Where Did the Time Go? Some Simple Ways to Track your Time While Working Differently During a Pandemic
Knowing is always half the battle - right? I think we can all agree; we wonder where our time goes many days each week. We get sucked into things we believe will take a small amount of time only to find that it took twice as long as planned. If we had a way of tracking our time and seeing patterns, we might be able to improve our planning and become more conscious of which projects take us more time than others. We may also learn that we are spending too much time in areas we never intended.
When I began tracking my time, I was shocked to realize how much time I was dedicating to email. I still spend more time in email than I would like, but I am much more aware of it now because of time tracking.
Track Your Time - Simply
Keeping track of your time does not need to be complicated. It can be as simple as keeping a notebook next to your computer or on your desk and record events throughout the day. It does not matter whether you are a Store Manager, District Manager, or someone in a corporate environment - it can be done in any of those roles.
For those that work in a store environment, keep your notebook on your desk or get a small pocket notebook and build a habit of recording your activities at certain points of the day. For example, capture what you did in the morning when you break for lunch. Capture the afternoon activities when you leave for the day. Finally, record what you did for the rest of the day before you go to bed. Getting exact times is not the point; it is as much about reflecting on what you have done as recording times for those activities. Soon you will see a pattern emerge and you can begin to address how you would like to spend your time differently.
Use Technology To Help
There are several products available to help track your time throughout the day. The hardest part for any of these is the ability to track time when you are not on a connected device. There will still be a need for some manual time tracking regardless of what technological solution you try. However, if you can utilize your devices to help you track where your time is being spent, that is still a big boost in capturing the information.
If you are an Apple user, all iOS devices now have some built-in time tracking. ScreenTime is a new feature in the latest version of the iPhone and iPad operating system. It will record how much time you have spent in each application on your device. You can see your most used applications and for how long - daily or weekly. It shows how often you pick up your device each day, which apps you used first, and how many notifications you received. All can be very handy in understanding how you are spending your time and using your devices.
If you are an Android user, the built-in Dashboard can help you keep track of your time in many of the same ways that the ScreenTime function does for iOS. Whichever device you use, these are great tools to understand how your time is being spent. I am still sometimes amazed at how quickly the time adds up for many apps I spend time in.
Other Time Tracking Options
There are plenty of software options for tracking your time. Timing is a Mac application that is very similar to ScreenTime which allows you to track all of your activities by the application used and provides daily reporting. Toggl is a mobile application that combines some features from ScreenTime with your manual tracking, and your calendar. This application has a free option and is a good way to get started using technology to help learn your activity patterns. It has a timer built into it, so when you begin a project, you start the timer to begin tracking and stop when you’re done. Complete your tracking by providing information about your activity.
Toggl could be a nice solution for those who work in a store or restaurant location. When you begin a project, you can start your timer and note what you did during that time when you are done. It could serve a dual purpose of capturing your notes from conversations or observations during those windows of time. Something like this really can be a boost to productivity since you will capture the time elements as well as the outcomes from that time spent.
Your calendar is another great way to track your time. This is probably a little easier for folks in a corporate environment as you are used to working within your calendar throughout the day. However, anyone could do this. You can schedule or record your time blocks after the fact if you have been doing multiple things throughout the day. As I mentioned earlier, set some specific times throughout the day to record your activities. The best way to do this is to attach it to another event so you can use the habit loop to work in your favor. Cue - going to lunch. Routine - make notes on the morning activities. Reward - knowing how you spent your time and eating lunch. The same holds for capturing when you leave and when you are going to bed.
If you spend a lot of time on the phone throughout the day, using your phone log would be an excellent way of tracking whom you spoke to and for how long. You can record that along with some notes to learn which calls took the longest and whether it was value added time.
Tracking your time is an investment, but one worth making. You will begin to see how each day changes, what activities you are spending your time on, and how much of your time is dedicated to individual projects. Having that information is crucial to making changes for the future. We all say, ‘I wish I had more time.’ The solution begins with knowing where we are already spending our time. With that, we can make the adjustments to spend more time where we want and to eliminate time spent on things that have little to no importance.
How do you think tracking your time will free you up to become more productive? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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