One Way to Find Out Where You Are Wasting Your Time

Have you ever wondered where all the time goes? If you answered yes to that question, you are not alone. If you are like many people, it seems that the day is almost over before you realize it and the sad thing is, you did not get done half of what you wanted. Many times the culprit is the lack of adequate prioritization. As motivational speaker Denis Waitley says “you end up majoring in the minors,” or in other words, you end up doing what is easy and not what is important.

Use a Time Log
One of the best ways to eliminate time wasting activities is to do a week long time log. Here is how to do it. Take out a sheet of paper or create a word document and at the top of the page on the left side, write out the words “Time Started” and next to it the words “Time Finished.” In the middle of the page, write or type the word “activity.”

The form should look something like the one below.

Time........ Time .................Activity
Started .... Finished
8:30 a.m. 9:45 a.m.... Answered e-mails
9:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m..... Discussion with Sally about tomorrow’s meeting
10:00 a.m. 10:15 a.m..... Restroom and Coffee break
10:15 a.m. 11:45 a.m.... Follow up telephone calls to clients
11:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m.... Answered more e-mails
12:15 a.m. 1:00 p.m.... Lunch

Tomorrow morning, start recording the activities you are engaged in, and log the time when you start and stop each one.

Time Management Pays
The best way to use this tool is as a measuring device. You are simply recording the types of activities that are occupying your time and measuring the amount of time you spend completing each one. Many people report that this exercise can be somewhat annoying. Stopping every so often to record your activities can be time consuming in and of itself. However, the benefit of seeing just where your time is going can pay for itself many times over. This exercise can be especially helpful to those individuals who work out of their homes and are exposed to many distractions. Without realizing it, they are wasting much more time than they realize. Whether you use your time log at the corporate office or at your home office the results will amaze you. Once you see where your time is going you can take action to streamline and modify your activities so you can get the very most out of your day.

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Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. He helps companies and organization become more profitable by showing them how to attract and retain their clients.