Tranquility by Tuesday - by Laura VanderKam (Hardcover)

About the Book

"For anyone who's sick of letting to-do lists dictate their time, Laura Vanderkam, the bestselling author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, shares nine strategies for reclaiming your hours Do you find yourself hoping that someday, life will be less hectic? One day, you say, you'll finally have time for the activities that you love - writing that book, completing that triathlon, traveling with friends. But if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's that life is unpredictable. If we're not careful, dull, unfulfilling tasks can quickly occupy our precious hours, derail our best-laid plans, and make life feel like a slog. In Tranquility by Tuesday, Laura Vanderkam explains that if you want something to happen, you need to design your life to make it happen. Work crises, childcare emergencies, and home repairs are inevitable, and the mundane tasks of life - cooking, cleaning, laundry - aren't going anywhere. To make time for what matters, you need a resilient schedule, not a perfect schedule. Based on a time diary study of over 150 people, Vanderkam shares nine strategies for building opportunities for joy, nourishment, and fulfillment into your week, such as: Three times a week is a habit One big adventure, one little adventure Effortful before effortless This is more than a time management book about "how to do it all." It's a look at how real people changed their lives using Vanderkam's nine rules, and how you can do the same. It's about intentionally living the life that you want to live, and becoming an autonomous steward of life's possibilities"--

Book Synopsis

"An indispensable manual...Tranquility by Tuesday offers plenty of inspiration for a more serene life, and down-to-earth and evidence-backed advice for actually making it happen."
--Oliver Burkeman, New York Times bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks

For anyone who's sick of letting to-do lists dictate their time, Laura Vanderkam, the bestselling author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, shares nine strategies for reclaiming your hours

Do you find yourself hoping that someday, life will be less hectic? One day, you say, you'll finally have time for the activities that you love - writing that book, completing that triathlon, traveling with friends. But if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's that life is unpredictable. If we're not careful, dull, unfulfilling tasks can quickly occupy our precious hours, derail our best-laid plans, and make life feel like a slog.

In Tranquility by Tuesday, Laura Vanderkam explains that if you want something to happen, you need to design your life to make it happen. Work crises, childcare emergencies, and home repairs are inevitable, and the mundane tasks of life - cooking, cleaning, laundry - aren't going anywhere. To make time for what matters, you need a resilient schedule, not a perfect schedule. Based on a time diary study of over 150 people, Vanderkam shares nine strategies for building opportunities for joy, nourishment, and fulfillment into your week, such as:

• Three times a week is a habit

• One big adventure, one little adventure

• Effortful before effortless

This is more than a time management book about "how to do it all." It's a look at how real people changed their lives using Vanderkam's nine rules, and how you can do the same. It's about intentionally living the life that you want to live, and becoming an autonomous steward of life's possibilities.

Review Quotes

Praise for Tranquility by Tuesday

"I've long loved Laura Vanderkam's focus on achieving calm in the midst of our full and fast-moving lives, and this is an indispensable manual for doing just that. Tranquility by Tuesday offers plenty of inspiration for a more serene life - but also, no less importantly, down-to-earth and evidence-backed advice for actually making it happen."
--Oliver Burkeman, New York Times bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks

"This book is truly great! Vanderkam offers well-researched ways to break away from the guilt and shame associated with doing something for yourself, as well as strategies for creating boundaries for this time. Vanderkam helps us prioritize our time for the ultimate goal-- to be interested in our own lives."
--Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space

"Laura Vanderkam never promises her readers a better life without also telling them exactly how to achieve it. This book is well researched and so helpful, especially because it comes from a personal place for her. She understands the frustration and exhaustion so many of us are feeling, and she has found a way to feel better. Not just while you're on vacation or over the weekend, but every day."
--Celeste Headlee, author of Do Nothing, We Need to Talk, and Speaking of Race

"This book is for anyone who just loves overscheduling their life...but doesn't love what it does to them. Laura Vanderkam's nine brilliant time rules are the opposite of finger-wagging: generous, practical, revelatory, and deeply flexible to adapt to whatever *your* version of a burstingly-full life looks like right now. After reading Tranquility by Tuesday, I have finally found satisfaction in the chaos."
--Lauren Smith Brody, author and founder of The Fifth Trimester

"Tranquility is a gift: a research-backed, step-by-step guide to making time for what--and who--matters most. Vanderkam offers essential strategies for making the most of our days, no matter how busy we are, and finding meaning in our daily routines and relationships. This book will make you more thoughtful and intentional about how you spend your most precious resource--time."
--Ximena Vengoechea, author of Listen Like You Mean It

"Time is finite and options are infinite. This book dives into that tension, and comes up with exciting new personal patterns that are equally powerful at work and at home."
--Aaron Dignan, author of Brave New Work

"In a niche already overflowing with guidance, Laura Vanderkam stands out as one of the field's most astute writers. She continues to offer surprising and valuable insights about making the most of our precious and limited time. I've greatly benefited from Laura's work over the years, and I'm so excited to implement the simple and practical nine-point framework she presents in Tranquility by Tuesday."
--Anne Bogel, author of I'd Rather Be Reading and Don't Overthink It

About the Author

Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books, including The New Corner Office, Juliet's School of Possibilities, Off the Clock, I Know How She Does It, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Fortune. She is the host of the Before Breakfast podcast and the co-host, with Sarah Hart-Unger, of the Best of Both Worlds podcast.