"I well recall a conversation with an executive I hoped to interview about her astonishing productivity. I began our call with an assurance that I would not take much of her time. She laughed. 'Oh, I have all the time in the world,' she said."Most of us feel constantly behind, unsure how to escape feeling oppressed by busyness. Laura Vanderkam, unlike other time-management gurus, believes that in order to get more done, we must first feel like we have all the time in the world. Think about it: why haven't you trained for that 5K or read
War and Peace? Probably because you feel beaten down by all the time you don't seem to have.
In this book, Vanderkam reveals the seven counterintuitive principles the most time-free people have adopted. She teaches mindset shifts to help you feel calm on the busiest days and tools to help you get more done without feeling overwhelmed. You'll meet people such as...
♦ An elementary school principal who figured out how to spend more time mentoring teachers, and less time supervising the cafeteria
♦ An executive who builds lots of meeting-free space into his calendar, despite managing teams across multiple continents
♦ A CEO who does focused work in a Waffle House early in the morning, so he can keep an open door and a relaxed mindset all day
♦ An artist who overcame a creative block, and reached new heights of productivity, by being more gentle with herself, rather than more demanding
The strategies in this book can help if your life feels out of control, but they can also help if you want to take your career, your relationships, and your personal happiness to the next level. Vanderkam has packed this book with insights from busy yet relaxed professionals, including "time makeovers" of people who are learning how to use these tools.
Off the Clock can inspire the rest of us to create lives that are not only productive, but enjoyable in the moment.
On sale: May 29, 2018
Page count: 256 Pages
ISBN: 9780735219816
Laura Vanderkam is the bestselling author of
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast,
I Know How She Does It, and
168 Hours, among others. Her 2016 TED talk, "How to Gain Control of Your Free Time," has been viewed more than 5 million times. Her work has appeared in
The Wall Street Journal,
The New York Times,
Fortune, and other publications. She lives with her husband and their four children outside Philadelphia.
"Laura Vanderkam is one of the world's leading experts in time management and productivity. If you're feeling too busy, stressed out, or overworked, reading her insights in
Off the Clock can change your life."
—Dorie Clark, author of
Stand Out and adjunct professor, Duke University's Fuqua School of Business
"For every minute you spend inside this book, you’ll get back ten.
Off the Clock will show you how to spend your hours more meaningfully, reclaim vast amounts of wasted time, and live a better life. Picking up this book will be one of the most valuable investments you make in yourself."
—Chris Bailey, author of
The Productivity Project “Laura Vanderkam delivers a compelling and evidence-based argument that busyness is overrated in our current culture. Living a full life, at work and at home, is about doing the right things well, and confidently missing out on everything else.”
—Cal Newport, author of
Deep Work “Short of discovering an additional 25th hour what makes time so different for those rare productive, unstressed people? Laura Vanderkam knows--and can teach you. If you want to do more without losing your sense of peace along the way, make time for
Off the Clock."
—Jon Acuff, author of
Finish and
Do Over
"I recognized myself in almost every word of Laura's excellent book. And tracking my hours was an eye-opener for me, as it appears I'm one of the people who's been unrealistic about how I spend my days. This book is liberating, useful, and so important in this era in which everyone seems to feel overwhelmed."
—Celeste Headlee, author of
We Need to Talk
