled How to Be a Superhero, because that s how it makes you feel and act after reading it. Vanderkam s curiosity for high performance and what makes it possible is infectious. Packed with research from real lives and tips for real change, this book is sure to help women around the world discover their own path to success.
JON ACUFF, author of Do Over
In this engrossing and eternally helpful book, Laura Vanderkam shares valuable insights from women who have mastered their most vital resource: time. I Know How She Does It stands apart thanks to Vanderkam s nuanced understanding of what it takes to become an efficient-yet-balanced individual.
TIM SANDERS, author of Love Is the Killer App
As a busy CEO, I was inspired by the hundreds of people Vanderkam studied who found ample time for career, family, and self in the same 168 hours available to everyone, each week. If my entire team read this book, we would all benefit.
RICHARD SHERIDAN, CEO and chief storyteller, Menlo Innovations, and author of Joy, Inc."
