I'm not sure how to rate this book. Whilst there were parts of it I particularly found useful and resonated with (especially in the flow and experience chapters) there was a lot to this book that was quite self-explanatory. 3 stars.

All of us at one point or another feel that we don't have enough time - we do, it's just how we choose to use it, and this book provides some guidance on how we can use our time for ourselves wisely. It uses STORIES to help us remember, and there's plenty of scientific studies to back it up (too much at times?) but overall really useful and thought provoking

In modern world we waste so much time, and yet we never have enough time for anything. If you walk down the street you'll see 90% of people with their noses in the smartphones. Constant scrolling on social media, often mindless, because you don't discover anything new. How many times did you spend hours watching some silly youtube videos or refreshing twitter?

We're missing out on life and we don't even notice it. "Time and How to Spend It" gives lots of guidance (with scientific data) of how to improve quality of our free time. It includes lots of anecdotes and I'm sure all of us can identify ourselves with some of the stories.

"Time and How to Spend It" is a book worth reading, it's written in a simple language that everyone can understand and includes tips for all of us to follow. Even if we won't change our lives significantly, it's good to pause for a moment and think - do I really need to refresh this twitter page again?

Not for me.

This is a book that is centred on finding meaning and spending time in a meaningful, active way. Perhaps with family, or in pursuit of a meaningful goal.

A book to definitely make you think, perhaps especially so in these challenging times. Interesting case studies, and easy to read. Recommended.

'I would but I don't have time' is probably the biggest excuse we tell ourselves and others - I certainly am guilty of this! I liked the fact that the book was split into 7 sections and so we can jump in and out to what most draws us in at any one time - when we think we have it that is. The idea of the book is to is suggesting ways to come away from the internet and tv and spend more of our time doing; time re-prioritisation if you will. I think our screen times on our phones shows us how over-engaged we are with the digital world, so its a book we all probably need in our lives to re-evaluate what we do.

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!

If you are like many people and often wonder "where are the days/weeks/months/years going? How am I actually spending my time? How can I make the most of it?" then this book is a worthwhile read. Time is indeed the most precious commodity we have, a fact highlighted in this common-sense, never preachy, very interesting and inspiring book with lots of insight into how we can best spend our time.

I loved how this was split into sections, and it is easy to recognise yourself in each one. It's one of those books that is used more as a 'tool' that you refer back to help develop your habits.

Time and How to Spend It by James Wallman is a book which manages to hold a mirror up to all of those
distractions we indulge in, which we all know is a waste of time.

Split into 7 distinctive areas, the book confirms that life is about gaining experiences and in his own word,
being able to tell our stories. I do not think there is a single passage in the book where you do not recognise
yourself. Being someone who is not on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter I still found so much to take from James
Wallman's book and will be one I will dip into again on more than one occasion.

Like many self-help books, this was mainly filler. The checklist was good and some of the ideas appealing, I skipped loads of the book to get to the pertinent points.

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.

I didn't expect to find anything new in this book, but was pleasantly surprised. I consider myself to be very well organised and not much of a time waster, but the book did pick up on a few bad habits I've acquired over the years. Most of the suggestions are common sense, but overall I would say its a great place to start if you really are in need of some guidance in time management.

I requested this book as I felt it reaching out to me; I do waste time and find myself a bit unmotivated. The first half of this book really grabbed me and I was invested, but I found it got a bit boring and monotonous towards the middle.
I liked the examples of the value of checklists useful - The overall gist of the book is a good one but I did not really take anything away and implement them consciously. I do try to read all of the books I am given although I did skip through a lot at the end due to the repetitive nature. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

James Wallman is a man determined to change the world and how we experience it. I like his approach although I accept it will not resonate with everyone. Like his previous book "Stuffocation", Mr Wallman emphasises that the people who get more out of life are the people who have experiences rather than the people who have things. This book is an extension of his thinking and a clear definition of his manifesto. It is a strong one:-

"As more of us do this, we'll improve our chances of solving our local and global environmental issues. We'll flatten the social gradient and reduce the negative impacts of status-oriented society. We'll solve other problems of the well-being deficit. We'll reduce loneliness, increase exercise, improve joy, and increase life satisfaction. As we take on board the latest findings from the science of success, we'll evolve capitalism so that it's fit for purpose for human society in the twenty-first century."

Wow - how can you not go along with that? Even if you are cynical and take these claims with a pinch of salt, there is much to gain from reading this book. It is well researched, often quoting esteemed psychological studies, and although it sometimes seems like 'common sense', you then have to pause and ask yourself why you don't behave more in this way? The book is challenging and entertaining and I for one will try to live more for experiences than for the latest or newest "thing" society says I should crave. Clearly, if we all stop craving these things, then capitalism will indeed have to change.

Recommended if you feel that there should be more to life than the latest i-phone...

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Firstly, thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love my non-fiction books, especially anything to do with self-development though I had mixed feelings about this book. It didn't really have anything new in it that I hadn't read before and perhaps the irony of it meant that I would have spent my time reading something else. However, I do love reading and was curious to see what the author had to say so I did manage to finish the book eventually.

The title is a brilliant one, it does make a reader like me want to pick it up and read it and anything with Happier in the title with our stress-filled lives is a good thing.

One of the things that was different was the acronym that the author came up with though I've forgotten so I'll refer back to the book "STORIES" Story, Transformation, Outside and Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, and Status and Significance.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books for a preview copy

Interesting ideas about spending time doing rather than acquiring, and relevant stories about famous people. However I did find it repetitive in places towards the end.

Interesting book but does rather go on and on a lot with long stories in each of the seven chapters.

It covers lots of ideas, some of which are useful, though it assumes that people that are alone are lonely in some way, but this I'd disagree with as not everyone wants company or even seeks it out and are fine being by themselves. Great book to dip into a bit at a time if you want to shake your life up a but and be more present.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

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!

TIME AND HOW TO SPEND IT by James Wallman

I did find a lot of the book very interesting. I requested it because, like a lot of people I find myself wasting time every day and I was looking for some advice on how to reduce this. I am not sure the book achieved what I wanted it to and it felt as if the title should have been linked to improving happiness rather so I felt I had missed the point of the book so I did find some of the book slightly irrelevant compared to what I had hoped it would be about. However, I did find all the anecdotal stories really interesting and the book felt quite motivational. I particularly liked the story of Mme C.J. Walker who was the daughter of Negro slaves and made a fortune making hair products and used her money to help others. I also liked the way the book was written and it was easy to follow. I also liked the fact it was British and therefore had lots of relevance such as suggesting visiting different places. There are lots of examples of things to do to live a more satisfying life and although it wasn’t what I was expecting I did think the book would help me try to lead a better life. The advice is about doing more activities and spending less time on social media and watching TV which has to be good.
Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.