Book Review of 168 Hours

Photo by kojotomoto used under Creative Commons license

The book 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, by Laura Vanderkam, is not targeted to fascinating women, so readers here may not have read it. It is a well-written book that makes a few good points, but fascinating women will heartily disagree with its premises.

It is important to note, as Ms. Vanderkam does, that we all choose what we do with each hour of our lives. When we do not do something, it is usually not because we don't have the time. It is because we don't choose to make the time. This doesn't mean we are wrong to choose not to make the time. Ms. Vanderkam emphasizes the importance of planning a decent night's sleep, for example, which is right to do. Most people cannot do their best work when they don't sleep enough; therefore, choosing to use sleep time to do something else is not very effective.

The author's main ideas of optimizing time and outsourcing inessential tasks (mostly domestic tasks, in her book) are not fascinating-friendly. It is a purposeful and wonderful practice to plan the most important things into our schedule first, and only fit in the less important things if there is time after those most important things are scheduled. Optimizing time in that way is essential for a fulfilled life. However, to try to fit in work, work, and more work does not help a woman to become fascinating.

Several times throughout the book, Ms. Vanderkam urges her readers to outsource everything that is not a "core competency;" that is, something they can do better than anyone else can. Nurturing their own children is given as an example. It is too bad that quality time before and after work is the time she recommends that they set aside for this. A few people who like to cook are encouraged to try it once or twice a week, but otherwise, she says, it is liberating to hire someone else to cook for the family. Any domestic chore, in her view, is an unfortunate necessity that can be hired out. Laundry, organizing the home, cooking, house cleaning, choosing one's wardrobe, and child care during main working hours are all examples given of things to pay someone else to do.

First, quality time is not always best when it comes to children. Quantity time can work wonders. Time sitting around while children make mud pies can be just the time needed for a child to be comfortable voicing his or her deep concerns. Parents who "maximize" the time spent with their children by reading to them, going to museums with them, and putting them to bed are doing a few fantastic things with their children. These may make a huge difference in their children's lives. They are not, however, having enough downtime with them to truly relax in their presence and to allow things like deep thoughts to come up the way they do: slowly, inefficiently, when people are comfortable enough or off their guard.

Second, what will children of these parents learn about domestic chores? What if, sometime in the future, one of these children wants or needs to do some domestic chores on their own? They will have to start from scratch, with no knowledge of how these things are done and no memory of seeing them being done. This includes such life-sustaining basics as cooking, vacuuming, and getting clothing clean.

Third, isn't there something to be said for having done certain things with one's own hands for one's family? Is it just symbolic, or is there some deeper need being fulfilled when a mother washes dishes, mends clothing, sorts toys, and cooks dinner with her own two hands?

Perhaps some people can be the parents they yearn to be while using the optimization process shown in 168 Hours. One topic that is barely mentioned in the book is how to maintain a good marriage. There are a few sentences about trying to schedule a weekly date night with one's spouse. Another sentence mentions that, of course, one's spouse might "sabotage" these weekly date nights by insisting he needs to work during those hours. Who can blame him when the rest of the spouse's time is organized around being able to work more so that there is plenty of money to outsource all the tasks that need to be done at home? Besides the argument that quality time is not enough for children - they absolutely need quantity time, too - there is this objection: Especially in a marriage, there are some other things in the home that should never be outsourced.

One can live any kind of life using the process in 168 Hours. Ms. Vanderkam has free time management spreadsheets available for download at her 168 Hours website. Anyone can track the way she spends her time using these spreadsheets. Then she can make decisions and plan her time based on her own deep values. I do think that fascinating women will disagree with a lot of Ms. Vanderkam's examples of how to optimize their time.