To Use Your Time Better, Track It

It’s hard to know whether you’re using your time efficiently. Even if you’re always working hard — and stressed out — are you sure you’re spending your time on the right things? To find out, try a time-tracking exercise. For 30 days, use a spreadsheet to log how you spend your time, measuring it in half-hour increments. It might sound arduous, but this exercise can yield some surprising insights. For example, maybe one of your goals is to read more, in order to explore new ideas, but you’re struggling to find the time. The exercise might reveal that you could combine exercising, cooking, or commuting to work with listening to audiobooks or podcasts. Time tracking might also show you that you’re especially likely to waste certain hours of the day (say, evenings spent scrolling through social media) and that certain tasks carry disproportionate psychological weight (such as managing your email). Only by tracking your time can you truly figure out whether you're spending it well.

Adapted from “Track Your Time for 30 Days. What You Learn Might Surprise You,” by Dorie Clark