Synopsis
In “I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time,” author Laura Vanderkam shares insights from a study of 143 successful women who are also mothers. Vanderkam argues that despite the commonly held belief that women can’t have it all, many of these women are able to manage both successful careers and fulfilling personal lives. Through a detailed analysis of their time logs, Vanderkam identifies patterns in their schedules and strategies they use to maximize their time. She also challenges the idea that there is a one-size-fits-all approach to time management, and encourages women to take a more flexible and intentional approach to their schedules in order to achieve their goals. Overall, the book offers practical advice and inspiration for women who are seeking to balance career and family.
About the author
Laura Vanderkam is an American author, speaker, and time management expert. She was born on July 11, 1979, in New York, and graduated from Princeton University with a degree in political science in 2001. Vanderkam has authored several books on time management and productivity, including “I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time,” “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think,” and “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.” Her work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company, and she has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. Vanderkam is also a frequent keynote speaker at conferences and events.
Chapter summary
Here are the chapters and a brief summary of each:
- The Mosaic: Successful Women and Their Lives – In this chapter, Vanderkam introduces the women whose time logs she analyzed for the book and provides an overview of her study.
- The 168 Hours – Vanderkam argues that we all have the same number of hours in a week, and that the way we spend them determines the course of our lives.
- A Week in the Life of Successful Women – This chapter provides an overview of the time logs and patterns that Vanderkam analyzed in her study.
- What Works: Strategies from the Lives of Successful Women – Vanderkam identifies the most common strategies that successful women use to manage their time, including early morning wake-ups, delegating household tasks, and being intentional about leisure time.
- The Myth of the 168-Hour Workweek – Vanderkam challenges the idea that working long hours is necessary for success, and argues that efficiency and productivity are more important than sheer quantity of work.
- I Know How She Does It – In this chapter, Vanderkam offers tips and advice for women who want to make the most of their time, including setting priorities, tracking time, and creating routines.
- Career and Family: A False Dichotomy – Vanderkam discusses the ways in which successful women integrate their careers and families, and argues that the traditional “work-life balance” model is flawed.
- Money and Time – Vanderkam explores the relationship between time and money, and offers advice for women who want to make intentional choices about how they spend both.
- Making it Work: Stories from Successful Women – This chapter features interviews with successful women who share their strategies for managing their time and achieving their goals.
- The Happiest Conclusion – In the final chapter, Vanderkam summarizes the key takeaways from the book and offers encouragement and inspiration for women who are seeking to make the most of their time and build fulfilling lives.
Best quotes
- “Time is a choice. It is not a thing that can be hoarded like money or squandered like a commodity. It is a daily practice that requires intentionality, awareness, and a commitment to creating a life well lived.”
- “The key to making time for what matters is to start by acknowledging what those things are. Only by identifying our priorities can we begin to align our time with our values.”
- “The most successful women I know don’t just manage their time; they manage their energy. They recognize that their ability to perform well depends on having enough mental and physical stamina, and they make deliberate choices to maintain their energy levels throughout the day.”
- “Flexibility is key to managing a demanding career and a busy family life. Rather than trying to achieve balance, which is often unrealistic, successful women focus on integration, finding ways to weave together the different parts of their lives.”
- “We can’t do it all, but we can do what matters most. By identifying our priorities and making intentional choices about how we spend our time, we can create a life that is both successful and fulfilling.”
Book summary
“I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time” by Laura Vanderkam is a fascinating study of the time management habits of successful women. Vanderkam, a time management expert and author, collected and analyzed the time logs of hundreds of women who earn over $100,000 a year and have at least one child under the age of 18 living at home. Through her analysis, Vanderkam discovered that these women are not just working long hours – they are also making time for family, hobbies, and self-care.
The book is organized into 10 chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of time management for successful women. In the first chapter, “The Mosaic: Successful Women and Their Lives,” Vanderkam introduces us to the women whose time logs she analyzed. She notes that many of these women are high-achieving professionals who are also deeply committed to their families and personal pursuits.
In the second chapter, “The 168 Hours,” Vanderkam makes the case that we all have the same amount of time in a week, and that how we choose to spend that time determines the course of our lives. She encourages readers to think about their time in terms of “168 hours” rather than individual days or hours, as this perspective allows us to see the big picture of our lives and make more intentional choices about how we spend our time.
Chapter three, “A Week in the Life of Successful Women,” provides an overview of the time logs that Vanderkam analyzed for the book. She notes that the women in her study worked an average of 44 hours per week, but also made time for family, leisure activities, and self-care.
In chapter four, “What Works: Strategies from the Lives of Successful Women,” Vanderkam identifies the most common time management strategies used by the women in her study. These strategies include waking up early, delegating household tasks, and being intentional about leisure time. Vanderkam notes that successful women tend to view their time as a valuable resource that should be allocated in a deliberate and purposeful way.
Chapter five, “The Myth of the 168-Hour Workweek,” challenges the idea that working long hours is necessary for success. Vanderkam argues that efficiency and productivity are more important than sheer quantity of work, and notes that successful women tend to be strategic about how they use their time at work.
In chapter six, “I Know How She Does It,” Vanderkam offers practical advice for women who want to make the most of their time. She suggests setting priorities, tracking time, and creating routines as effective ways to manage time more effectively. Vanderkam also notes that women should be intentional about their leisure time, and should use it to recharge and pursue activities that bring them joy.
Chapter seven, “Career and Family: A False Dichotomy,” explores the ways in which successful women integrate their careers and families. Vanderkam argues that the traditional “work-life balance” model is flawed, as it implies that work and life are separate and competing priorities. She suggests that successful women focus on “work-life integration” instead, finding ways to weave together the different parts of their lives in a way that feels fulfilling and sustainable.
In chapter eight, “Money and Time,” Vanderkam explores the relationship between time and money. She notes that successful women tend to view their time as a valuable resource that should be allocated strategically, and suggests that women should consider their time as an important factor when making financial decisions.
Chapter nine, “Making it Work: Stories from Successful Women,” features interviews with successful women who share their strategies for managing their time and achieving their goals. Vanderkam notes that these women are not superhuman – they are simply women who have learned to be intentional about their time and make the most of the hours they have.
In the final chapter, “Putting It All Together,” Vanderkam summarizes the key takeaways from the book and offers a step-by-step guide for readers who want to apply these insights to their own lives. She emphasizes the importance of being intentional about how we spend our time, setting clear priorities, and creating routines that support our goals.
Overall, “I Know How She Does It” offers a refreshing perspective on time management for women. Instead of encouraging women to work longer and harder, Vanderkam suggests that we can be more productive and fulfilled by being intentional about how we spend our time. By analyzing the time logs of successful women, Vanderkam provides concrete examples of how this approach can be put into practice. This book is a must-read for any woman who wants to achieve success without sacrificing her personal life and well-being.
