Achieve More in Less Time: Insights From 168 Hours By Laura Vanderkam

This week on Money Mondays, we’re talking about time. As someone who is always busy, and never feels like there is enough time, this book was incredibly insightful. For anyone, like me who sometimes feels overwhelmed by endless to-do lists and responsibilities, Laura Vanderkam 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think offers a refreshing perspective. Rather than trying to squeeze every second out of the day, this book shows us how to align our time with our values, allowing us to fit work, family, and personal dreams into our lives without compromise. Her philosophy is simple yet powerful: with 168 hours in a week, we have more time than we think—we just need to be intentional about how we use it.

From creating your “Ideal Week” to making a list of “100 Dreams,” the strategies in this book remind us that time management isn’t about doing more, but about focusing on what truly matters. Let’s dive into the key takeaways that can help you reclaim your time and design a life you love:

📚 Key Takeaway #1: Track Your Time to See the Bigger Picture

One of the first pieces of advice is to track your time. She suggests logging how you spend your days for a week to reveal where your hours are truly going. This exercise helps you identify time drains and hidden opportunities for more meaningful activities. Laura encourages us to look at time objectively. Tracking your time lets you spot patterns and find ways to shift your focus toward what really matters. By uncovering these “hidden hours,” you can make more intentional choices and create space for priorities you may not have realised you had.

Key Tip: There are many ways you can track your time, Although I personally decided not to track in the way outlined in the book, I have decided to start time blocking certain activities with a calendar rather than just making long to do lists. Whilst this is more relaxed then tracking time, it helps make me more intentional with how I spend my days.

📚 Key Takeaway #2: Identify and Leverage Your Core Competencies

A key concept in 168 Hours is focusing on your “core competencies”—the tasks that align with your unique strengths. Vanderkam encourages readers to let go of non-essential tasks or outsource them if possible. For me, realising that I don’t have to do everything myself has been a game-changer, freeing up time for high-impact work and personal goals.

Key Tip: Maximise What Matters. Focus on activities that truly add value and align with your strengths. Outsourcing tasks that don’t require your specific skill set allows you to channel your energy into meaningful work, creating both personal and professional growth. also outsourcing doesn't have to be expensive or tedious, I personally use ai for tasks that would have taken me a lot of time such as writing transcriptions for podcast episodes.

📚 Key Takeaway #3: Create a 100 Dreams List

This is perhaps the most fun—and revealing—exercise in the book. Vanderkam suggests listing 100 things you want to do in your lifetime. It might feel ambitious, but that’s the point! This exercise isn’t just about goals; it’s about rediscovering your passions and shaping your vision for a fulfilling life.

Key Tip: Creating this list helped me refocus on what I truly want from life beyond work. It’s a reminder that time management isn’t just about productivity—it’s about making room for the things that bring joy and meaning.

📚 Key Takeaway #4: Evaluate Your Job for Intrinsic Motivation

This book poses a thought-provoking question: If money weren’t an issue, would you still do what you are doing? While it’s a privilege to consider, it’s a valuable way to assess whether your work aligns with your values and strengths. This reflection can reveal if your current position taps into your intrinsic motivation or if it’s time for a change.

Key Tip: Align Work with Your Values. This self-reflection helps you understand if your career truly resonates with you. A piece of advice that I loved from my podcast interview with Sharena Shiv was that, if you dislike what you are doing for 5 consecutive days you are probably doing the wrong thing.

📚 Key Takeaway #5: Balance Work, Life, and Sleep

One of the most empowering messages in 168 Hours is that you don’t have to choose between work, rest, and social time. Vanderkam emphasises that with intentional planning, it’s possible to fit it all in without feeling constantly stretched thin.

Key Tip: most university students joke that you have to choose two out of the three: work, sleep and a social life, but this book highlighted that balance is Possible. By prioritising tasks and setting boundaries, you can make time for everything that matters. This approach has helped me find a rhythm that allows me to be present in all areas of my life—work, relationships, and self-care.

📚 Key Takeaway #6: Plan Your Ideal Week

The “Ideal Week” exercise is a practical way to map out a schedule that aligns with your priorities. Vanderkam suggests comparing your current week to your ideal week and identifying changes you can make. This exercise encourages you to be realistic but also aspirational in how you envision your time.

Key Tip: Map Your Ideal Week. Designing your ideal week is a powerful way to visualise the life you want. By aligning your days with your values and goals, you create a framework that supports both productivity and well-being.

📚 My Biggest Takeaway

The 100 Dreams List and the Ideal Week exercises stood out the most. These exercises reminded me that time management isn’t just about squeezing more into each day—it’s about creating space for what genuinely matters. Crafting my own list of dreams and an ideal week has given me clarity on where to focus my time and energy to align my daily life with my bigger vision.

Why You Should Read 168 Hours

168 Hours isn’t your typical time management book—it’s a roadmap for building a life that reflects your values and aspirations. Laura Vanderkam’s approach shifts the focus from doing more to doing what truly counts. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by everything on your plate, this book offers a refreshing perspective on reclaiming your time and making it work for you.

How do you prioritise your time to focus on what’s truly important? Have you read 168 Hours? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below..