Comments on: Review: 168 Hours

By: Tatiana

Tatiana — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:11:52 +0000

“168 hours?
That’s the number of hours in seven days – a typical week.”

How many hours are there in an atypical week?

:-)

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:52:45 +0000

Keeping clear frugality goals in mind is important, too. For example, if I take time to hang laundry to save money but then spend money on takeout dinner, I may need to reassess exactly HOW to save time and money in my life. Only a few pennies saved by hanging the laundry, when I could have used that time to prepare a quick stirfry dinner instead and save much more money.

As for time and frugality, I liked Amy Dacyzyn’s comment (Tightwad Gazette) that some chores can and maybe should go without doing for longer periods of time, dusting, for example. It takes the same amount of effort to clean up dust that has piled up for 2-3 weeks as weekly dusting for just a week’s worth of dust. Dishes, however, if allowed to pile up create MORE work in the long run. Prioritize constantly in all areas of life.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:27:59 +0000

Trent, you’ve struck a chord with this one. I am painfully aware of what I want to be doing and what my priorities are in life. For example, yard work is not something I enjoy or want to spend time on. However, I don’t have the cash flow to pay for constant upkeep on my yard. So, what am I to do? I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on this concept in regards to balancing time and money.

By: Karyl

Karyl — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:15:09 +0000

Thanks for the review! Amen to all the points! I’m a working mom and it was tough choosing spending after work time with the kids or working out to try to lose post pregnancy pounds. I now have rearranged everything so I work out during my lunch break and after the kids have gone to bed, and spending all of my after work time with them–we either go to the park, snuggle in front of the tv or run fun errands together. I’ve also cut out everything unnecessary to use my time for the kids and things I really love doing such as a bit of art and crafts and tennis.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:16:37 +0000

I liked this post. It presents me with some good questions to consider.

I dont think he is saying that time spent idle is considered wasted…unless it doesnt add to your core values. If you find that you can get your wheels spinning by playing online games or whatnot, then I suppose that idle time does add to your core values. He feels that his idle time online doesn’t add to his core values.

By: Shane

Shane — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:33:43 +0000

While I agree that time management is very important, why is time spent idle almost always considered wasted? I often have some of my best ideas while skimming message boards, playing online games, etc but I’m ready at my desk to quickly get back into things when I get the “brainwave”.

By stepping away from the desk while the wheels are spinning I might be too far away to make use of my thoughts or ideas when my brain slips back into gear.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:04:51 +0000

Time management is always a challenge. This book sounds great for making you rethink what you’re doing and ask yourself if you’re spending time wisely. Thanks for the info!

By: Jules

Jules — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:10:39 +0000

My issue with these sorts of suggestions – that you have more time than you think, you’re just not using it right – is that they assume that your choices of activities fit neatly into a constrained period of time. There are times when I’ll forego working on a sketch because I’ve only got 30 minutes between the other things that need doing. Sure, I could get some work done, but then I’d have to stop just as I’m warmed up and “in the zone”.

By: bogart

bogart — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 03:13:53 +0000

Interesting post. I actually did this sort of exercise mentally recently and I think I decided I had 1.25 days or something like that more stuff that I wanted to be doing, than there are days in a week. But in fairness that reflects (in addition to some stuff that’s just tedious, like my commute to work) the fact that there’s a bunch of stuff I enjoy doing and want to do lots of (and get to do some of) — so it’s not necessarily a problem in the “big picture,” just the little one.

In this post you make the point about “quit doing laundry” and how this means your personal finances must be in order. Well, yes. But I’d argue there’s another category that fits into “do less laundry” that doesn’t require good personal finances and may lend it self to improving modest ones. I was thinking about this as I was out walking through my neighborhood tonight with my preschooler, a pleasant (not fabulous) evening that found us all but alone on our walk. How many of my neighbors don’t have time to walk because of different priorities, and in how many cases are those not their “real” preferred priorities? Impossible to say, but I know I’d rather get out to enjoy the arrival of spring at the expense of vacuuming (and I’d rather wear most of my clothes twice and do less laundry).

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:25:38 +0000

I read (okay skimmed) this book and really liked the idea that it’s not that we don’t have enough time, it’s that we don’t use our time the way we should or on the things that are important to us. I started tracking my time after I read this book and was amazed at how much time I spent on the computer or watching TV. Great review!

By: Pat S.

Pat S. — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:10:40 +0000

Great point made in this book. I wonder how much time I spend idling, especially in regards to my effort posting on my own blog. I seem to spend a disproportionate amount of time tweaking design rather than just spending the time writing. Definitely seems like an interesting read.

By: NewReader

NewReader — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:09:56 +0000

Hey, this post made me realize that I’m idling on my computer right now, postponing some non-urgent studying I scheduled for today. I’m going to work on it right now! Thanks!

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:15:09 +0000

Plenty of food for thought here!! Very good post for the beginning of the week. It sure has set me thinking. Good job! Have yourself an exceptionally productive week :o)