The Fringe Hours Review
“Self-care needs to be included in what you should be doing” (page 56).
Jessica N. Turner
To start off, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of this book, but I quite enjoyed it because there’s a lot of focus on how to make things easier in your life. This helps us utilize our “Fringe Hours” in a more efficient way than what we currently are. Some ways I think I can better utilize my fringe hours would be things like meal prepping, spending time with others doing something that I love, or even just typical daily self-care.
Jessica Turner mentions that “self-care needs to be included in what you should be doing”. I think often times we feel like we can put off taking care of our basic needs, however, this reminds me of the idea that you have to take care of yourself first before you can really help others. Just like putting a mask on in an emergency flight situation, you want to get yours on before you help others with theirs.
She describes “fringe hours” as the “pockets of time… that often go underused”. To me, this could be a few minutes or longer depending on our plans for the day. After reading through this section, it reminds me that when I set a goal, I want to make sure I plan time to do it that way, I’m not just wasting time and instead can utilize my time effectively to accomplish that goal.
Also, I liked how she brought up waking up at the same time every morning and how it can increase your productivity. For me, I typically always get to bed within the same hour every night, but I often will wake up at different times depending on the day. This makes me wonder if doing the opposite would be more beneficial or not? It is also mentioned that taking a “proper break” will help increase productivity because your stress will go down. Basically, Turner emphasizes the need to “schedule set periods of time in your days and weeks to be reserved for your own needs” because it “is the only way to ensure consistent investment in yourself”. On the flip side, she mentions how important it is to be able to say no and gives a list of different types of ways to say no. Some being: The Gracious No, The “I’m Sorry” No, The “I Know Someone Else” No, etc.
When talking about using time efficiently, she relays the following quote from Tsh Oxenreider which states, “When we’re intentional about what we watch, it’s a lot more interesting to watch it”. How true this can be because we are invested in a specific show or movie that matters to us rather than just watching just to watch something. What shows do you find yourself watching intentionally because it is more interesting to you? List some of your ideas below :)
Towards the end of the book, Turner talks about the importance of the Sabbath in finding rest and ultimately time to take care of yourself by having a reset. I found this part intriguing and might even go read the book she recommended called Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller. This book may find it’s way on my TBR list in the future!
I would recommend this book, The Fringe Hours, to you if you:
need to find a way to prioritize yourself.
have a question about how you are utilizing your time currently.
need more focus on what really matters.
enjoy self-help/improvement and setting specific goals.
Well, I hope you got something out of this review! Let me know if you are interested in reading The Fringe Hours or the Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives. I hope you have a fantastic week ahead of you!
