It’s hard to know if we’re really making efficient use of our time. It seems like we’re working hard — and we’re certainly stressed out. But are we spending our time on the right things? That’s the question I set out to solve at the start of this year. I was feeling overwhelmed after spending the fall launching a new book and was finally turning to the litany of tasks I’d neglected in its wake.
Track Your Time for 30 Days. What You Learn Might Surprise You.
Many of us struggle with the feeling that we’re wasting time. But to get a clear sense of how you’re actually spending your time — and where you’d like to make changes — the author suggests trying a simple time-tracking exercise. Logging exactly how you spend your time for an entire month can yield some surprising insights, and give you the tools you need to improve where needed. Based on her own experience with this exercise, the author offers four useful insights that helped her to improve productivity and reduce stress: First, she found that multitasking was often actually extremely positive and productive for her. Second, she found that there were benefits to combining personal and professional activities, such as networking/socializing. Third, she found that there were certain times of day that were more likely to be “wasted,” helping her to think more proactively about how exactly she wanted to spend those hours. Finally, she found that certain tasks carried disproportionate psychological weight, stressing her out more than seemed necessary or appropriate. Armed with this kind of data, the author suggests that anyone can come to better understand how they actually spend their time — and what they could do differently make positive changes.