Time and How to Spend It Book Summary - Time and How to Spend It Book explained in key points

Time and How to Spend It summary

James Wallman

The 7 Rules for Richer, Happier Days

Listen to the first key idea

Key idea 1 of 8
00:00
4.3 (234 ratings)
24 mins
8 key ideas
Audio & text

What is Time and How to Spend It about?

Time and How to Spend It (2019) draws on scientific research to help people make better decisions about how to use their free time. With so many choices vying for our attention these days, author James Wallman offers a straightforward checklist that can help people spend their time in more meaningful and rewarding ways.

About the Author

James Wallman is an in-demand speaker and cultural commentator who has spoken at such places as London’s Royal Academy and Google headquarters. He heads a trend forecasting firm whose clients include Eventbrite and KFC, and his writing has appeared in publications including the New York Times and GQ. He is also the author of the international best-seller Stuffocation (2013).

Table of Contents
    Key idea 1 of 8

    Finding more happiness and success starts with choosing better experiences.

    It’s pretty common for concerns about free time to take a back seat to concerns about being more productive. Indeed, if you were raised in a capitalist society, you may think that time not spent earning money is time wasted. This might even be why we tend to idealize people who are always busy taking care of the next piece of business.

    Our desire to be efficient also explains why we tend to feel like we have less free time than we actually do.

    Studies have shown that the average American has five hours and fourteen minutes of free time per day, while the average Brit has five hours and forty-nine minutes.

    Yet other studies show that, despite these healthy sums, four out of five Americans feel they don’t have enough time to do what they’d like, while three out of four Brits feel they aren’t getting the most out of their time.

    But there are other reasons for feeling like we don’t have much free time.

    At the top of this list is the fact that people spend a daily average of three and a half hours interacting with their phones. This often comes from the fact that with so many emails, texts and social media updates arriving daily, there’s an anxiety-inducing fear of missing out on something – known as FOMO – which results in hours spent just keeping up with your digital life.

    But here’s the thing: even though we place a high value on work and productivity, they aren’t the only important things in life, especially when it comes to feeling happy and satisfied. According to multiple studies from institutions like Harvard Business School and Cornell University, what really brings happiness into people’s lives are experiences.

    While this is a pretty interesting idea on its own, research also shows that happiness is a strong precursor to success. Conventional wisdom usually tells us that happiness is a byproduct of success, and yet a lot of evidence suggests that it’s actually the other way around.

    What all of this adds up to is that positive experiences lead to happiness, which in turn leads to success. So to achieve success, we should try to have positive experiences. The question then becomes: What is a positive experience, and how can I introduce more of them into my life? This is precisely what we’ll find out in the blinks ahead.

    Want to see all full key ideas from Time and How to Spend It?

    Key ideas in Time and How to Spend It

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    Who should read Time and How to Spend It

    • Anxious people feeling overwhelmed by life’s options
    • Productive people who think free time is wasted time
    • Anyone looking for more happiness

    Categories with Time and How to Spend It

    What our members say

    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    25 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial