Time and How to Spend It: Seven Ways to Better Days

by James Wallman

A Financial Times Book of the Year'Genius ... I couldn't put it down, I read it from cover to cover'CHRIS EVANSIf the most precious thing we have is time, the most highly prized expertise should be knowing how to spend it well. Yet, busier than ever, do we really understand which experiences bring us joy and success, and which don’t?After all, we’ve learned how to spot the difference between junk foods and superfoods. When you discover the equivalent rules for time, it’ll change how you live your life.In his first book since the era-defining Stuffocation , cultural commentator and bestselling author James Wallman investigates the persistent problem of wasted, unfulfilling time, and finds a powerful answer — a revolutionary approach to life based on the latest scientific discoveries. At its heart is the inspiring revelation that, when you play by the new rules, you can actively choose better experiences.Bursting with original stories, fresh takes on tales you thought you knew, and insights from psychology, economics, and culture, Time and How to Spend It reveals a seven-point checklist that’ll help you avoid empty experiences, and fill your free hours with exciting and enriching ones instead.This life-enhancing book will show you how to be the hero or heroine of your own story. You’ll learn how to avoid WMDs (weapons of mass distraction), and discover the roads that lead to flow. You’ll get more out of every minute and every day; your weekends will fizz and your holidays will be deeply nourishing. You’ll not only be living the good life, but building a truly great life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Audiobook, Business, Philosophy, Productivity

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2019

About the author

James Wallman is a journalist and trend forecaster. He has forecast the future and written for clients and publications such as Absolut, BMW, Nike, the Guardian, The New York Times, Esquire and GQ. In the line of duty, he has interviewed terrorists, the victims of serious crime, Noam Chomsky, and a woman who wanted to marry her alarm clock.

Reviews

[Bejinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like this book, most non-fiction today follow the structure:

• One nice idea

• A “How To” or a “7 rules to” on the cover

• Begin each chapter with a well-known story (the Pavlov’s dogs, marshmallow test, check-list manifesto, Csikszentmihalyi’s flow or one of Kahneman’s chapter).

• Stir it, do not shake.

[Emma Sea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I wasted a lot of hours finishing this. I don't know what I was expecting. Not this, apparently.

Go offline
Get outside
Connect with others
Seek flow

I paid for this paperback. I think this proves I walk into any book store and lose 40 IQ points instantly.

Also, arguing your book isn't aimed at the middle class with the examples he uses on page 298/299 is the most middle-class thing ever. Poor Sarah, has to have camping holidays, in her tent. Oh, the humanity. /s

And opera tickets, my dude, are not accessible to the vast majority of humans.

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those groundbraking books, tailored for particular moment in time. Our moments in time are defined by ourselves, of course, the people. Mostly in the department of our (non)understanding of ourselves and what is happening to us.

This means the book is written because the author (correctly) came to conclusion humanity in its current, dispersed-attention, cortisol-overflow state needs direction. And in my opinion, it really does. Desperately. But it also means that mass of non-understanding human population will have hard time understanding its teachings or finding will to apply them.

Otherwise they wouldn't need it. Kind of catch 22.

So it may well be one of those books only time will prove how right they were.

There are lots of interesting ideas, concepts and connections presented here. Very nicely made connections between quality of experience, that leads to happiness, that leads to success, which logically leads to more quality experiences and even more happiness.

It's perfectly logical loop. But in order to make it spin, you need to invest in some self-education, mindful awareness of what experiences that you chose for yourself do (or don't do) for you and discipline in chosing the right kind, while avoiding the wrong ones.

For that, you need Experience Intelligence. That's right. I would guess factorial analysis would show there's a lot of overlap between already established concepts of general intelligence and emotional intelligence, but I don't doubt its validity.

It's probably just one of the many kinds of "big intelligence entities" inside ourselves that we will discover in years to come.

Just as I don't doubt the author of this book is Daniel Goleman of Experience Intelligence.

Quality experience also makes you more resilient to shit you can't avoid, which is especially good news since there seems to be no end to the shit meals this life has to serve. Better make your digestion fast and efficient.

[Jap Hengky · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Positive experiences lead to happiness, which in turn leads to success.
2. What kind of positive experiences? Choose experiences that add to your own heroic story. It is through these challenging experiences that we acquire the tools that allow us to reach our goals.
3. Transformation are key to finding fulfillment.
4. Being outside and offline has been shown to improve people's moods directly.
5. Engage in activities to avoid the potentially fatal effects of loneliness (relationship)
6. Activities that boost our status can lead to happier lives.
7. Intensity and extraordinary things that we can find can help boost our mood and happiness.

[Val Robson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Time and How to Spend It is really about improving your happiness by using your time more wisely.

The author, James Wallman, uses the word STORIES as an acronym for the elements he thinks can transform our use of time: Story, Transformation, Outside and Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, Status and Significance. As with many uses of these acronyms in self-help guides some feel a little contrived and it’s hard to remember what each element signifies a few days after finishing the book.

It felt quite repetitive at times with the basic message being to get out more and, when out, do something interesting challenging or for the benefit of others. Don’t go and lie in the sun for a week – you’ll remember a trek somewhere unusual much more and it’ll bring more happiness. There was a lot of use of illustrations, many of which were similar – a U curve and inverted U curve – to represent an experience starting and ending well with a high or low point in the middle.

There were quizzes at the end of each chapter which were designed to make you think more about what the right thing to do out of two choices for different scenarios and also to score how you were doing on that particular chapter’s point. I skipped most of these as they were very repetitive and it was hard to see the answers on my Kindle as they were at the end of the book and not immediately after the quiz.

There’s a lot of examples from psychological research which was interesting sometimes but did make the book seem overly long. One long example in the Transformation chapter was about Bruce Jenner in his 1976 Olympic victory, being part of the Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality TV series and then transgendering to Caitlyn Jenner. The sceptic in me did wonder if using the Kardashian name would help sell a few more books.

So, all good ideas, but basically saying get some variety in your life and don’t spend it all on the Internet, watching TV or lying on the beach. Make things happen, get out more, see other people. Have more interesting experiences and you’ll be happier.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Zara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

James Wallman focuses on seven rules for a richer, happier life and, using STORIES as an acronym, he explains how we can transform our lifes to make better use of our time, with the following factors: story, transformation, outside & offline, relationships, intensity, extraordinary, status & significance.

Although the book is thoroughly researched with lots of studies to back up the author's points, it did make the book a bit tiresome at times. Yes, these studies are required, but I felt they could have been cut down a bit.

There were quizzes at the end of each chapter. These were also a bit repetitive but fun and interesting to do anyway. However, I found the quizzes hard to do on a Kindle as the answers were at the end of the book so there was a bit of going back and forth.

The basic message of the book is to get out there, live your life and do stuff rather than sit inside, and you'll live a more richer, happier life. Not entirely sure I agree with that, but maybe I'll revisit the book in the future again and I might think differently at another time in my life.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had some good advice and information, but the writing felt very condescending and weird to listen to. I understand that I probably took many passages in bad faith, but here are some notes I made while listening to the audiobook:

- Relays a play-by-play of a speech by Kurt Vonnegut talking about his "Man in Hole" theory - and spends so much time focusing on how charismatic Kurt Vonnegut was that I almost completely missed the theory (and point of the story).

- Describes the idea of the Hero's Journey in a way that feels like he thinks he is the first one to discover it. Said something about your friends being "bit characters" in your life story.

**Sidenote: This guy kept saying that in The Hobbit, Bilbo getting the Ring was him "seizing the reward" and was followed by the "return home" - has this guy not read The Hobbit or did he miss that the Ring scene is about halfway through the journey, has no real significance to the plot, and there is a whole climatic scene with a dragon and a battle at the end before Bilbo returns home??????

- Keeps making claims that feel fairly intuitive (i.e. humans feel better when walking in a forest vs urban area) then tries to convince his audience that these claims aren't obvious (i.e. humans Cause Deforestation so they clearly don't care about forests) then gives all this scientific evidence to prove his claim. I don't care for being talked down to like this??? Just make your point and move on.

- Will randomly mention that if you follow his advice you'll get more sex.

- Put forward Caitlyn Jenner as an ideal role model - no thanks, sorry but I don't care about her "saving America from the embarrassment following the Vietnam War by raw athletic skill" or whatever this author wrote.

- If someone doesn't want to have a meeting in a park or "walking meeting", quote some Latin at them (Solvitur ambulando). This will make them stop laughing at you.

- Described a girl from Yale who wrote a piece about loneliness as beautiful, having long legs and being a dreamer.

- Had a moment where he went: "This is going to amaze you...wait for it....wait for it....[fairly impressive fact]. Anyway this was debunked a couple years later."

A definite miss for me.

[Francis Djabri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish this, it really started to grate on me. It seemed like a promising book, having received good reviews from some other authors that I’ve admired, and given the current time it seemed like an opportune moment to read it. It even starts off quite promisingly, laying out the problem of how a combination of choice anxiety, Internet addiction and a failure to know how to attend to our own experience creates so much emptiness. But the rest of it feels oversimplified, misguided, irritating and the topics that are covered have been handled so much more effectively and eloquently by other writers. The author approaches time like it’s a commodity from which we need to extract maximum value. Never does he question the idea that this orientation is what creates the emptiness that he’s trying to fill.

[Julie Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool book.
I even gave it to my husband to read.
In the style of Malcolm Gladwell, James Wallman gives interesting information about time, at the same time providing powerful insight on how precious it is, and how each of us could improve our own ways of spending it. Or at least appreciate having it.

Bravo!

This book makes a fabulous gift for anyone populating this planet.

I received an arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Ashlin Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a time where we have more options than ever before for how to spend our time, more gadgets, games and things - we are still one of the most depressed and lonely generations.
"Time and How to Spend it" presents a solid framework of 7 factors to consider to better spend our time to feel more fulfilled, connected and happier.
Although some of the examples the author presents may not resonate with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds - the factors behind them are still valid and worth applying. Even if you only incorporate 2-3 of the things he mentions, I think it will still have a positive impact.
Recommended to all who want to better spend their time in more meaningful and enjoyable ways.

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good framework and that's exactly what this book sets out to provide. STORIES as a way to determine how the time you are spending is the best for you to be happiest with your time. I enjoyed many of the descriptions of the different elements of the STORIES framework, though some of them I feel like I already knew. Backed up by interesting science and with some good exercises if you are so inclined, I would say this is worth your time to read in order to discover a nice shorthand for making other decisions about your time on this planet.

Glad I read it and I'll keep the framework going forward.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, well structured book that made me think about how I am living my life and how I might want to change it. I studied psychology and recognised a lot of the people James referenced but he explained things much better than university books did. I’m delighted that Csikszentmihalyi was often in the book as his work always seemed to resonate to me, and now makes more sense to me after reading this book. I will be reading The author’s other book after reading this one as I am very interested to learn more about experiential consumerism and minimalism.
Highly recommended read!

[Emma L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the STORIES approach to how to better spend your time, since reading this book I have started to re-think how I spend my time. Very good approach and a useful book to refer to time and time again.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for a honest review.

[Emma's Things to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging book on how to spend your time and get the most out of life. Good mixture of stories and research, lots of great ideas and questions to get you thinking about your own habits.
An enjoyable read that I will definitely come back to.

[Catherine Hepple · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought provoking book designed to change the way we are living our lives. Funny, touching and blowing holes in the way our society has set us up to be unhappy and stressed.it’s packed with the scientific studies that give it far more gravitas than just a seize the day kind of read. It also has ideas to help you live a happier life.
Read it, it may just change your life.

[Bảo Ngọc]

OK

[Manoj Kakran · Rating 4 out of 5]

A life-changing book for me. The book tells about seven ways to spend time in a heroic way. The ways in the book are also supported by scientific studies and historical examples.

[Buck Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I avoid the self-help genre most of the time. There's a sheen of sleaze on most of these books, and they tend to read either like a used car sales pitch, ensemble complete with plaid blazer and slimy combover, or like an academic paper that didn't have enough nuance or jargon to get published in a journal.

This is the latter, but that's okay. Unlike academic papers, this was designed to be read.

Wallman builds his case with the eclecticism of a caffeinated toddler, tearing validations piecemeal from ancient philosophy, mystically-bent depth psychology (back when they used the term "psychic" to describe the subconscious), and modern positive psychology studies. The result is the Enchiridion -- of Adventure Time, not Epictetus.

You're the hero of the story. Your function is to flesh out the story. Everything you do to make the story more interesting will improve your subjective well-being, which just means "happiness" in the pospsy argot. The more interesting you make your story, the more you do strange or challenging things to build your experiences, the greater the breadth of these experiences, which will result in an expanding social circle and improved social status.

It's taboo to talk about, but the research is unequivocal that higher status leads to better health, longer lives, and greater self-reported happiness. That doesn't necessarily mean status as defined by which model iPhone you have. Status can be the strength and number of your social relationships, your prestige at work, and how favorably you're viewed in the community. You can be broke as a joke and still benefit from high status, so long as that status exists in a paradigm that matters to you.

Wallman suggests as much college as possible, naturally, but also rallies against consumerist culture so viciously that he accidentally winds up making a compelling case for capitalism. The consumption of goods, chasing the dragon of stuff, leaves us hollow and detached from one another. What we own says nothing about ourselves, except that we own things. Anyone can own things. He encourages a disregard for stuff (dude HATES stuff) and a new focus on novel experiences, relationships, and the constant pursuit of flow as the keys to happiness and personal fulfillment.

Wallman makes a convincing case against the brain candy provided by social media. It checks most of our boxes for flow experiences, providing us with a level of risk and the possibility for reward, as any good Skinner box should, but it fails to deliver on anything that allows us to grow as people, and the constant vigilance keeps our cortisol high and our little ratperson noses a-twitchin'. He likened it to slot machines (which he insisted on calling "fruit machines" due to terminal Englishness).

Speaking of, there's a cute little air of cultural idolatry buried in the text; our mans is British, but he's kind of ashamed of being British due to the cultural stereotype of their being reserved and cautious, while the guidelines he's brewing up perfectly fit the likewise European stereotype of the Bold, Brash American, blundering through their Campbellian hero's journey full bore because they don't have the refinement to recognize other options.

Great book. I couldn't put it down. I knocked a star off for the title. Don't give me rules, I'm a grown-ass man.

[Jacqui Huntley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every now and then I like to read some non-fiction and that time had come. Title and description sounded good. An interesting read with, clearly, a lot of research papers and books read and digested. The first quite large chunk of the book dealt with happiness and the human state from beginnings in Africa through a little bit of Christian religion to the more philosophical stuff of the last couple of centuries or so. I was beginning to wonder where the time came in, apart from the obvious thread. We moved into details of stories and I've already forgotten what the S, T, O, R etc acronyms meant as 'stories' to the author seemed to infer that only activity, sky diving and other similar events, could count. I did agree with his 'get out in the fresh air more' although not necessarily the mud wallowing and other activities; he mentioned a country walk but it felt rather with an "if you must" attitude.. We got some rather jaded ideas about quiet time, leave the phone/TV off, internet is bad which I passed over (no TV, phone often somewhere else and internet - well I use that quite a lot for family history and keeping in touch with children/grandchildren scattered far and wide) but they formed only a small part of the book.. There was a lot of complex text and argument which could have been more clearly written I think - you don't need long words to impress! I liked the summary at the end of each section and could well revisit some of those. Less convinced about the little drawings but can see how that might appeal to a different generation. Obviously it was written from his perspective, I'm guessing a 30/40 something (perhaps I should check?!) but for "an older" person quiet time by oneself or with family/friends doing things you know you like has rather more appeal than rushing off to experience other stuff. Not that I'm against spontaneity, it can be fun. The little quizzes for reflecting upon your various experiences got a bit repetitive. and it started to feel that you had to justify what you were doing all of the time. Overall, for me there was too much time spent debating and evaluating what you were thinking about doing. At times it felt rather like some of the "Corporate Crap" meetings I had to go to but I'm sure that my former Line Manager would just love it. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK/Ebury Publishing for an advance copy in return for my honest review.

[Vanessa Princessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book thanks to Blinkist.

The key message in these blinks:

The STORIES checklist helps people add more fulfillment, meaning and happiness to their lives by focusing their attention on the seven key elements that make up the best experiences: Story, Transformation, Outside & Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, and Status & Significance. These are all characteristics that guide you toward experiences that further your personal development and increase your happiness, while keeping you away from empty activities that either add nothing of value or promote unhappiness.    

Actionable advice:

Go offline this weekend and get wild.

Plan some outdoor activities for the weekend ahead, like hiking, canoeing or biking. Maybe pack a picnic and head out to the seaside, or set up camp in the nearest forest reserve or park. You could also just set up some long weekend lunches with friends. Whatever you decide to do, plan to turn off all your internet devices and leave them off from 7 PM on Friday until 7 PM on Sunday. Then make a note of how you feel during the weekend while you’re untethered. There’s a good chance you’ll feel some withdrawal-like symptoms, but see whether you can repeat this experiment at least one weekend a month while trying to move toward having more internet-free weekends.

What to read next:

Stuffocation, by James Wallman

If you like James Wallman’s ideas on getting people to focus more on quality experiences, then it makes perfect sense to follow up these blinks with the ones on his previous work, Stuffocation. Here you’ll find more evidence for why our experiences are far more valuable than all the material stuff we spend our money on.

We place a lot of value on time and money, and now that you’ve learned how to spend your time better, why not learn how to spend your money better, too? These blinks will let you do exactly that, as well as showing you how placing too much value on stuff can seriously affect your well-being.

[Simon Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very timely read, both for me personally and where I see society as a whole. I like the idea of a shift from consumerism to experientialism. In recent times I have found myself less envious of what people have, but more so about what they do, the experiences they have / had / are planning, and indeed the stories they can tell.

This book provides a great framework for this shift in thought, through the STORIES approach. In fact, within the framework there are seven more frameworks. The base of the STORIES framework is the very simple question: will this experience give me stories? Super easy to remember, and very easy to apply when planning things to do. Great for getting started and thinking right now about the upcoming weekend, planned holidays etc.

The nested frameworks give a great deal of detail that you can begin to add in to your approach to planning experiences and your life. They are backed by a great deal of science, and brought to life through the use of appropriate stories and anecdotes.

It is well-written and well-researched. I hope the prediction is correct. I can see a certain shift from consumerism to experientialism already, but that might just be my stage of life, my own echo chamber, or that I'm now looking for it. A very recommended read.

[Richard Tubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're the first generation in history to want less stuff

Time and how to spend it is a fascinating look at how to be happier in our modern world.

It breaks down a number of rules for a happier, more nourishing life, backed by scientific research and the authors own experiences and anecdotes.

How can you make a holiday memorable? Why are we the first generation in history that wants less stuff? These are the sort of questions answered.

A really interesting read. Well worth picking if you feel overwhelmed, or suspect you could be happier.

[Tracy Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting book. This isn't just a self help book, it has all the prerequisite sections and promises but is also a kindly wake up call. It is also a British self help book so everything is relevant for a change.

I found myself realising how insidiously outside influences weren't just taking my time but that of those around me, which, of course, is its main remit. I also, however enjoyed it as a book which not only entertained but also linked things together. It is an explanation of how things in all areas of life are linked. For example (slight spoiler) Kurt Vonnegut's lecture which included his discussion about 'man in hole' is mentioned again in different contexts which I found fascinating.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers and would recommend it to anyone who recognises, as I did, how time slips away when doesn't always have to but also to those who want more than just a run of the mill self help book.

[rayon · Rating 3 out of 5]

the only good thing about this book was the synthesising of the narrative arc, otherwise it was again drawn out in that typical over-exemplified way. i wish self-help books would get to the crux of their ideas without rambling, it’s akin to watching tutorials with too much preamble. anyway i’ve learned how to read on x2 speed and i didn’t pay for this book so i’m not vex. i would have picked it up just for the stuff on the arc, that’s given me a really good baseline theory not just for experiences but for life so based on that it gets three stars. other two would have been for a more succinct writing style and lack of over-explanation.

[John Thurlbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and found much of it useful, especially the seven tips. At times, his depth of examples became tedious, although I sense he felt he needed to completely evidence the points he was making. For those that would find them of value, like me, the self-reflection questions, though in a stilted format, were also helpful.
Time is a precious commodity for everyone, and I would recommend anyone who does not manage their time well to read this book! You will learn some useful stuff, but they will only work if you put them into practice, repeatedly!

[Naz Ahmed · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a self-described productivity junkie I found this book took the joy away from my free time. The methods he advocates make planning free time feel like work.

If you're like me and love optimising your life, I'd recommend 'Four Thousand Weeks' by Oliver Burkeman on this topic. I found it to be an excellent reprieve from the onslaught of self-help reading on how to organise your free time.

[Graham Chastney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it met so many of the criteria for a good book for me:

I like books with practical advice that is communicated as principles rather than prescriptions.

I like books with stories, we are made to remember stories.

I like books based on evidence, particularly when the author acknowledges that the evidence is indicative rather than definitive.

I’ve spent much of my life with a couple of quotations about time ringing through my head:

“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.”

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Which I didn’t realise until writing this post was simply an extension of Albert Einstein’s quotation “Time is an illusion”.

“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”

C.S. Lewis
These two quotations are, in some regards, contradictory. Time can’t be both an illusion and a constant ticking of minutes and yet, for me, this contradiction speaks volumes. We each have the same number of minutes in a day, that is true, and yet, each of us recognises that how we use those minutes greatly influences how we perceive our day. The spending of minutes is where this book is focused, but not where most of this type of book focus their study, on our work life and how to get ahead, this book is primarily targeted at all that time you have when you aren’t working.


James Wallman begins Time and How To Spend It with a couple of quotations:

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

Annie Dillard
“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”

William Penn
How do you spend your time? Yes, you spend a lot of it asleep and, probably, another huge section at that thing you call work, but what about the remaining minutes? Have you ever received any training on how to spend that other time? Do you know what type of activity in your free time would enrich the whole of your life? How do you avoid those times where you feel like you’ve wasted your time? How do you get the best value out of your free time? Can you really call time free?

As I look around my friends, acquaintances and colleagues I see so many different ways that people use the free time that they have. Some people appear to achieve so much and have such amazing experiences while others have little to show for the time that they have spent. What are the things that separate these two extremes? Does it matter? Well it does if we can enrich our whole life and even extend them by investing our time in particular ways.

James Wallman’s hypothesis is precisely that, apply a set of principles to spending our leisure time will greatly enrich our lives.

The reality is, though, that many of us have a very uneasy relationship with the free time that we have. A quotations from the opening chapter of the book:

“The popular assumption is that no skills are involved in enjoying free time, and that anybody can do it. Yet the evidence suggests the opposite: free time is more difficult to enjoy than work. Having leisure at one’s disposal does not improve the quality of life unless one knows how to use it effectively, and it is by no means something one learns automatically.”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Why are we so uneasy, particularly now? This is a summary of the reasons that James Wallmam gives:

We are earning more which makes the cost of time seem higher and feel more scarce.
We think that busyness is status.
We have too many incoming messages and too many demands on our time.
Instead of helping, multitasking creates ‘contaminated time’.
We have more opportunities than ever – endlessly scrolling online, more new places to go and events to attend – and end up feeling FOMO (fear of missing out).
Smartphones and all of our digital devices now eat around 60% of our leisure time.
Leisure isn’t taught, and has become trivialised, belittled.
James Wallman likens the different ways that we spend time to the different foods that we eat, some foods being empty-calories, like all of that endless scrolling, and others being super-foods, like a walk with a close friend along a beach. The aim of the book being to teach us how to recognise and consume super-food experiences rather than flopping into an empty-calorie existence.

The structure of the book is based on an acrostic of the word STORIES with each of the letters highlighting a characteristic of great experiences:

Story – understanding the hero’s journey and what makes a great story.
Transformation – creating personal growth leads to happiness.
Outside and Offline – there’s huge power in being outside and away from all of those interruptions.
Relationships – loneliness isn’t healthy, we are made to do things together.
Intensity – this is about flow, which is a huge subject in its own right.
Extraordinary – creating a balance between novel and ordinary experiences.
Status and Significance – creating significance by investing in others.

With a combination of stories, evidence and anecdote each of these chapters creates a set of principles that define those super-food experiences.

[Chayong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blinkist

Finding more happiness and success starts with choosing better experiences.

Events that provide change and transformation are key to finding fulfillment.

We’re at our happiest when engaged in intense, immersive activities that allow for good flow.

There’s a good chance you’ve heard about flow, a state of being in which you’re so fully immersed in what you’re doing that you lose track of time. Studies have found that when we’re experiencing flow, we’re also experiencing some of the happiest moments in our lives.

For starters, what you do should be challenging enough that staying engaged with the activity requires all your abilities and demands a state of full-body awareness. This is what athletes call the zone.

How we remember activities has a lot to do with beginnings, peaks and ends.

Activities that boost our status can lead to happier lives.

As for the kinds of experiences that can contribute to more status in life, one of the best things you can do is continue your education in order to become more of an expert in your field. Travel is also a great way to gain more knowledge through transformative experiences as you visit more places, do new things and go on more adventures.

As for social participation, this can be increased through any activity that helps you become more connected to your community, and a more important figure within it. This could include joining a local committee or just networking with more colleagues and peers.

It also helps to do things that help you become more fit. But this isn’t about body image – it’s about being in better shape so that you can increase the range of physically demanding adventures and activities that are available to you.

The final path to higher status is to turn off the TV. According to the author, it’s no coincidence that the lower someone’s status is, the more TV he or she watches. The more you watch, the fewer story-worthy experiences you’re having. So start thinking of TV as a last resort to turn to when all other options are unavailable.

When it comes to the association between status and money, however, it’s important to understand that it’s not about how much you make, but how you use it. Happiness doesn’t come from buying interchangeable material things that anyone else can buy.

It comes from using your money, as well as your time, to help others.

The key message in these blinks:

The STORIES checklist helps people add more fulfillment, meaning and happiness to their lives by focusing their attention on the seven key elements that make up the best experiences: Story, Transformation, Outside & Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, and Status & Significance. These are all characteristics that guide you toward experiences that further your personal development and increase your happiness, while keeping you away from empty activities that either add nothing of value or promote unhappiness.    

Actionable advice:

Go offline this weekend and get wild.

Plan some outdoor activities for the weekend ahead, like hiking, canoeing or biking. Maybe pack a picnic and head out to the seaside, or set up camp in the nearest forest reserve or park. You could also just set up some long weekend lunches with friends. Whatever you decide to do, plan to turn off all your internet devices and leave them off from 7 PM on Friday until 7 PM on Sunday. Then make a note of how you feel during the weekend while you’re untethered. There’s a good chance you’ll feel some withdrawal-like symptoms, but see whether you can repeat this experiment at least one weekend a month while trying to move toward having more internet-free weekends.

[Harry Harman]

salt-and-pepper beard.

a typical French air in his accent,

We have more leisure time today than ever. More than five hours a day! On average, Americans get five hours and fourteen minutes, and Britons get five hours and forty-nine minutes.

I can’t guarantee you eternal sunshine in every moment. I wouldn’t want to either. If you airbrush all the clouds away, you’ll have a less meaningful journey.

‘superfood’ The term was originally introduced in the early 1990s, by nutritional consultant Michael van Straten. He did not specifically call out kale, beetroot, blueberries, goji berries, or any of today’s so-called superfoods. What he meant were simply the sort of everyday fruit and vegetables, wholegrains and nuts that we all recognise as key to a good, balanced diet. Next, the term was adopted by journalists trying to add spice to their headlines, and marketers trying to sell more of their products.

When we shop, we want to make our money go as far as possible.

Scientists have found that as sure as sandpaper scrubs off paint, so watching too much TV erodes happiness

Having leisure at one’s disposal does not improve the quality of life unless one knows how to use it effectively, and it is by no means something one learns automatically.’

96 per cent, in fact – admit to living much of our lives on ‘autopilot’, doing things without even thinking about whether they’ll be good or bad for us.

junk experiences

We don’t feel like we have much leisure time because we’re misspending it. We’re misspending it because our society has placed a high value on work and a low value on leisure. Because of this, we’ve been trained how to work, but haven’t learned how to live.

God showered him with success.

In the First World War, for instance, the US army used IQ tests to work out how high up the ladder to place new recruits. Intelligence, as tested by numerous IQ tests, became the key signpost for success. ‘general intelligence’. This, according to the standard definition, crafted by a psychologist named David Wechsler in 1940, is the ‘capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with [their] environment’. ‘emotional intelligence’. This, as they wrote in 1990, is the ‘ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions’.

The Athenian wise man Solon captured this when he said to the richest man in the world, King Croesus, ‘Never call a man happy till he’s dead.’

if something’s too much plane for one person to fly, that person needs a checklist.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

For much of our lives we are taught/trained to follow certain strategies to be successful at work, to make the best use of time while working on projects, to organize our homes, and to spend as little time as possible completing our household chores. If we learn theses strategies, we will be happier and more successful. But, all work and no play makes us dull people. James Wallman, the author of Stuffocation, says we are missing a critical factor. No one has taught us how to effectively use our leisure time. Does this make a difference?

Time and How To Spend It provides scientific backing and instruction to assist us to increase our experience quotient. In brief, this means to obtain rich experiences; activities that are meaningful for us, that stretch us beyond our comfort zone, that help us feel alive. Seven rules are identified which are taught in an entertaining style, while anecdotes make the lessons easy to absorb.

From my perspective, I found the introduction a little too infomercial-like in its tone and almost didn’t continue reading (thus the 4 stars). That would have been a mistake. Once past the over-enthusiastic intro, we get down to business and hit the true value of Time and How To Spend It.

As with many self-help titles, much of the information presented contains bits and pieces of things we know, either through prior reading or our own instincts. However, Wallman puts it all together in a usable format, with research backed concepts and recommendations on how to pull the seven rules into your busy life. Again, like many self-help books, it is the packaging and presentation which is the genius of the book.

If you are willing to learn ways to improve your efficiency at work, or to learn shortcuts for cleaning, why not take a few hours to enrich your time off? James Wallman offers some insight to living a healthier, happier, more fulfilled life by improving the way we experience time we may currently be spending crashed in front of the tube or tablet. Who might you become if your time off left you refreshed, happy, closer to your family, and full of interesting stories to tell?

I received a copy of Time and How To Spend It from the author prior to US publication.