How to Live on 24 Hours a Day

This classic personal time-management book originally published in 1908 has inspired generations of men and women to live deliberate lives. Not just another collection of timesaving tips, this book is more of a challenge to leave behind mundane everyday concerns, focus on pursuing one's true desires, and live the fullest possible life. Reflection, concentration, and study techniques make it easier to accomplish more truly rewarding undertakings than anyone ever dreamed possible.

Time is a very funny thing; everyone gets the same amount per day. Rich people do not get more than poor people. It's not possible to go the store and buy time. Out of that 24 hours per day, everyone must carve out a life.

In the book, Arnold Bennett addresses the growing number of white-collar. In his view, these workers put in eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, at jobs they do not enjoy, and at worst hate. They work to make a living, but their daily existence consists of waking up, getting ready for work, working as little as possible during the work day, going home, unwinding, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next day. In short, he does not believe they are really living.

Bennett addresses this problem by urging these salarymen to seize their extra time, and make the most of it to improve themselves. Extra time can be found at the beginning of the day, by waking up early, and on the ride to work, on the way home from work, in the evening hours, and especially during the weekends. During this time, he prescribes improvement measures such as reading great literature, taking an interest in the arts, reflecting on life, and learning self-discipline.

This book talks about some of the most important aspects of a full existence: the awareness of the passing time and methods of utilizing it to one's unique advantage. It lays out a structure to a possible way of filling one's time, and points to the obstacles and dangers lying in this execution.