Review: Off The Clock
This was a refreshing read, not so much because I didn’t already know that we should ideally slow down and savour time, but because the author framed time management in such a carefree yet authentic way.
Laura Vanderkam writes that fundamentally, time is both precious AND plentiful. Yes, read that again. Despite everything we are told and the hectic world we live in, time is enough, in fact more than enough for us to use and enjoy.
And how is that possible? By knowing there are two facets of freedom: freedom from and freedom to. While that side hustle may eventually bring you freedom from slaving at that 9 to 5, the true value is that it actually brings you freedom to plan your own schedule and be your own boss. I think realising this really reshaped my view of needing to get more done in a day, just because. Putting a name to the value it gives me pushes me to put in the work each day.
This does not mean that work has to be all dreadful. In fact, Vanderkam proposes that sometimes nothing can be better than something. Good stewards do not blindly fill time. That’s true, since open spaces in our calendars actually invites opportunities that cluttered schedules cannot. A worthy advice worth heeding:
Don't fill up your schedule until there is no time to build relationships with people.
Personally, people are everything. People, people, people. Even if I have assignments due the next day but a friend needs someone to talk to, you bet the assignment can wait. Productivity is great, but it should not come at the expense of drifting apart from the people who matter.
Anyways, if you always look busy you will never be given new projects and opportunities. So rather than fill time, why not we try to open time. I think factoring in pockets of free time benefits me psychologically too, since the very presence of free time in my schedule signals to me that I am on track with my tasks and don’t have to rush. Try it and let me know if it works for you too!
To sum it all, treasure the time you have now. Treasure the time of your youth. Linger. Dwell in the present. Don’t rush from appointment to appointment, because there is so much joy to be created + uncovered in the mundane.
