How to gain control of your free time | Laura Vanderkam | TED

Summary

Laura Vanderkam, a time management expert, debunks common myths about saving time. She argues that instead of finding small time-saving tricks, we should focus on our priorities and make time for what truly matters. By analyzing the schedules of busy people, she illustrates that time is elastic and can be managed by treating priorities as urgent as a broken water heater. Vanderkam emphasizes the importance of planning, setting goals, and using small moments for meaningful activities, ultimately enabling us to build the lives we want within the time we have.

Takeaways

• 😅 The irony of being late to one's own time management speech highlights that even experts can struggle with punctuality.
• 🔍 The common misconception is that time management is about finding extra hours in the day through small time-saving tricks.
• 🤔 The speaker challenges the idea of 'saving time' by suggesting that we should instead focus on building the lives we want through our priorities.
• 📊 A time diary study of busy women revealed that when faced with an emergency, they found time to deal with it, showing that time is elastic and can be found for important matters.
• 🛠️ The speaker emphasizes that time management is about treating priorities with the same urgency as a broken water heater, which requires immediate attention.
• 🗣️ Using the language of 'priorities' instead of 'lack of time' helps to frame our choices more accurately and acknowledge that we have control over how we spend our time.
• 📝 Two strategies are suggested for identifying priorities: writing a future performance review and a family holiday letter, both focusing on what will make the next year amazing.
• 📆 The importance of planning and scheduling is emphasized, with the suggestion to make a three-category priority list and plan for it during the 'low opportunity cost' time of Friday afternoons.
• 🕒 The speaker points out that there are 168 hours in a week, which is ample time to fit in what truly matters, even with a full-time job and other commitments.
• 🌟 The potential for small moments to have great power is highlighted, encouraging the use of spare time for joy and meaningful activities.
• 🏆 The overarching message is that by focusing on what truly matters and treating it as a priority, we can build the life we want within the time we have.

Q & A

What are the two common assumptions people make about the speaker when they find out she writes about time management?

People assume that the speaker is always on time and that she has lots of tips and tricks for saving bits of time here and there.

Why was the speaker late to her own speech on time management?

The speaker was late to her own speech on time management due to reasons not entirely related to her having four small children, suggesting it could have been her own fault or other unforeseen circumstances.

What is the speaker's view on the idea of shaving bits of time off everyday activities to accumulate extra hours?

The speaker questions the entire premise of this idea, believing that we don't build the lives we want by saving time, but rather we build the lives we want, and then time saves itself.

What was the purpose of the time diary project the speaker conducted?

The purpose of the time diary project was to study how extremely busy women, who had demanding jobs and various responsibilities, spent their time and to understand their strategies for managing it.

How did the broken water heater incident illustrate the concept of time elasticity?

The broken water heater incident illustrated time elasticity by showing that when the woman had to find seven hours to deal with the emergency, she was able to do so, despite initially believing she couldn't find time for other activities like training for a triathlon or mentoring.

What language does the speaker suggest using when discussing our inability to do certain tasks?

The speaker suggests using language that treats priorities as equivalent to a broken water heater, and instead of saying 'I don't have time,' one should say 'I don't do x, y, or z because it's not a priority.'

Why is it inaccurate to say 'I don't have time' when we can't find time for certain tasks?

It's inaccurate because 'I don't have time' often means 'It's not a priority.' If there were significant rewards or consequences, we would find the time to do it.

What two strategies does the speaker provide for identifying our professional and personal priorities?

The speaker suggests writing next year's professional performance review and next year's family holiday letter, which helps identify three to five key goals for each area.

Why is Friday afternoon considered a good time to plan for the upcoming week?

Friday afternoon is considered a 'low opportunity cost' time, as most people are not actively working on their priorities but are open to thinking about what those priorities should be.

How many hours are there in a week, and how does the speaker use this fact to encourage finding time for what matters?

There are 168 hours in a week. The speaker uses this fact to show that even with full-time work and sleep, there are still many hours left for other activities and to emphasize that we can find time for what truly matters.

What is the speaker's final message about time management and building the lives we want?

The speaker's final message is that we have plenty of time to do amazing things and that when we focus on what matters, we can build the lives we want within the time we have.