DP&L Episode 284: Interview with Laura Vanderkam, Author of Big Time

In Episode 284 of the Defend, Publish, and Lead podcast, host Christine Tulley interviews productivity author Laura Vanderkam about her newly released book Big Time. In this book, Vanderkam centers on the idea of viewing time as abundant rather than scarce. She introduces the concept of "golden hours", the four to five hours between work and bedtime on weeknights,  arguing that these underutilized stretches can be reclaimed for rejuvenation, socializing, and personal enjoyment rather than defaulting to doomscrolling. She also encourages academics to think in weeks (168 hours) rather than days, since the full week reveals far more available time than any single 24-hour period suggests. For academics juggling increasingly fragmented schedules — more classes, more committees, more email — Vanderkam offers three core strategies: track your time for a full week to see where it actually goes, set aside a dedicated weekly planning session to assign priorities to specific time slots, and always identify a backup research block in advance so that when life inevitably intervenes, progress doesn't grind to a halt. Tulley connects these ideas to the challenges of carving out scholarly writing time, and the conversation closes with Vanderkam emphasizing that time tracking isn't about self-judgment, but about ensuring the stories we tell ourselves about our time actually match reality.

Resources Mentioned

• "Big Time" by Laura Vanderkam
• Join our Summer 2026 Writing Accountability Group. Just $25 for entire summer and sessions are recorded - email me if you want to join us every Monday (christine@defendpublishlead.com) and get a FREE summer progress tracker

DPL Resources

• Set your writing goals with us! Try us out in a free consultation.
• Check out our current and past workshops at Eventbrite for writing support content. A FREE webinar is posted each month. Missed a workshop? Request a workshop or webinar recording from christine@defendandpublish.com
• Don't forget about the wonderful resources at Textbook and Academic Authors Association. The organization can be found at: https://www.taaonline.net
• New to TAA? Join for just $25 using discount code DP26! You will also receive a copy of the eBook, Guide to Making Time to Write: 100+ Time & Productivity Management Tips for Textbook and Academic Authors.