Top Time Expert: You Can Have A Career, Family AND Free Time—Here's How

22 snips

May 6, 2026

Laura Vanderkam, time researcher and bestselling author who studies real time logs and balances a busy family life, shares practical ways to reclaim hours. She explains how simple tracking reveals hidden free time. Short planning tricks, fixed commitments, and treating weekends like mini-vacations help protect joy. Learn tiny habit rules, batching strategies, and how to plan backward so your priorities actually happen.

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ADVICE

Break Projects Into Tiny Concrete Steps

Break big projects into very small, concrete steps to reduce resistance and start momentum.
Laura gives examples like adding a title slide, putting a bio, or drafting one line to turn a blank doc into progress.

ADVICE

Force Early Deadlines With Accountability

Create earlier interim deadlines and enlist managers or accountability partners to make them real.
Laura recommends asking managers to enforce a firmer internal due date or joining accountability groups.

ADVICE

Use Tracking To Cure Time Blindness

Use time tracking to fix time blindness; it reveals transition times and chronic underestimates.
Laura says track work and weekend days to see true commute, pickup, and prep durations and add padding accordingly.

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You've probably heard a million different time management strategies by now, but may still feel busy, exhausted, and like you don’t have time to do the things you truly love. Today, we are going to change that. I surveyed thousands of Liz Moody podcast listeners and found there are four specific time hurdles all of us run into.

We're going to talk about exactly how to overcome those hurdles with pragmatic, actionable steps that work. And, here's the catch, we are not talking about time management to get more done. We are talking about time management to create a life that’s filled with joy and fun.

My expert guest is Laura Vanderkam. She is a time management researcher who has studied thousands of people's real time logs, a bestselling author of multiple books, a business owner, mother of 5 kids, and she also sings in a choir every week. She has figured out how to use every hour intentionally, and she’s going to help you do the same.

🎧 What you’ll learn:

• The reason time management strategies fail

• The surprising truth about how long your chores, work, and obligations actually take

• How to use your evenings and weekends like a mini vacation—without going anywhere

• A simple weekly planning method that cuts decision fatigue and kills the Sunday scaries

• Why "three times a week" is enough to build a real habit

• Why "flexible" hobbies never happen—what to do instead

• How to make tasks feel doable

Check out our NEW YouTube Channel with tons of YouTube exclusive Shorts and, coming soon, YouTube exclusive podcast content: https://www.youtube.com/@LizMoodyTV

Check out the previous episodes of The Liz Moody Podcast discussed today:

• Unlocking the Happiness Formula: How the Most Joyful People Manage Their Time With Cassie Holmes, PhD

• Invisible Labor Is Damaging Your Relationships–But This 6 Minute Exercise Can Change Everything with Eve Rodsky

Review the study mentioned in this episode: Happiness From Treating The Weekend Like A Vacation

For more from Laura Vanderkam:

• Order Her New Book, Big Time: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324110750

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lvanderkam

• Website: https://lauravanderkam.com/

Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now!

Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome.Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/.

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The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy.

Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast.

This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.

The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 428.

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