Overview
The 168 Hours Method, developed by author Laura Vanderkam, is a time management philosophy centered on the reality that everyone has exactly 168 hours per week. It emphasizes tracking time to understand actual usage versus perceived usage, then making intentional choices to align time with priorities.
Core Philosophy
The method challenges the notion that "there's not enough time" by:
- Revealing that even with 8 hours of sleep (56 hours) and 50-hour work week, 62 hours remain for other activities
- Showing how small pockets of time add up significantly
- Demonstrating that time perceptions rarely match reality
- Encouraging intentional allocation to priorities
The 168-Hour Framework
Weekly Breakdown:
- 56 hours: Sleep (8 hours/night)
- 50 hours: Work (full-time job)
- 62 hours: Everything else
Those 62 remaining hours represent substantial time for family, hobbies, fitness, relationships, and personal projects.
Step 1: Track Your 168 Hours
Process:
- Track every activity for one full week
- Record in 30-minute increments
- Be honest and specific
- Note both duration and activity type
- Include weekends (often revealing eye-opening patterns)
Categories to Track:
- Work (meetings, deep work, email, commute)
- Sleep and self-care
- Household tasks and errands
- Family and relationship time
- Entertainment and leisure
- Exercise and health
- Personal development
Step 2: Analyze the Data
Key Questions:
- Where does time actually go?
- What's the gap between ideal and actual?
- Which activities align with priorities?
- What's taking more time than it should?
- Where are time leaks and inefficiencies?
- What high-value activities are neglected?
Common Discoveries:
- TV/social media takes more time than realized
- "Quick" tasks accumulate to hours
- Commute time could be leveraged
- Weekends feel busy but lack intentional activity
- "Busy" time doesn't equal productive time
Step 3: Redesign Your 168 Hours
Priority-Based Allocation:
- Identify Core Priorities: What truly matters most?
- Reserve Time First: Block time for priorities before filling schedule
- Protect High-Value Time: Guard most productive hours
- Minimize or Eliminate: Reduce low-value activities
- Batch Similar Tasks: Group to save switching time
- Leverage Small Pockets: Use 15-minute gaps effectively
Key Principles
Fill Life Before Work Fills It
"If you don't plan your life, someone else will plan it for you." Proactively schedule personal priorities before reactive work fills all time.
Outsource and Minimize
Math matters: if your time is worth $50/hour, paying someone $20/hour for house cleaning buys you time for higher-value activities.
Use All 168 Hours
Weekends and evenings are half of waking hours. The 168-hour view prevents "weekday tunnel vision."
Build in Sleep
Adequate sleep (56 hours/week) isn't negotiable—it enables effective use of waking hours.
Practical Applications
For Parents
- Track to discover "hidden" time
- Identify when partner can share duties
- Find pockets for self-care and relationships
- Make conscious choices about quality time
For Professionals
- Understand actual work hours vs. perceived
- Identify time for side projects or learning
- Protect time for career-advancing activities
- Balance work with life priorities
For Anyone Feeling "Busy"
- Distinguish between busy and productive
- Reveal time-wasting activities
- Identify opportunities for batching
- Make data-driven schedule changes
- Toggl Track: Easy weekly time tracking and reporting
- RescueTime: Automatic tracking of computer activities
- Clockify: Free weekly time sheets
- Spreadsheet: Simple manual tracking template
- Paper Journal: Low-tech tracking option
Common Insights from Tracking
Revealed Time Leaks:
- Social media "quick checks" accumulate to 15+ hours weekly
- Indecision and task-switching waste hours
- Commute time used passively rather than leveraged
- Evening hours disappear to default TV watching
- Weekend mornings lost to sleeping late
Discovered Opportunities:
- Early mornings provide consistent focus time
- Lunch breaks can enable exercise or learning
- Commute transforms into audiobook education
- Evening hours support meaningful hobbies
- Weekends offer substantial project time
Benefits of the 168-Hour View
- Realistic Perspective: See actual time available
- Data-Driven Decisions: Facts instead of feelings
- Intentional Living: Conscious choices about time
- Reduced Guilt: Know where time actually goes
- Improved Balance: Wholistic weekly view
- Increased Control: Agency over schedule design
Making It Sustainable
- Track Annually: Full week tracking 2-4 times per year
- Weekly Reviews: 10-minute check on time allocation
- Flexible Structure: Framework, not rigid schedule
- Forgive Imperfection: Some weeks diverge from plan
- Adjust as Needed: Life changes, time allocation should too
- Time Confetti: Small fragments of time (5-15 minutes)
- Deep Work vs. Shallow Work: Quality of time matters
- Energy Management: Time × energy = productivity
- Attention Residue: Task-switching reduces effectiveness
- Parkinson's Law: Work expands to fill available time
Who Should Use This Method
- People claiming "no time" for priorities
- Anyone wanting clearer time awareness
- Professionals seeking better work-life balance
- Parents juggling multiple responsibilities
- Anyone redesigning their life or career
- People recovering from burnout
