How to do more in the new year

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

To understand how to increase your productivity, you first need to know what exactly you are spending your time on. To do this, keep track of what you do during the day. Then in the evening you will see what could not have been done, and what it was worth allocating more time for.

Of course, if your work day is mainly composed of various meetings (if you are, for example, a doctor or a lawyer), this approach is not particularly suitable for you. However, it can also be used outside of working hours if you notice that your evenings and weekends pass unnoticed by watching TV shows and social networks.

Treat time like food

The correct allocation of time is given to us with such difficulty, because time itself is a very vague concept. It cannot be seen or touched, even scientists still argue about its nature.

So try to think of time as something more specific, like food. The tendency to be distracted is akin to junk food cravings. A waste of time is being overweight. And the solution to the problem (keeping track of time) is keeping a food diary.

What is the general use of food diaries? First, for overweight people, just knowing what they are eating can sometimes come as a shock. All sorts of snacks and desserts do not seem to be counted until you see them counted on paper. Understanding what you eat, the healthy feeling of shame and the responsibility that comes with journaling all together lead to the fact that you lose weight faster.

The same considerations apply when recording the time spent. So if you're looking to build your productivity muscles, start tracking how you spend your time.

Pros of time tracking

To keep track of your time, you have to meticulously record the hours and minutes spent in a day, over several weeks or even months. As paradoxical as it may sound, the process itself also takes time.

First, let's take a look at the benefits of tracking time, and then move on to tips to help you get started.

1. This is the basis for other productivity techniques

We don't start strength training without determining the starting weight we can lift. The same should be done when trying to create new habits and increase productivity. If we do not know exactly how and on what we spend our time, we simply will not be able to correctly calculate the time for various things and will constantly be unhappy with ourselves.

If, for example, you do not notice that you spend an entire hour a day on social networks, how can you get rid of this habit? You’ll just think that to be more productive, you need to create to-do lists differently. Although you just need to block Facebook or VKontakte.

Tracking the time you spend will help you understand which productivity strategies you really need.

2. You will find that you overestimated your time costs

Now everyone complains about being constantly busy and not having enough time. But what if this sensation is a problem of perception, and not the actual state of affairs? It is possible that it arises from the fact that you incorrectly estimate how much time it takes you to do different things.

When we look at our routines, we exaggerate the amount of time that will have to be spent on certain tasks. And this discourages us from getting down to business or starting new hobbies. And sometimes we even spend more time on an action than is necessary.

Of course, not all cases just seem time consuming. Some are really time consuming. But, by tracking your time spent over several weeks, you will notice that certain tasks are being completed faster than you thought. This way you may have time for something that you did not have time to do before.

3…. or underestimated

Just as often, we underestimate our actual time spent.

The tendency to exaggerate the time spent, for example, on various household chores arises from the fact that we find such tasks more burdensome.

Time spent on activities that do not require stress usually flies by. It is these actions that need to be excluded from your daily routine.

4. It develops a sense of responsibility

When you have sat around for an hour on the Internet and then returned to work, it is quite possible that no one else noticed this. It turns out that this hour has simply sunk into oblivion. Yes, you feel guilty for a while, but then you just forget about it and waste another hour or two the next day.

But when we keep track of our time, we also have to write down this wasted hour. Here the reaction will be completely different. The recording "I was on the Internet from 12:00 to 13:00" will cause a much greater feeling of guilt than just the thought: "Oh, another hour has passed." You have to admit that you wasted an hour.

Naturally, looking at my notes in the evening, I want to see that the day was not in vain. If you wasted time today and wrote it down, tomorrow it will be easier not to be distracted.

5. It helps you do more

Sometimes, analyzing your actions for a while, you find that you really have nothing to do. You're wasting your time on trifles because it doesn't really hurt your job.

If you can do your job and still have time, but you still feel like the day is unproductive, you can take on more tasks. If you work for yourself and can manage your own schedule, look for new clients or suppliers or develop your website. If you work for a large company, ask management if there are any new projects you can take on. It is unlikely that you will be refused.

6. This teaches you not to be sprayed on several things at once

Everyone knows that multitasking is only a hindrance to productivity. And the very idea of multitasking is just a myth. In fact, we do not do several things at the same time, but very quickly switch from one task to another over and over again. Our brains are not built for multitasking, so we inevitably miss something or don't do well.

When we track time, we keep track of every task. And for each task, we allocate a certain period of time, at least in order to make it easier to keep records. We are even somehow proud when we note that an hour or two was spent on one important task.

Over time, you will develop the ability to focus on one thing and you will no longer want to combine several tasks and be distracted from important work. Most likely, you will be able to set aside half an hour or an hour a day for various small tasks and do them all in one sitting.

How to accurately and efficiently track your time

Here are three key rules that will make your time tracking most effective:

• Honesty … No one but you will see these records, so do not embellish. If you're not being honest with yourself, why bother with this business at all?
• Constancy … It will take you at least two weeks to get a complete picture of what you are spending your time on. Take notes only when you are living at your normal pace (not before vacations or holidays).
• Meticulousness … Think not in hours, but in minutes. For example, in the early days, write down all your actions from morning to evening with precision to every minute. Then you can go to 5-, and later to 15-minute intervals.

There are two ways to track time:

• Time intervals … For example, from 9:00 am to 9:15 am. Set a timer every 15 minutes (at least at first, then you can increase the time interval) and write down what you did.
• Tasks … Mind your own business and make a note every time you start something different.

Try both methods and decide which one works best for you. First, write everything down to the minute. This will help you understand how much time each task actually takes and how your day is generally structured. Then you can track the time at certain intervals. This makes it easier to plan things and notice when you are most often distracted.

You can also add short notes to your notes. For example, next to the entry "Reading", indicate which book or magazine you have read. Next to the item "On the road" you can mark the weather or what you listened to (podcast, audiobook, music), and next to the entry "Played with the child" mention a specific game. So a simple time tracking becomes practically a diary. You don't have to do this, but you might like it.

After two weeks, time tracking will become a habit. Now you don't have to write down all your actions so carefully. Just pay attention to the time (at least during the working day) and see if you are making the most of it. If you feel that you are often distracted, go back to the notes.

Even if after this two-week experiment you no longer track time at all, try to check yourself about once a year to see how your habits are changing.

Digital tools

There are tons of digital assistants out there that automatically track how you spend your time. And although they can be useful (especially if you have not taken notes for several hours and have forgotten what exactly you were doing at one moment or another), you still should not rely on them completely. Only you yourself know what you were doing on some site - working or messing around. The application will not determine this for you.

• … This program runs in the background and tracks how much time you spend on different sites and applications. It is suitable for various operating systems, including Android. You can also set goals and track your productivity growth in the program.
• … Although this program was originally intended for freelancers, it should be fine for everyone. It has handy charts that visually reflect your progress.
• (iOS only). Just add your usual tasks, click on them when you start, and when done, click on the next. The previous task will be automatically completed, and the application will set the time itself.
• … Like ATracker, it is kind of a combination of digital and analog. You are using a digital device, but only for taking notes. Evernote can be used like a regular paper notebook.

Analogue facilities

• … During the week (which is your 168 hours), record what you are doing, dividing the day into 15-minute intervals. Keep your calendar close at hand, such as on your desk or in the kitchen. In a couple of weeks, you will understand what you usually spend time on and how you can adjust your routine.
• Plain notepad. No wonder this is considered a classic. Just write down when you finish one activity and start another, and add explanations if necessary. For example, if you read an article on the Internet for work, mark it accordingly, rather than simply write, "Read an article on the Internet."

conclusions

When you browse through your notes in the evening and see a well-spent day, you will feel like you really deserve your rest and sleep. Tracking time will change not only how you spend every minute and every hour, but in general your perception of life.

Spend time on what really matters. Track your time spent. Change your life.