As busy, productive humans living in the 21st century, one of our most common responses to the question "How are you?" is "Fine. Busy."

Especially if you're a New Yorker.

And it's true. We are.

But have you stopped to think about what you fill your time with that makes it slip through your fingers so quickly?

Today's guest, journalist and author, Laura Vanderkam, analyzed peoples' time diaries recorded over 1001 days and came up with some startling discoveries. You may not be nearly as "at the will of life's demands" as you think you are.

In our conversation, we start out exploring the truths of the writer's life, then dive right into the truth about time, how to really harness it, how we lie to ourselves about sleep and so much more. In, the end, we find more hope than anything else.

How we spend our time, it turns out, is not a matter of fate, it's a matter of choice.

Some questions I ask:

• When did you decide that being a writer was your thing?
• Are you okay with not having much time to write for yourself anymore?
• Do you believe no one is a natural at writing?
• What surprised you from your time diary studies?
• Can you have it all?

Links we mention:

• How to Make Work Feel More Like Summer Camp
• The Artist's Way - morning pages
• Fast Company
• IRSA
• Gretchen Reynolds - HIIT
• Pareto Principle
• JoAnne Wilson
• I Know How She Does It - out June 9th

Follow Laura:

Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn

"The reality is rosier than the glasses."

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