Pentapod reviewed I know how she does it by Laura Vanderkam
Review of 'I know how she does it' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Instead of just a bunch of anecdotes about how to do it all, Vanderkam actually collected time logs rom women who earn at least $100,000 per year and got real data to analyze how these women spent their 168 hours per week. She looks at both what the data actually shows (such as, EVERYONE overestimates the amount of hours they work and how little sleep they get, so thinking you need to work 80 hour weeks and sleep 6 hour nights to "keep up" is factually wrong); and also looks at different strategies these women used to get their schedules to work towards what they found most valuable. Whether that is figuring out how to run a side business or how to spend time with family, there are various strategies they use to make time for that, and Vanderkam digs into the different strategies to show how to make similar …
Instead of just a bunch of anecdotes about how to do it all, Vanderkam actually collected time logs rom women who earn at least $100,000 per year and got real data to analyze how these women spent their 168 hours per week. She looks at both what the data actually shows (such as, EVERYONE overestimates the amount of hours they work and how little sleep they get, so thinking you need to work 80 hour weeks and sleep 6 hour nights to "keep up" is factually wrong); and also looks at different strategies these women used to get their schedules to work towards what they found most valuable. Whether that is figuring out how to run a side business or how to spend time with family, there are various strategies they use to make time for that, and Vanderkam digs into the different strategies to show how to make similar decisions.
The author focused on getting her initial data from women who have a career AND children, simply because their lives have heavier time demands and therefore the time management challenges were bigger and clearer, but the data is relevant to everyone regardless of parenting status. I found it an interesting book, and her technique of doing a time log for a week or two definitely seems helpful if you feel your schedule is out of balance and want to start figuring out how to fix it. And whether or not you want to get that detailed personally, her data did bring up some interesting points and ideas about ways to think about and manage time.