How to Determine If You Use Your Time Wisely
Last week one of the people on my team at work said something like “I just don’t know where the time went; I have gotten nothing done today.” Of course, it is not generally a good idea for that person to announce this to me, but I understand what they meant.
There have been many times in the past couple of weeks that I have wondered if I could do something to optimize my use of time and the time of the people on my team. Because of this, I have started to do a weekly time analysis which has been proven to be very helpful for planning. The great thing about this is that there are really only three (very simple) steps & there are really no special time management skills required.
Realistic Goal Setting
The problem that I see many people having when they set goals is that they think about their dreams instead of their goals. That is, many people think about the outcome of their tasks instead of the tasks themselves. I will be going into much more detail about goal setting at some point in the future, and there will be a link to that post here (once it has been posted, of course).
UPDATE: Here is a link to the next post in this series: Time Management and Your Goals.
Anyway, at this point you will want to write down what you want to achieve today (You can worry about your 5 year plan some other time). Keep in mind that you will want to make these goals achievable. Seems like a no-brainer, but I know that this is one place that many people I know, including me, have made big mistakes in planning for success.
Also, for the first few times, make your goal list short. Rome was not built in a day (or, at least my Grandfather used to seem to really believe that), so I don’t think that it is reasonable to make too big of a list.
Track Your Time
Once you have your list of goals, you can make a check list or some other tool to keep track of them. At this point, we are not so much concerned with those goals as we are which what you are actually doing during the day.
When I am at work I write down the time period that I worked on something or when I did not work (lunch, random conversations about lame TV shows, etc.) in a notebook. I track my time somewhat loosely, but you may choose to be a tad stricter with your own time tracking (Note: I wanted to use the phrase “more strict” there, but Bill Gates told me through his Word application that “more strict” is poor grammar. That is rude).
My time tracking looks kind of like this:
7:00 – 7:30: Get organized, plan for 8:00 mtg
7:30 – 8:00: Talk to GH about timing of project X (sounds important, huh?)
8:00 – 9:15: Mtg with GH, TR, OV, and RE about project Y
9:15 – 9:30: Talk to people, nothing really
9:30 – 11:30: Write reviews of work for TR, HI, and HG
11:30 – 12:30: Lunch
Etc…
Anyway, it is up to you how you want to track your time. I will point you to a few products below (this is not an advertisement – I do not make any money if you click on the links or if you purchase the products), but format is not nearly as important as you doing it in a way that is easy for you and will allow you to know, at the end of the day, how much time you spent on whatever it was that you did today.
A few tools you can look at for this purpose are Time Sprite, Intervals, Easy Time Logs and Time Snapper.
Of course, if you don’t want to use one of those, you can always use an Excel spreadsheet or Google Docs. Excel actually has a few templates that can be used for this. To use one of them simply click on File (or the Windows circle thing) > New > Time Sheets, and then choose one.
If you are not satisfied with any of the tools I have mentioned, you can always take a look at the page that shows a comparison of time tracking tools.
Time Analysis
Once you have written down your goals and tracked your time for each day, you are now ready to compare what you wanted to do to what you actually did do. Obviously, this is fairly simple to do, and some of you may be saying “Well no kidding, jerk. Everyone knows how to do this simple stuff.”
Well, if that is what you are saying, then why are you reading this? Also, please don’t call people names. That is rude.
Anyway, if you find yourself thinking something similar to what my coworker said to me, or if you can’t figure why you are behind on a project but know that you worked all day, I think you may want to read on.
At the end of the day (that is my preference – you can also do this weekly or monthly, whatever you deem to be the best time period) you will need to compare what you wanted to accomplish to what you did accomplish. This is easy & you probably already know the results. Just read through you goals (or to do) lists and see how many of the items were checked off on the day that they were new. Also look at the items that were not checked off the same day. Do you know why they were not checked off?
For each list item that ended up spanning a couple of days or more, go back to your time tracking list and see how much time you spent on other things. Ask yourself if those things were goals or not. If they were not goals, then you should consciously focus on performing only work that is related to your goals during the day.
This will never be perfect, but one of the other benefits of doing this is that you will clearly see how much of your time is being taken up by emergencies or other things that you did not plan for. That will help you in your goal setting in the future.
How Long Does Saving Time Take?
One thing that people have said to me is that they are afraid that tracking their time will take up more of the time that they do not have. I think this is silly. Once you have done this is few times, it should take up no more than 5 minutes of your entire day, and that is if you are doing very nitpicky analysis.
Conclusion
I am pretty sure that my coworker would never say to me what they did again once this method has been implemented in my group (and it will be). It has worked for me for several years now and I hope that it works for you too!
Your Turn
How do you determine if you are using your time well?
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Twitter: literarynobody
said:
This is a timely post for me. I have become extremely time conscious and I am always trying to create ways in which I can make better use of my time and organize some sort of schedule to my day. Thanks for the great resources to help me do that.
Toya´s last [type] ..Blog Jealousy and Why the Green-Eyed Monster can help Your Blog
Wow Toya! I just posted this. Do you know Scott Barron?
Anyway, I hope these tips help. There is no shortage of people who have problems with time (me included). I find that a very simple, pragmatic approach to time management allows me to do more of the things that I want to do.
By the way, nice post title you linked to
Have a great day!
Twitter: Ileane
said:
Hi Mark, I am the worst when it comes to time management so I really need to break things down just as you’ve done. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Ileane @ BloggerLuv´s last [type] ..BloggerLuv
Hey Ileane,
I am sure you are not the worst, but I get what you are saying. It really is hard to manage time. Part of that is probably that more and more responsibilities are thrust upon us by employers and ourselves all the time. The bad thing is that our old responsibilities never seem to go away.
Everyone does things little differently, so I hope this method helps you to get started to where you need to be.
Actually, now that I am looking, it looks like bloggerluv.com is a place that I need to check out.
Have a great day!
Mark,
This is great to see where your time is going, and where the time leak might be happening.
I like to do it old fashioned way, write by pen and paper and break down tasks, some tasks can be delegated, some tasks can wait and some can be scratched out without doing it (my favorite kind).
I like Stephen covey’s “what’s matter most” book, while it has nothing to do with getting things done, after reading the book, my list has “what matters to me most” things in it.
Preeti @ heart and mind´s last [type] ..No Spend Month Challenge- Update 1
Hi Preeti,
Your description of tasks sounds very similar to the way that I look at them. The great thing about delegation is that you can remove something from your list (and potentially add something else) and teach someone something new. Of course, depending on the task you want to delegate there could be a bit of time helping the person to learn.
Also, I think that prioritization is extremely important. I did not talk about this here (it will be part of the goals post), but it is very normal in many people’s work (especially entrepreneurs) for priorities to change quickly.
I tend to use a checklist for my goals and a notebook for tracking. I believe that the most important part of this is to analyze the differences often.
Thanks for the great comment!
Twitter: websitebegin
said:
I don’t like the idea of a set schedule, so I basically write down everything I need to do in a day on a dry-erase board (aka: white-board
), and get EVERYTHING done. If I don’t finish, I stay up until I do. I’ve had nights, like tonight, where it is 2AM and I am doing blog commenting.
Of course, this wouldn’t work at your job, but for online entrepreneurs, it works just fine!
Great post!
Hi Joe,
I don’t like a set schedule either, which will probably be more evident in the goals post. Generally, I only assign a certain starting time to meetings with others. Of course, not everyone likes that kind of fluidity in their schedule. These concepts apply well to both styles.
I am also a huge fan of the white board, though it sounds like we use them very differently. Mine has three columns drawn on it.
The first shows all of the projects my group is involved in and the status.
The second shows the things I need to do that are long term (so I don’t forget about them a month from now).
The third column is a list of things I need to make available or possible for my group.
I can’t really get more specific than that, but at some point I will probably post about my love for whiteboards.
Ha. Don’t expect that corporate employees don’t work late. In my last job 2:00 AM was not uncommon when a project was near completion, and we had to be back by 7:00. Thankfully, in my new job the latest that I have stayed was about 10:00, and that only happened a few times.
Great comments Joe!
Twitter: justin_popovic
said:
I’m glad you wrote about this topic.
I would not be able to follow all of your advice to the letter… although I could have when I was a corporate employee.
As a full time business owner, it is very common that my tasks change direction or switch priority in the middle of a day. In most cases, it is very difficult to plan out an entire day with an agenda. I have to be flexible and dynamic at all times.
I always have 101 ideas in the cue and ready to be worked on and if there are no interruptions or opportunities to help clients who have called me, then I can follow this system
9 times out of 10, I will add an activity to my day that wasn’t even on my mind when the day began. The key for me is to still take the 5 minutes you talk about and decide how I want the activities to flow based on where I stand right now.
I can still take elements from your lesson here and apply them to my business. For example, the idea of making lists. I try to list every activity I perform in a day so I can learn from the experience. If one type of activity yielded a high return (i.e. a new paying client), then I can assign a higher priority to these kind of tasks in the future. At the same time, if there are other activities that ended up being “busy work” with no real results, I can cut them down or remove them all together.
Great chatting with you on this one
Justin Popovic´s last [type] ..Who Supports Your Dreams… My Biggest Supporter
Hey Justin,
Truth be told, I can’t make a to-do list in the morning and just work through it during the day either. I think that as you work your way up in an organization, you tend to become quite a bit like an entrepreneur.
That is, management at the highest level doesn’t put you in your position so that you can just do what they say. They want you to make decisions…no, they want you to make good decisions that will fit in with their vision and improve the company.
Actually, I think that is the hardest part of my job. I have a list (on my white board and elsewhere) of things that I would like to do, but most days someone above me will tell me that there is something that they would like me to make a priority.
Many times it is something that I would not prefer to do. Of course, they contacted me because they looked again at their list of priorities. I think that it happens at all levels, really.
I suppose that this is the reason that entrepreneurial-ship is so attractive to me. That is why I find your story so inspiring.
Thanks for the amazing comment & have a great day!
Twitter: kruby
said:
Hi Mark,
Boy, do I know how that feels. I have a whiteboard, too, full of things that MUST BE DONE. But, I often do things that are important and seem urgent at the time, rather than those things that I are on the board that I should also be working on. Too much work, maybe?!
I also subscribe to the idea of writing down the 1 or 2 things that absolutely must get done that day, so that you know where your priorities are and are not sidetracked. Once those 1 or 2 tasks are done, then everything else can be gravy. Now, selecting the 1 or 2 tasks can be pretty hard to narrow down, but this takes practise. Plus, it relieves stress knowing that you accomplished your most important tasks during the day.
Karen
Karen´s last [type] ..100 Things That Make Me Happy
Haha. Surely there is too much work! I really don’t know of any way that we can avoid that, unfortunately.
I like the idea of having a list that includes only the two most important items – great idea for many situations.
Have a great day!
Twitter: TheJohnSoares
said:
Mark, I love this advice.
I’ve often used time tracking to determine what I’m actually doing, and then to analyze if what I’m doing is truly in alignment with my goals.
For example, after seeing just how much time I spend on blogs and other social media, I recently decided to cut it back and put more focus on the actual creation part of my business.
John Soares´s last [type] ..Free Podcast Interviews With Successful Bloggers
You make an excellent point that I think many people can relate with. It is so easy to get caught up in daily activities and forget about your longer-term goals. Its the seeing the forest for the trees thing.
Periodically reviewing what I am doing and why during the day is essential for me to complete what I need to in a day.
Thanks for your thoughts John!
Twitter: jblack2012
said:
I have found that after reading as much time-saving stuff as I could get my hands on, the thing that has worked the most for me is a 2-step process:
1. Only work on one thing at a time until it’s done.
2. Use a 3 item to-do list. Put the 3 most important things on your list that you have to accomplish that day and you will sleep like a baby knowing that you got a lot done.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire´s last [type] ..5 Little Tools Every Entrepreneur Needs
Hi Joshua,
Great point about working on only one thing at a time. The only problem that some people might have with that is that they may need the input of another person to finish something. I actually keep a list of things that I am waiting for and why for exactly that reason. But, your idea is very sound. Perhaps work on one thing as far as you can get before moving on.
There have been many times recently that I have been thinking that my group would be much more focused, and therefore more productive if we could get rid of many unneeded interruptions.
Such is life, I suppose.
Have a great day!
Hi Mark,
For me, I have found that time expands or contracts depending on my priorities. There is always enough time to take care of priorities. There are often many distractions that come up during the day, but one thing I remind myself is “other peoples urgency, is not my urgency.” This phrase is able to keep me on track and using my time effectively.
rob white´s last [type] ..Life Mastery 101
Hey Rob,
I love that idea! I think I may print it and hang it up somewhere.
Have a great day!
Twitter: buildrankprofit
said:
Wow Mark, what an EPIC post mate. Really well written as usual and had a good few laughs in there – you jerk.
in regards to comments : first one: do you know Scott? LOL! I got it and had a good laugh, although you could have asked if she knew Jean too I suppose
I am the worst at managing my time and unlike you and Joe I NEED timed structure to get things done.
I like that you highlighted that GOALS and OBJECTIVES are different and then added that each goal should be small and realistic.
I find I write down all the things I need to do that day but because I do not make myself accountable, I tend not to get them all done.
Accountability – there’ something you can touch on.
Thanks for a great post mate.
Alex´s last [type] ..Why Keyword Optimization is so Important The Show and Tell
Ha – Sticks and stones, my friend. Perhaps asking about Jean would have been good too.
Great point about needing structure. Some people do better with it and some do not. I think that all people will differ slightly in their preferred method to keep track of what they have to do. In the end, it does not matter how they do it; only that they are successful with that method. That is really the point at which this post comes in. Being able to compare what you set out to do to what you actually did do is really helpful over time.
Of course, you are right. Accountability to yourself is often the hard part (I can relate to that too). If all that we do is write down a list and ignore it, no good will likely have come from writing the list in the first place. Thanks for the idea – that will come in handy.
Have a great day Alex!
Twitter: LouisSelvon
said:
Hi Mark,
Great post on time management. For me I break things down in a similar manner that you do it. You are not wrong about breaking down your goals to something attainable. Sometimes I tend to set really highly goals but have learned the hard way that you have to take it step by step to get there.
Alex’s blog is a good example on how he uses the ‘keyword research blog’ phrase to brand himself. This phrase is very minimal in search. But as time goes by he will eventually be able to get traffic on the phrase ‘keyword research’ which gets a pretty decent monthly search.
Louis
Louis´s last [type] ..Article Marketing Automation Review – The Recommended Backlinking Tool For Internet Traffic Building From Search Engines
Hi Louis,
I too have learned that lesson. There will be another part of this post either later this week or early next week about goals design and how to choose which of your goals to work on first.
Thanks for visiting.
Have a great day!
Twitter: LouisSelvon
said:
No problem Mark. Looking forward to reading the follow up. – Louis
Louis´s last [type] ..Article Marketing Automation Review – The Recommended Backlinking Tool For Internet Traffic Building From Search Engines
Hey Louis,
The second part is called “Time Management and Your Goals” and is up now. I expect that there will be a few more related posts in a couple of weeks.
Have a great day!
hello mark
how are you?
i like the idea of a weekly time analysis and would try visiting the links suggested for the purpose of time tracking.
thanks for distinguishing between our dreams and goals with reference to placing much emphasis on the results of our tasks without acknowledging the task itself.
there are huge benefits gained from managing our time properly
take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of the day
ayo´s last [type] ..The Sixth Edition Of The Life Skills Magazine Is Out Now-
Hi Ayo,
I tend to do analysis at least weekly myself, but different people are likely to have different needs in this.
I agree. For me, the difference between a good week and a bad one can be as simple as how well I managed my time on a single day.
Have a great day!
Twitter: jeansarauer
said:
I did time tracking as part of a coaching group, and what an eye opener it was! One thing it showed me is that I can really be unfocused. Even when I ‘think’ I’m working, I can be fiddling around with something other than what I’m supposedly busy with at the time. The awareness was a bit painful but very helpful overall!
Jean Sarauer´s last [type] ..How to Avoid Blog Plateaus and Grow Your Blog Infinitely
Ha! Jean, I can relate to what you are saying very well! The first time I tracked my time for a week and then reviewed it, I found that I might as well have stayed home in Thursday and Friday of that week.
The awareness that I get out of doing this has definitely been painful at times, but it has made me able to do more of the things that I really want to do (like reading virginbloggernotes.com).
Have a great day!
Twitter: bigredtomato
said:
Set your screensaver to come on with the message am I adding value today…. that’s a great focus of the mind…
Nice post Mark. Thanks for sharing, it’s important to do worthwhile stuff.
Matthew Needham´s last [type] ..How to grow your business part 10
Ha. Nice idea Matthew!
Have a great day!
Twitter: Murlu
said:
I’m a little over analytical when it comes to goals: to-do list (broken down into time frames), weekly tasks on eraser board, timeline on giant poster board and then of course the big goals I keep in my head.
Even with all these items though, it really comes down to self control and building a great habit out of what you do.
I’ve found that if you can break a task down, rewarding yourself when you reach a milestone and sticking to your alloted time that you’ll always feel accomplishment because you don’t get the guilt of spending all your time focusing on one task instead of the many tasks at hand.
Murlu´s last [type] ..Write 10 Articles A Day- Market Yourself And Avoid Burn Out
Ha, yeah, it is very easy to get lost in the details of planning. Actually, the reward part is similar to something that I put in the second part of this series. I guess we think alike. You know, great minds and all…
Really great thoughts Murray. Have a great day!
Twitter: gupshupblog
said:
Hi Mark
Frankly speaking I am very bad at Time Management
but still being positive helps me to manage all my works on time 
.
I would love to use tools and methods as prescribed by you and get to know which are my ultimate time wasters and hence avoid them
Thanks for the great post buddy
Cheers !
Sunil Jain´s last [type] ..10 ways to overcome Writer’s block
Ha. I understand – I think that most people would probably say that they are not great time managers. Part of that is surely that we don’t seem to want to work constantly, and the other part seems to be that there is so much to do that it would be hard to not feel that way.
My thought here was to describe one way to determine if we are really just not working hard enough, or if we are but not giving ourselves credit. I have a feeling that you are part of the second group.
Have a great day!
Twitter: seansabourin
said:
Great post. At my place of employment we have a saying about time. You are either a clock watcher or a clock maker. For me, time is important and I want to be productive with the limited time I have. Thanks again for the reminder about the importance of using our time wisely.
Sean Sabourin´s last [type] ..Who’s in the Blogosphere
Hi Sean,
I can relate to what you are saying about being as productive as you can with the time you are at work. I find myself trying to go faster just so I can get enough done to go home. I like the clock saying – I may use that.
Thanks for the visit & have a great day!
Great points! Its awful when you feel like you have no time for anything but you don’t know what to do about it. I hate that feeling. Time management is something everyone should practice because its important for all aspects of life: work, free time, scheduling, volunteering, and more.
Laura´s last [type] ..What’s In the New Flood Insurance Bill?
Twitter: jasonmanheim
said:
I usually just roll over. If I fall off the bed then I’m not using my time wisely.
Jason´s last [type] ..Niche Site Challenge 005- Monetization
Ha. That’s funny Jason. Perhaps you should surround your bed with pillows.
Sleep well!