Tranquillity by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam- Book Review
What I think of this book
This book is written very well; I have not read the actual book. However, this will be my next book to purchase; I have listened to it several times from Audible and listened to the summary version on Blinkist. I find the audible version so well spoken by Laura that we are having a conversation, not that I am just listening!
What I love about this book, Laura uses case studies of people doing these strategies over nine weeks and then compiles the results. They are exciting and informative. This book is worth a read or listen to, depending on you. I recommend doing both; that way, you are using all your senses to learn and implement these strategies into your life, one step at a time.
The book in 5 sentences
This book shows nine simple steps to make you feel more tranquillity by Tuesday. These little steps will make you think you have more time than less.
We are all gifted with 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week; how you use it is your decision, and the time will go past whether you have scheduled it or not. When you plan your day and week to a point, you can do more with your time instead of getting distracted and doing something that you do not want to invest time into.
Start carving in time for things that bring you joy each day and week!
Who should read it?
This book is for anyone who wants to get time back into their life; yes, you may need to prepare earlier to do this; however, the time you get back, it will be worth it in the long run.
Doing one of the nine steps weekly and over the nine weeks would be the best approach. Best to do them in order, as each build on the other; for example, when working on step two, you still have actively keep doing step one.
“I believe the big pieces in your life are probably good. I don’t want to change those. I want to change how you spend an average Tuesday.” Laura Vanderkam
Your turn
It’s an average Tuesday for you. So how do you plan on spending it?
“Tuesday will pass one way or another. All time is eventually just water under the bridge. But thinking about how we’d like to spend future time can nudge the course of the stream towards something more fun, or at least more memorable.” Laura Vanderkam
How the book changed me
Implementing these strategies has changed my life, time, and mood. My relationship with time is abundant instead of lacking!
Finding little moments of joy and excitement through my busy weeks. Making memories with the people in my life means so much to me.
Top Quotes
“People want…to stop feeling like they’re either racing against the clock or wishing time away.” Laura Vanderkam
I know I am! Are you one of these people?
“Going to bed early is how grownups sleep in.” Laura Vanderkam
Very true for those parents who have young kids.
“There is no right way to do a morning routine. A morning routine exist to serve you.” Laura Vanderkam
An accurate statement, whether you have 10 minutes or 60 minutes, do what serves you best that day, something that makes you spring out of bed!
“…. strategize ways to ignore, minimize, or outsource anything that you’d like to spend less time on.” Laura Vanderkam
Make a list of all the tasks for the week. Can you see any tasks there that could be outsourced? Then, speak to other community members and ask them how these tasks work at home and if they outsource them.
For example,
-it may involve getting a cleaner once a week, fortnightly or
monthly.
-dropping/ or someone picking up your ironing weekly,
-or someone that comes to trim your garden once a month
-or any other items you like to do less of and can afford someone else to do these tasks or share them within the family at no cost.
Great quote from Kathleen Parley “A lot of time when we feel tired, it’s not necessarily our bodies are lacking energy, it’s that our minds need change.”
Summary
9 ways to calm the chaos and make time for what matters:
1. Giving yourself a bedtime.
2. Plan on Fridays.
3. Move by 3pm.
4. Three times a week is a habit.
5. Create a back-up slot.
6. One big adventure, one little adventures.
7. Take one night for you.
8. Batch the little things.
9. Effortful before effortless.
1. Give yourself a bedtime.
You are going to bed at the same time every (most) night unless you have a good reason not to.
We should all aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep at one time; if you are already getting this, that is amazing; Hi -five to you! If not, what do you need to do here to get this amount of sleep in one go? Also, give yourself 15-30 minutes of downtime before bed, technology-free, to provide you with the best quality rest.
For those with tiny babies or infants, this may not be possible at this stage of your life, do what you can. However, this stage doesn’t last forever; once your child can sleep through the evening, you can make it a priority for you to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Remember you are the adult, and you choose your bedtime. Think of the future you in the evening instead of the current you only!
2. Plan on Friday.
Think of your week in advance, and plan for the new week on the current Friday for the following week; this will be for work and personal. As a recurring reminder to do this each week, I put this on my calendar at work each Friday afternoon. This should take at most 20-30 minutes each week. Make this a pleasurable experience by grabbing an appropriate beverage, time of day, and where you are! The planning is a rough sketch of the week ahead, not a detailed plan.
3. Move by 3pm.
I invite you to move your body for ten minutes before 3 pm each day. Exercise will give you time, not take time away from you. Imagine how productive you would be if you were to move your body every hour for 5 minutes. This is an option if you like! After you exercise, whether 5 minutes or 1 hour, your brain and mind become flooded with happy natural chemicals.
The strategy is to move your body for a minimum of 10 minutes!
4. Three time a week is habit. Agree or disagree?
There are some activities we do that would be daily, like having a shower and brushing our teeth; this is basic hygiene. However, there are other activities we can do three times a week, and we should feel satisfied doing them once completed. Not to feel disappointed that you couldn't do it daily!
These things could be going to the gym, having a yoga practice, having family meals together (these are to older kids' parents), some couple connection time, etc.
Think back to your week and see what you have completed three times this week.
“There is a big distinction between ‘never’ and ‘not as much as I want’’. Laura Vanderkam
Feel proud of yourself for getting this far.
5. Create a back-up slot.
Make your schedule resilient, where the priorities still happen, even when things in life don’t go to plan, which could often be.
See where you can have at least two or three back-ups slot each week. These do not need to be long; an hour would be fine.
6. One big adventure, one little adventure.
Each week, I invite you to do, at the minimum, two things worth remembering and creating memories. These do not need to be big things. For example, this week, one big adventure was going to the Sydney Tower Eye with the kids over the school holidays, and a small adventure was going out for ice cream. Of course, you do not need to go into the city. However, the big adventure could take a couple of hours while the small adventures can take an hour.
Mums and dads get in the photos with your kids, whether you are dressed right for the occasion or not, even if you have no make-up! So, make memories with your precious little/ older kids. They don’t stay young for long!
“We don’t ask ‘where did the time?’ when we remember where the time went.” Laura Vanderkam
“…adventure is more a state of mind than an objective standard of measurement.” Laura Vanderkam
Word of wisdom:
“Instead of buying your children all the things you never had, you should teach them all the things you were never taught, Material wears out but Knowledge stays.” Bruce Lee
This is one of my favourite strategy, number 6!
The view from Sydney Tower Eye (Centre point Tower)!
7. Take one night for you.
Commit to an activity you love that is separate from work and household that is just for you. For example, have you always wanted to learn to dance, play squash or tennis?
Why not do this?
Or would you prefer to meet up with some friends for a meal, dessert, or a walk once a week? Or it can be as simple as going to a neighbour’s house once a week for a chat and drink, or they could come to yours!
“When we don’t take real breaks, thought, we take fake ones”. Laura Vanderkam
8. Batch the little things.
Keep most of your little tasks unimportant (at the time) and batch them simultaneously. Allocate 1-2 hours a week to do these on average.
Get a folder, and you can put all the excursion slips, payments that need to occur, and any other follow-up that you may need to do. Then, when the time comes to do this, you can complete all the items from this folder in one go. I would think it be best to do this once a week!
9. Effortful before effortless.
Do active leisure before the passive ones; for example, read a book for 30 minutes first, then watch 30 minutes of tv in the evening? However, still, give yourself screen-free time before bed.
Active leisure includes:
-puzzles,
-crosswords,
-find-a-word,
-board games,
-building Lego,
-painting,
-drawing,
-and anything that grabs your fancy.
What strategy is your favourite one?
Laura’s strategies from this book have influenced my thinking and my actions.
FYI, I have not been paid to talk about this book; I loved how Laura presented it on Audible. I cannot wait to read it cover to cover this year! She makes me think about how I use my time and how I can use it in a better way. Memories last longer; if we live each week the same as every week, we do not make any new memories. We crave change; sprinkle a little adventure and one big adventure a week, and you are making yourself and your family happier.
If this interests, you could you join the 9-week steps, I have signed up:
https://lauravanderkam.com/2023/01/ready-for-the-tranquility-by-tuesday-challenge/
To Conclude
Have I incorporated all nine steps perfectly into my life? Unfortunately, or fortunately, I have not! We are all humans and can only do what we can each week. Some weeks I manage to do all of these, and other weeks, I don't. Most weeks, I plan on Fridays; however, if I am not working that week, I may not plan on Fridays!
It is a work- in progress. Sometimes I go to bed later than I like, as I am reading my book and don't want to put it down or watch a show on Netflix; other times, I do not wake up for a morning routine. However, I have only 10 minutes to do one thing that serves me that morning.
Our life is not about packing it so full that we don't have a spare moment to do the things we like or just a couple of hours free to do whatever we want to do:
- this could be a nap,
-a walk,
-playing the Nintendo switch with the kids,
-board games,
-enjoying hot chocolate on a rainy day outside!
The key is planning!
We are given the same number of hours each day and week, 168 hours a week; use them wisely and make yourself and your family happier.
Smile more often!!!
If this interests, you could you join this from Laura’s website; I have signed by and going to work through each strategic one by one as advised over the 9 weeks:
https://lauravanderkam.com/2023/01/ready-for-the-tranquility-by-tuesday-challenge/
This book is available on the below two apps; the first is the entire book, and the 2nd one is a summary version that can be listened to or read.
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Happy Chinese New Year for 2023!
Until next week, stay happy and healthy! Last week for school holidays for some of the kids in Australia!
Next week the blog will be about learning to harness your superpower; we all have it. However, it has been dormant for so long that we have forgotten how to use our superpower!
I will review the course by Sonia Choquette, Sixth Sense Superpower, on the 29th of January 2023!
Have a fantastic week!
😊 Mukti
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