11 Productivity Tips to Make Your Time Feel Less Rushed During a Busy Week

Laura Vanderkam, author of the May 2026 book Big Time, proposes a shift toward time abundance by managing life as a three-ring circus consisting of career, relationships, and self. According to reporting from Wonder Tools, Vanderkam suggests that thinking in 168-hour weekly blocks rather than 24-hour days allows individuals to identify significant amounts of discretionary time and reduce the feeling of being rushed.

How does the 168-hour framework change time perception?

Vanderkam argues that the feeling of a time crunch often stems from focusing too narrowly on a single day. By zooming out to a weekly view, the math reveals more available time than most people realize.

For a person working 40 hours a week and sleeping 56 hours, there are still 72 hours remaining for other activities. While not all of this is free time, viewing the week as a whole creates mental space to manage priorities without the stress of a 24-hour limit.

What tools are most effective for tracking time?

Vanderkam uses a manual system involving a basic Excel spreadsheet divided into half-hour blocks from Monday through Sunday. She records activities using plain language, such as Email, Cooking, or Driving, and checks in three times daily to log her actions.

This manual approach creates a personal time capsule, allowing her to compare current weeks with logs from previous years. For those who find spreadsheets too labor-intensive, Wonder Tools suggests alternative technology options.

• Toggl provides a more streamlined tracking experience for those avoiding spreadsheets.
• Rize offers automatic time categorization, removing the need for manual logging.

How can small changes increase work satisfaction?

Vanderkam tested three specific tactics with hundreds of participants over three weeks, finding that each led to a statistically significant increase in work satisfaction. These experiments do not require changing jobs or having total autonomy over a role.

The first tactic involves spending one additional hour per week on the tasks the employee likes best. The second is spending 15 more minutes per week with a colleague they genuinely like. The third is taking two intentional, planned breaks per day to avoid defaulting to screen time or mindless scrolling.

What are Golden Hours and effortful fun?

Golden hours are defined as the period between the end of the workday and bedtime, typically from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Vanderkam recommends setting a daily golden hour intention, which consists of 30 minutes of chosen leisure that is not work or housework.

To maximize this time, she suggests prioritizing effortful fun over effortless fun. Effortless fun refers to low-friction activities like scrolling through social media, while effortful fun involves activities that require an initial hurdle, such as reading a book or playing an instrument.

The strategy is to engage in a few minutes of an effortful activity before defaulting to a screen. This prevents the user from being sucked into mindless diversions and makes it easier to engage in long-term projects, such as reading the complete works of Jane Austen or listening to all of Beethoven.

Why should users rely on decision presets?

Reducing the number of daily decisions preserves mental energy for high-impact choices. Vanderkam implements this through routine formulas, such as a set meal schedule where Mondays are for pasta and Tuesdays are for fajitas.

This approach mirrors a strategy used by Jeff Bezos, who separates reversible small decisions from impactful ones that cannot be easily undone. By automating the small decisions, individuals can focus their decision-making efforts on critical life or career moves.

How does a long-term perspective reduce productivity guilt?

Vanderkam rejects the common advice to Live every day as if it’s your last, noting that such a mindset makes saving money or learning a new skill seem futile. Instead, she adopts a frame attributed to a Snoopy cartoon.

Someday we will die. But on all the other days, we will not.
Laura Vanderkam

This perspective encourages investing in skills and long-term projects. To support this, she suggests using actuarial tables from the Social Security Administration to realize that, for most ages, the odds of surviving to the next year are excellent.

Additionally, she recommends leaving room in the schedule to say yes to little bets. This involves staying open to unexpected opportunities, which Daniel Coyle describes in his book Flourish as opening yellow doors—opportunities that aren’t a clear go but can lead to surprising results.