I am thrilled to announce that Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done is on sale today (May 29) in the US and Canada.*
I first got the idea for this book in July 2016 when I was running in Bar Harbor, Maine. I had no immediate obligations for the day, and so that phrase popped into my head. I was off the clock — just like when I punched out after a shift back in my teenage minimum wage days. I wanted to explore this concept of time freedom: what makes it possible? How do busy people who feel relaxed about time structure their lives?
I worked up a proposal. My agent and I reached a deal with Portfolio that fall. I did a time diary study looking at a day in the life of 900 busy people, and did interviews for the book during spring 2017. I took a little writing retreat at Bear Creek in July 2017 to finish the thing. It went through edits and such and now it is available in book stores.
I’ve been through the process before, but it still never ceases to amaze me. My idea became a book you can read. Wow!
Anyway, if you heard about the book somewhere and are stopping by this blog — welcome! I post most days and love comments.
If you’re a regular reader here, and you enjoy this blog, I would really appreciate if you’d buy a copy of the book. If book buying isn’t happening in your life right now, please request a copy from your library (patron requests influence how many copies they stock). Or ask for it as a gift!
When you read the book, if you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it, please write a review for either the online retailer where you purchased the book, or for Goodreads, or another such book discussion site. Customer reviews definitely influence whether other people give the book a whirl or not. Time is precious! People want to know the time invested in a book will be well spent.
(Hence one of my favorite blurbs, from Chris Bailey: “For every minute you spend inside this book, you’ll get back ten.”)
I would also appreciate if you’d share the book on social media, through your blog, podcast, or newsletter, or by telling family and friends. Word of mouth is still the best marketing tool out there. A lot of people tell me they’ve found my books or the Best of Both Worlds podcast because a friend suggested them, and I so appreciate this vote of confidence. (I can be reached at lvanderkam at yahoo dot com for interviews.)
I promise I’ll be back to content and less marketing soon. Thanks for bearing with me. And I hope you enjoy Off the Clock!
*August 2 in the UK and related markets. I’m sorry! Different publisher!
Hi Laura,
As an avid reader of your blog and books, I pre-ordered the Kindle version of Off the clock and was a bit disappointed to learn it would only be available in Germany on 2 August. However, today I realized I could buy a different Kindle version (which I am pretty sure wasn’t available when I pre-ordered) that I‘ve already downloaded and will soon start reading. Guess this is the US Kindle version. Just wanted to let you and your fans outside the US know there is a way to get your book right now.
All the best,
Nina
@Nina- ooh, interesting! I don’t understand the system at all. But I am thrilled you are reading! Thanks for ordering it 🙂
… and, of course, congratulations on your new book!
I pre-ordered the Kindle version and I was worried the audiobook wouldn’t be out at the same time since it wasn’t available for pre-order, but it was there this morning so I just downloaded it and I’ll start listening to it in a minute. I’ve enjoyed all your books to date and I’ve been looking forward to this one, thank you for the advance chapter!
@Morana – thank you for ordering! I really appreciate it!
Just got my copy on kindle in Canada! Congratulations.
@Nadia- I hope you love it! Thank you!
My copy arrived early (thanks, Amazon pre-order!) so I could start this over the long weekend. What a great time to read it, too — the whole summer is still stretched out in front of me, with plenty of opportunity to make the days more memorable. I’ve read all your time management books and so far this is my favorite. Congratulations!
@Katie – thanks for reading all my books, and I am THRILLED to hear that this one stands out! Thank you!
Congrats on pub day. I ordered it on audible for myself, and I ordered a copy for our local public library. I’d love to join the book club discussion and will follow the link in the blog post.
@Griffin – thank you! Two copies is awesome 🙂
I’m so excited to get my copy (hopefully in the mail today) AND I get to see you speak later this summer at an event in my town (Springfield MO) – yay!
@Sarah K – very exciting! Can’t wait to meet you in person!
Just purchased the audio version of this book!
@smh – wonderful. I hope it makes some car rides pass quickly!