I am seeking people to profile for my new book, 168 Hours, to be published by Portfolio (Penguin’s business imprint) in 2010.
This book is about how people spend their time. We all have 168 hours (24 x 7) to spend each week, but some people manage to do a lot more with their time than others. From preliminary interviews, I’ve found that people who get the most out of their time tend to focus on their “core competencies” — the things they do best at home and work, and that other people cannot do as well — and ignore, minimize or outsource most other things. At work they focus on high-impact projects that get them where they wish to be going. At home they focus on nurturing loved ones — and less on housework. In their personal lives, they focus on things that make life better — exercise, sleep, hobbies, volunteering, etc. — and less on things like TV which don’t correlate with happiness.
So how does this all fit into 168 hours? I’d like to find out! I’d like to hear from people who have big careers and big families — how do you make time to be fully engaged in both? I’d like to hear from parents (moms and dads) who spend time with their kids in really cool ways — and maybe have some creative ways to spend less time on chores. I’d like to talk with people who maintain extensive volunteer commitments even in the middle of very full lives. I’d like to talk with people who’ve found the time to get in great shape — training for half-marathons and the like — without sacrificing other important priorities.
Do you or someone you know fit the bill? I’d like to talk with you about how you allocate your 168 hours like a puzzle to make this all fit. While we live in a culture that talks a lot about the “time crunch,” when you think about it, 168 hours is still a lot of time — if you fill it with things that are important, and not with things that aren’t. I’d like to interview people who put this philosophy to work in their lives. Please email me a bit about yourself (lvanderkam at yahoo dot com), and we’ll set up a time to talk. Thanks so much– Laura