Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance

A beloved productivity expert’s mind-opening and schedule-expanding guide to making the most of every hour.

Most of us have an adversarial relationship with time. We’re constantly trying to beat the clock―behavior rooted in a fear that time is scarce and must be obsessed over, hoarded, and ultraoptimized. But what if there is a different way to view time, one that could make our hours feel abundant? What if we believed that we had enough time to advance our careers, enjoy meaningful relationships, pursue hobbies, and more? In Big Time, time management expert Laura Vanderkam shows us how to make this our reality.

Drawing on original research about how hundreds of real people spend their time and her own experience of tracking her time for a decade, Vanderkam shows how even busy people can come to feel that time is abundant. Big Time offers simple, tested tactics with high impact, such as developing a “ringmaster” mindset; breaking big goals into daily, bite-sized pieces; and making little bets within a schedule to increase the odds of a breakthrough. Through actionable advice for managing a complex life, Vanderkam demonstrates how we can feel liberated by the time we have, instead of restrained by it.

By turns surprising, thought-provoking, and encouraging, Big Time shows readers that the daily experience of time can be quite spacious―and that, managed well, each day’s hours can be a source of happiness and satisfaction.

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Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including Off the Clock, I Know How She Does It, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours.

Her 2016 TED talk, "How to Gain Control of Your Free Time," has been viewed more than 5 million times. She regularly appears in publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune. She is the co-host, with Sarah Hart-Unger, of the podcast Best of Both Worlds.

"Her approach is gentle and reassuring…Vanderkam’s positive perspective is appealing, but there’s a ruthless regimentation in the details."
― Barbara Spindel, Wall Street Journal

"Full of practical and genuinely helpful suggestions. . . All the organization and tracking Vanderkam asks us to do is what allows for the little escapes we need ― the joyful moments that free our minds to think for ourselves, that make the hours and years worthwhile."
― Chris Rovzar, Bloomberg

"Laura is very wise, very practical, and very real."
― Mel Robbins, bestselling author of The Let Them Theory, host of The Mel Robbins Podcast

"Big Time is refreshingly optimistic and thought-provoking. Rather than viewing time as scarce and stressful, Laura Vanderkam shows readers how it can be abundant, flexible, and full of possibility. Vanderkam makes the case for using your 8,760 hours a year to craft a joyful, meaningful life."
― Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of Supercommunicators and The Power of Habit

"You can either see your schedule as a source of frustration or an opportunity to revel in the wonders of life. In her fascinating and original new book, Laura Vanderkam makes a compelling case that the second answer is not only possible, but the best way to approach time management. I'm convinced!"
― Cal Newport, bestselling author of Slow Productivity and Deep Work

"Laura Vanderkam proves that time abundance is a mindset that anyone can develop. Big Time will inspire you to prioritize what matters and build a life you love, no matter how busy you feel."
― Amy Morin, bestselling author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do

"With its practical tactics and engaging writing, this book opens up an exciting sense of possibility with the time we have."
― Cassie Holmes, UCLA professor and bestselling author of Happier Hour

"Before reading Big Time, I thought time management was a concept that couldn’t possibly apply to my own jam-packed schedule. Through her captivating book, Laura Vanderkam uses her personal journey and fascinating research to illustrate a powerful process that can shift our perspective on time and how to work with it."
― Jenny Marrs, author of Trust God, Love People and co-host of HGTV's Fixer to Fabulous

"[Vanderkam] challenges the motion that time is a scare 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 encourages dreaming big and planning small."
― Publishers Weekly

"An inspiring What Color Is Your Parachute? for people in need of stronger time-management skills."
― Kirkus Reviews