Time Logging: This is How to Manage Your Time Better!
How do you spend your time? If you are like most people, how you think you spend your time is much different than how you actually spend your time.
For example, how much time on average do you think you spend every day interacting with media? 2 hours? 3 hours? 5 hours?
The reason I ask these questions and provide this example is that most of us spend time planning what we are going to do, but never take the time to look at where our time ends up going.
In other words, if we want to manage our time better, we need to look at how we are currently spending our time.
A great tool that we can use to accomplish this is called time logging.
What is Time Logging?
Time logging is simply a type of diary that you can use to understand how you are spending your time.
The idea is not to make you feel bad or guilty about how you are spending your time, but rather to give you information.
By collecting data on where your time is going it gives you the power to take control of your time and how you spend it.
Before we get to how to use time logging to understand how you are spending your time, let’s talk a bit more about…
The Benefits of Time Logging
As Peter Drucker said in The Effective Executive:
“Time is also a unique resource. Of the other major resources, money is quite plentiful. We long ago should have learned that it is the demand for capital, rather than the supply thereof, which sets the limit to economic growth and activity. People-the third limiting resource-one can hire, though one can rarely hire enough good people. But one cannot rent hire, buy or otherwise obtain more time.” 1
The fact of the matter is this, once time is gone, it is gone forever and there is no substitute for it!
By understanding how we spend our time using time logging, we will:
Be able to ensure we are structuring our time according to our priorities.
Become more aware of time, as tracking something leads to better awareness at the moment.
Understand how long tasks take. Sometimes we overestimate or underestimate how long it takes us to do things. Time logging can help us understand how long it takes us to accomplish certain tasks and we will plan better.
Build a foundation so that we can leverage some of the other time management tools we have discussed in previous posts better, such as Personal Kanban, Gantt chart, the Eisenhower Matrix (that is, identifying the urgent and important things to do), Time Blocking, and the Pomodoro Technique. For example, if are using the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize our tasks, a great place to start is with all the tasks that we engage in currently.
Now that we understand the benefits of time logging, let’s move on to…
A Simple 3-Step Process for Time Logging
Below is a simple process to understand how you spend the 168 hours you have each week.
First, you will create a time log, next you will analyze it, and finally you will use what you have learned to reorganize your time – or not.
We will go through each of the 3 steps now:
(1) Log Your Time
The actual process you use for logging your time isn’t as important as much as doing it in “real-time”. The problem with waiting too long to record it is that you will forget and the data you collect won’t be accurate.
By Time or By Task?
The idea is to write down in as much detail how you are spending your time to give you the optimal amount of information to make better use of your time.
One way to keep track of it is simply by listing the activities you engage in certain periods of time:
Another way is to list out your activities or categories of activities and how much time you spend on them each day:
By Hand, Using a Spreadsheet or App?
There are several mediums that can be used.
You can go old school and use old fashioned pen and paper. Alternatively, you could create an Excel spreadsheet and keep track of it there.
Finally, you can leverage technology. One option is via Toggl which is an online time tracker. Another is using an app for iPhone and Android such as aTimeLogger.
It all depends on personal preference.
How Specific, How Often and for How Long?
The more specific you are, the more data you will collect and the more robust your analysis will be.
At least every hour you should be updating your time log, otherwise, you will forget exactly what you are doing. It’s a bit of a pain, BUT it isn’t forever, and you will get much better data.
You will need to do this for at least a week, two weeks would be better as you will collect more data.
Again, it’s all up to you, like many things in life, what you get out of it is dependent on the effort you put into it.
(2) Analyze your time – what did you learn?
Now that you have got some good data you can summarize it.
For example, after 2 weeks you aggregate your data and find this is how you spend your time on a daily basis:
Now it’s time to analyze your data by asking yourself some questions:
Did you spend more time than you thought in some areas?
Are there some areas where you waste too much time?
Did some activities take longer or less time than you thought they would?
Are there areas where you need to be spending more time?
Looking at the fictitious example above, the person may not have realized how they are spending their time.
“Impossible and dumb example”, you say! “There is no way anyone in their right mind spends that much time on social media/online, watching cat videos and watching TV!”
Hold that thought, we will come back to it shortly.
(3) Reorganize your time
Finally, there are 3 questions you can ask to help make better use of your time:
(i) What would happen if I didn’t do some of these activities at all?
If the answer is nothing or not much – then eliminate it.
For example, if you ditch the daily cat videos you will gain 7 hours a week which will give you time to read 2 books instead!
(ii) Which of this stuff can I offload to someone else? Can someone else do it better?
Sometimes we waste time doing things that someone else should be doing or someone else can do better. If that is the case, outsource or delegate it.
(iii) How high of a priority is this?
Is there a best time of day to do it? Can I batch it with other stuff?
As you have seen, exactly how you engage in time logging isn’t as important as doing it.
Just going through the exercise, you will be amazed at the insights you gain.
For example, let’s go back to my question from the introduction…
How Much Time on Average Do You Think You Spend Every Day Interacting with Media?
According to a 2018 Nielson study, the average adult in the U.S. spends over 11 hours a day interacting (listening to, watching, reading) with media!
In the first quarter of 2018 when the study was conducted, the average U.S. adult spends 3 hours and 48 minutes a day on computers, tablets and smartphone devices and over 4 hours a day watching TV!
That’s almost 8 hours a day spent on devices and watching TV.
I guess my fictitious example wasn’t so ridiculous after all!
Think about all the other productive stuff people (maybe…you) could be doing instead.
“Interesting”, you may say…” But, that’s not me!”
Maybe, but maybe not. Why not engage in a little time logging to find out where your time is going for sure!
Until next time, do a little time logging, and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick
Use it or Lose It
The 3 step process for time logging is as follows:
(1) Log your time.
(2) Analyze your time – what did you learn?
(3) Reorganize your time
When to Use It
By collecting data on where your time is going using time logging, it gives you the power to take control of your time and how you spend it.
What Do You Think?
Have you ever used time logging? Do you have an accurate idea of how you are spending your time? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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References
1 Drucker, Peter F. 2002. The effective executive. New York: HarperBusiness Essentials.
2 Time Management: Proven Techniques for Making Every Minute Count by Richard Walsh
Apropos of nothing: You keep telling me in your replies “be good”. Well, I am good, but I won’t say at what. My Dad phrased it better – “If you can’t be good, be careful.” I told this to my daughter and explained it at the appropriate age. She understood completely, and was both good and careful. I consider my role as ‘Dad’ to have been a complete success, for the three very obvious reasons. You should be able to figure them out. (and use them when you have a kid)
On to the current presentation. How can you only allocate one hour to watch cat videos? Don’t you realize the internet was invented solely for the purpose of watching stupid cat videos and porn? Of course I am kidding, as I must read the daily prime your pump material whenever possible.
For an old fart like me, I don’t believe that a time log chart would be beneficial. No two days are the same. I have no set routine. For instance, earlier this morning I took my 1993 truck into the mechanic for its annual go-through. Change the oil and filter, lube the joints, and fix/replace anything else that needed fixing. Such as the spark plug wires, which were in disintegration and fall apart mode. Hey, those were the original factory wires. While moseying around while the mechanic did his thing, I found a Chevy Nova SS setting in an impound lot. Eventually need to find out who the owner is, and maybe strike a deal. Those are rarer than the Chevelle SS.
Tomorrow there’s nothing on the calendar, so I intend on using the computer for research, and maybe start writing a magazine article. Or perhaps I will wake up, say ‘screw it all’ and go back to sleep. Such is the luxury of being retired.
Have a nice weekend, and be good yourself. I am fairly sure of the kind of trouble you would get into in Miami.
Hi Dave,
Sounds like you are having a hell of a great retirement! You deserve it. Too funny on the cat videos. I did manage to stay out of trouble surprisingly! Be good (and careful!), Rick