Summary of How to Make Time for Everything (Then Actually Do It)

Key Wellness and Productivity Strategies from "How to Make Time for Everything (Then Actually Do It)"

• 168 Hours Spreadsheet Method
  • Track all weekly hours (168 total) spent on activities like sleep, work, food, chores, childcare, entertainment, and socializing.
  • Helps visualize where time is allocated and identify areas for adjustment.
  • Available as a free downloadable tool.
• Average Time Use Insights (Based on American Time Use Survey & Other Data)
  • Sleep: ~56 hours/week (8 hours/night)
  • Work (including commute, lunch, prep): ~52.5 hours/week
  • Food prep and eating: ~12 hours/week
  • Chores (cleaning, laundry, groceries): ~6.5 hours/week
  • Childcare: ~18 hours/week (varies widely)
  • Fitness: ~2.5 hours/week
  • Entertainment (TV, social media, gaming): ~29.5 hours/week
  • Socializing & family time: ~4 hours/week
  • Result: Average person’s 168 hours are fully allocated, leaving little to no free time for side projects or hobbies.
• Key Realization: There Are Physically Not Enough Hours
  • The average person’s time is fully used up by basic life needs and leisure.
  • Adding side hustles, learning new skills, or extra projects requires sacrifices.
• Three Main Strategies to Make Time for Everything
  1. Increase Efficiency:
     • Squeeze more productivity out of existing tasks (e.g., study techniques, efficient workflows).
  2. Strategic Sacrifice:
     • Decide what activities to reduce or eliminate (e.g., less TV, social media, cooking).
  3. Double-Dip Time:
     • Combine activities to maximize time use (e.g., listening to audiobooks/podcasts during commutes or lunch breaks).
• Personal Example from Presenter (Medical Doctor & Entrepreneur)
  • Slept ~7 hours/night; kept wind-down time minimal.
  • Skipped breakfast and mostly ate ready meals or takeout to save cooking time (~2.7 hours/week on food vs. average 12 hours).
  • Outsourced cleaning every other week; minimal chores (~1.4 hours/week).
  • Limited entertainment: no solo TV watching; social media ~7 hours/week vs. average 29.5 hours.
  • Used commute and lunch breaks for learning (audiobooks, podcasts) at 2-3x speed, effectively doubling content intake.
  • Resulted in ~31 hours/week free time to grow YouTube channel and business alongside a full-time job.
  • Acknowledges sacrifices (e.g., unhealthy eating) and does not recommend all choices for everyone.
• Impact of Childcare on Time
  • Childcare can consume 20+ hours/week, drastically reducing free time.
  • Productivity advice often overlooks the significant time demands of parenting.
• Advice on Sacrifices
  • Sacrificing sleep or family time is generally not recommended.
  • Reducing TV watching and social media use are effective and less harmful ways to free up time.
  • Cutting down on cooking or chores can free time but may impact health or lifestyle quality.
  • Financial freedom (e.g., quitting or going part-time at work) can free up large blocks of time but requires resources.
• Mindset and Realistic Expectations
  • It’s normal and okay to struggle with making time for everything.
  • Prioritize based on your values and goals.
  • Use tools like the 168-hour spreadsheet to audit and plan your time.
  • Recognize that “making time” often means making trade-offs.
• Additional Resources
  • Free quarterly “Summer Reset” workshop for goal setting and reflection.
  • Sponsored learning platform Brilliant.org for building skills efficiently through interactive problem solving.

Presenters/Sources:

• Main presenter: Unnamed doctor and entrepreneur (likely the YouTuber behind the channel)
• Data sources referenced: American Time Use Survey, Nielsen data, ChatGPT and Claude for research assistance
• Sponsored by: Brilliant.org (interactive learning platform)

Category

Wellness and Self-Improvement

Video