Does it feel like some days you’re running from sun-up to sun-down? If you’re thinking “some days that sounds like everyday!” then this post is for you. While I love being productive, I also need time to sit and chill or I get grumpy. We all have times in our lives that are more hectic than others but that shouldn’t be your normal pace.
I want you to do an experiment with me this week and track your time. I bet that by simply logging everything you spend time on you’ll find ways to cut back, work more efficiently and find time for yourself.
The best tool I found to track time is called Toggl. You can download it to your Chrome or Firefox web browser. There is an iPhone and an Android app. And there’s even a desktop app, all for free. I suggest you download it to your phone and any computers you use- either the desktop app or to your browser.
Once you’ve created an account and downloaded Toggl, create projects for the different categories you spend time on. Think about general categories. You’ll have the opportunity to be more specific at the time you’re actually logging the activity. Examples of general categories:
- Sleep
- Eating
- Driving/Travel
- Cleaning
- Getting Ready
- Work
- Exercise
- Errands
- Classes
- Free Time
If you spend a lot of time in the digital space, Rescue Time or Smarter Time are great resources that will automatically track everything you do on your computer and your phone. They will tattle on you how much time you’re actually being productive and how much time you’re wasting on Facebook.
Every time you start a new activity this week, start your Toggl timer, label the activity and assign your activity a project. It only takes 5 Seconds. It’s okay if you forget to start your timer, you can adjust the start time manually and input activities manually after the fact. Just do your best to guesstimate.
At the end of the week come back here and we’ll look at the reports that Toggl produces and see where you’re spending the most time.
At the end of the week, either on your computer or your phone, click on Reports.Your total hours should be around 168 (7 days * 24 hours). Don’t stress if you’re a little off, we’re just trying to get a rough overview of how your time is being sent.
The report will organize all your projects from the most time to the least time spent on them. On the computer you can click the plus sign next to a project to see the specific activities assigned to it.
Play around and see what the data says. Does anything stand out to you? Are you spending more time in certain areas than you were expecting?
Maybe you spend way too much time on social media and need to go on a fast (guilty!).
Are there ways to cheaply outsource some of your errands that are eating up too much time? Grocery pickup has been a game changer in my life.
Can you group your errands better so you’re not driving across town multiple times a week?
Most importantly, is enough time being spent on the things you value and with the people you care most about? I’m gonna guess that your answer is no, like mine.
Little changes can add up to big time saved. See what changes you can make so that you have more time for the things that matter and so that your time aligns better with your values.
Your time is valuable and it’s a limited resource. Make sure you’re using it well and making time for the things that you value.