Many of us have an adversarial relationship with time. We’re always trying to beat the clock—behaviour rooted in a fear that time is scarce and must be obsessed over, hoarded and ultra-optimised. But time management expert Laura Vanderkam argues that even busy people can come to feel that time is abundant.

Drawing on original research about how hundreds of real people spend their time, and her own experience of tracking her time for a decade, Vanderkam offers simple tactics for how to manage a complex life, stick with long-term projects by breaking big goals into tiny steps and make the most of leisure time many people don’t even notice.

By turns surprising, thought-provoking and encouraging, Big Time shows readers that the daily experience of time can be quite spacious—and that, managed well, each day’s hours can be a source of happiness and satisfaction.