Off the Clock - Book Review

I have really been enjoying reading the book club picks from Simple Scrapper.  (Have I said that before? Probably.) The latest one I read was Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam. It's all about finding the time to get stuff done. But not just any stuff. The stuff that you actually want to do, like scrapbooking!

I did one of Vanderkam's time assessments and actually found that I was spending ample time reading books, watching TV, scrapbooking, and blogging. These are all things that I love to do, but I complain a lot about how I don't have enough time to do them. Reality check: I do have enough time and I am using that time.

I guess for me the problem is that I'd rather be scrapbooking ALL the time instead of just in my spare time, but that is a problem for another book. (What Color is Your Parachute?, perhaps?)

Or perhaps it's like Vanderkam writes on page 13 of the book, "People who spend their days waking up too early to commute too far to jobs where too many hours are dictated will likely view being off the clock as the traditional definition: not working."

The book is divided into five sections, and each section is one thing to remember on your time journey: tend your garden, make life memorable, don't fill time, linger, invest in your happiness, let it go, and people are a good use of time. These will all make sense when you read the book.

And I do encourage you to read the book, even if scrapbooking is not the hobby you're yearning to have more time for. Any hobby, passion, what have you can benefit from reading this book and taking the time assessment challenge. Maybe, for instance, instead of spending 15 minutes scrolling through Facebook, you could allocate that time toward something else?