Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance

Time management expert Vanderkam (Tranquility by Tuesday) challenges the notion that time is a scarce resource in this upbeat guide. Drawing on original research into how people spend their hours and leveraging her own decade of time tracking, Vanderkam argues that feelings of scarcity stem less from overloaded schedules than from mindset. She introduces practical frameworks for viewing time as abundant, including embracing the idea that life is a circus and people are “ringmasters” managing three rings: career, relationships, and themselves. Noting that people often underestimate what they can accomplish over a long period of time, she encourages dreaming big and planning small. She shares, for example, how a couple and their two kids set out to see all 63 of America’s national parks by planning the trips out over multiple years and taking advantage of summers and smaller school-year breaks. There are also ways to organize time to welcome serendipitous moments, she explains, like by saying “yes” to new and exciting things, even if they don’t conform to the rules one sets for themselves. While Vanderkam’s advice is clear and actionable, the case studies skew heavily toward dual-career households with children, leaving readers from different economic backgrounds or life stages somewhat underrepresented. This will resonate most with readers juggling family and career demands. (May)