For the past few months I have been documenting how I’ve been spending my day in fifteen minute chunks.
I learnt about this kind of time-tracking from Laura Vanderkam of the “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think” and other books fame.
When I heard her say that she has been logging her time for the past few years on a podcast, I balked!
I had no idea this was a thing.
I didn’t think people recorded their activities by time for the entire day- I mean, who has the time to record their time?
And who in their right mind is going to remember what they did, or be able to put every moment they spent in the day into a neat category- for example, what do we say for when we just stare into the air, or when a conversation is done but I haven’t moved on to do anything at all for minutes on end.
Of course, I realized soon enough, that this is what the time log would teach me about my day- where all do I have loose bits of time floating that can be put to better use.
And the big monster in all our lives- our phones…
The time log would also document for me to notice how much time actually gets eaten up by checking emails for the umpteenth time in a day, or going down the social media hole that never served anyone.
All these realizations, along with the awareness to spend time more smartly was the point of documenting one’s time of use per day.
I realized all of this. But.
Who in their right mind does this- my brain was coming against this question again and again…
I really liked how Laura spoke and her interesting and smart ideas on the podcast that I listened to initially. So, I invested time and effort into reading a couple of her books. And when she declared her Time Logging challenge for the public to participate in for a whole week at the beginning of the year…I had listened to enough logic to give this a try.
And I did.
With perfect score!
This time logging this is absolutely down my alley, I realized!
For a few reasons:
I am a self-improvement junkie, so I wanted to have high marks on my time log. Which means I was competing with myself to transition from one task to the other without wasting time.
I was checking my emails only twice a day. But time logging still gave me an opportunity to pick up my phone (I am doing it on Google Sheets app). So my itch to click and swipe was still getting fulfilled but directed in a less destructive way.
And finally, I love record keeping, and well, I was doing exactly that. I also realized that I could keep on carrying on time logging for longer than the prescribed week of the challenge. I mean, it could be something I do, just like I keep track of my workouts, or sleep, or food etc. And it would help me be mindful of not wasting time on things that don’t serve me. That would help me make time for what I really want out of my day.
Looking back at weekly logs…
I am able to assess what went well.
Where the holes are.
Where I could make time for stuff I really want my life to be about.
It gives me control of the very fabric my life is made of- time, and of which we all get exactly the same amount- no less and no more.
Weekends are more challenging to log for, as I am busy living life with my family or being out and about. But even then.
I find value in logging time when I say something like- hike with friends, or dinner at XYZ restaurant with my family. Because it gives me a moment of living back the memory of a time well spent, and the satisfaction of having done so when filling that block of time.
A year ago I did not have any idea of the concept of time logging for a life outside of project or work management. And my brain butted against it with ferocity.
But here I am, taking it on like fish to water.
Yes, it takes time, but I think it’s ok to let a new idea dwell in our minds for a bit where we can converse with it, and start to see its wisdom, and sometimes they end up changing our lives.