How I look at a time log
7 questions that can lead to a better schedule
About a month ago, I hosted my annual Time Tracking Challenge. This year, over 2000 people signed up to track their time together, and many folks sent me their time logs afterwards. I’ve enjoyed looking through schedules to see where the time really goes.
There is no official process for reading a time log, but here are 7 things I usually look for, because they help me know which suggestions will be most helpful.
1. Is the person getting enough sleep? Ideally the person is in bed at least 7 hours before they’re getting up most mornings. I also look for this sign of weekday sleep deprivation: if the person is waking up at, say, 6 a.m. on weekdays and sleeping until 10 a.m. on weekends, this suggests that something has gone awry. Reworking the schedule to make more orderly sleep possible is often the lowest hanging fruit for making all of life feel better. Giving yourself a bedtime is my #1 time management rule for a reason!
2. Is work set or shifting? Some people work very regular hours and some work much more flexibly. There’s nothing right or wrong about either, but they suggest very different approaches for making space for exercise, hobbies, or family time. They also suggest different challenges in a schedule. When people work quite flexibly, sometimes they benefit from protecting longer stretches that can be devoted to deep work. When people work very consistent hours in a workplace, sometimes they need to build in time for life administration, or figure out certain shifts to the schedule that might make life feel more doable.
