- Are you aware of how you are spending your time? Many people when they do a self audit of where their time is going are shocked at the inefficiencies in their day. This is why that I recommend that occasionally, not all the time, you do a self assessment where you track how your using your time. What I mean is that you make a minute by minute assessment of what activity you're working on and where your focus is. In it's most basic form you'll want to create a chart that looks a little bit like this.
You have a column for activity, a column for start time, a column for end time, and then a total of how much time was spent in that activity. It's not necessary but if you wanted to go the extra mile you could also add a column for category. Meaning the type of activity such as marketing and sales or free time or time with family. Don't get too caught up in the details though because the value of this exercise comes primarily from the awareness that it brings to your day and to your mind.
As an alternative to a hand written chart you could search for time tracking apps which will show you a variety of tools available for your smartphone. Now, how long should you do this exercise for? Personally I don't think it's practical to try to track your time for more than one day. The act of tracking your time itself becomes extremely cumbersome and distracting. If the whole point of time management is to help you get more time excessive time tracking is going to get in the way, but if you did this once every three months or so, every quarter, and we did it for just one day that can provide some valuable insight into how your spending your time.
As you track your time, be aware of the following. First, be conscious of how many switches are taking place in your day. We want to look not just at what kind of activities you are doing throughout your day, but also how long you can focus and be single minded on one task until some interruption of some kind gets in the way. My guess is you're going to be shocked at how many times you're being interrupted. Many people are interrupted 20 times or more per hour whether it's due to a message popping up, to someone calling them or coming by their office, to just themselves interrupting their own work with their own great thoughts.
Look at how many interruptions are occurring in your hour. Then consider steps you can take to reduce interruptions. Reducing these switches in your attention can have a multiplying effect in freeing up available time. Next, be aware of how much time you spend in your most valuable activities. If you need help in figuring out what your MVA's are, you might want to check out Time Management Fundamentals where I walk you through the process.
Most people are spending far too little time in their most valuable activities. Then take a look at how much time you're spending in your least valuable activities. These are the things that are worth very little, perhaps minimum wage type work. Most people are shocked at how much time they spend doing minutia that could be delegated easily to someone else. Finally, after you run this test for a day and look at the results ask yourself one question: what is one thing I'm going to change as a result of what I've learned? There will likely be many changes that you could make, but by focusing your improvement to one clear actual item you'll increase the likelihood that you follow through and make a positive change in your schedule.
Author
Updated
4/15/2019Released
4/11/2016Productivity expert Dave Crenshaw provides techniques on a wide variety of topics, designed to help people better manage their time and ultimately become more productive. Tune in to learn about everything from managing emails and calendars to setting priorities, collaborating with coworkers, reducing interruptions, crafting a "productivity mindset," and creating a more comfortable and effective work environment.
Have an idea for a future video from Dave? Submit it using our course feedback form. If you want more time management strategies now, we recommend watching Dave's Time Management Fundamentals course.
- Reducing interruptions
- Dealing with feeling overwhelmed
- Responding to quick questions
- Making the most of meetings
- Following up
- Implementing a closed door, open calendar policy
Skill Level Intermediate
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Introduction
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Welcome43s
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1. Time Management Tips
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Power tips for sending email3m 14s
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Positive procrastination3m 15s
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Remove the "busy" tag2m 58s
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Focus on the person2m 37s
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Time management for students2m 59s
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Ending meetings with action1m 44s
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Building a not-to-do list2m 46s
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Avoiding the crowd mindset2m 58s
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Placing a value on your time3m 30s
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How to schedule a meeting3m 35s
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How to develop flexibility4m 19s
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The trouble with texting3m 48s
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Create a perhaps list4m 58s
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Reduce attention switches4m 46s
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Adapt your favorite app4m 33s
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Make time to get more time3m 49s
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Read vs. unread email3m 52s
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Make time to have fun3m 57s
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Create a morning ritual3m 23s
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When to create new homes3m 26s
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How to reduce spam3m 48s
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Why repetition saves time2m 48s
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Productive passwords2m 3s
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Productive web browser tips1m 51s
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Writing a productive email1m 55s
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Commit to your calendar1m 54s
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What to say instead of ASAP1m 46s
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Set voicemail expectations1m 43s
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Set email expectations1m 46s
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How to use an inbox1m 41s
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How to use an outbox1m 53s
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Video: Tracking your daily activity