Self-help Books on Avoiding Time Shortage

Abstract

Self-help books are tokens of our reflexive individualized society. The widespread experience of too high a pace in daily life and too little time for recovery and for social relations have resulted in books focusing on avoiding time shortage. In our analysis of the advice in such books we found time-management categories such as streamlining activities and buying services. Other identified categories focus on life-management strategies such as setting limits to time-consuming aspirations. Questioning personal aspirations in areas such as work and consumption appears to be an adequate way of avoiding time shortage and increasing one’s quality of life but this is also a challenging task due to the importance most people attach to these areas for identity creation and social acceptance.