In order to do this you need to start paying attention to exactly how you currently spend your time. Keep this journal every day for the next seven weeks.
1. You can keep this journal in a lined spiral notebook, or on your computer using a variety of different types of software
2. Each day you will use 48 lines in the notebook. Each line can represent one, 30 minute segment of your day.
3. Put the day and the date at the top of each 48 line segment.
4. Put the time at the beginning of each line. I suggest you start at 12:00 midnight and add 30 minutes to that for the next line and each subsequent line (12:30am, 1:00am, 1:30am etc.).
5. At the end of each line make two columns (yes and no columns). These refer to whether or not you felt that you used that time segment efficiently (yes) or inefficiently (no).
6. Every day fill out a new block of 48 lines.
7. At the end of seven weeks you will have 49 daily sheets of data to examine.
8. On each line list the activities you engaged in during that time period (sleeping, getting ready for work, waiting for the kid's school bus etc.). If you are engaged in continuous activity (like sleeping) for several 30 minute segments use ditto marks on the lines following your initial notation of the activity.
9. At the end of the line check off whether or not you used the time efficiently.
10. Spend 10-15 minutes at the end of the week examining your time journals and assessing where you used your time efficiently and inefficiently. Look for patterns and trends in your use of time. You will use this information at the end of seven weeks to help you decide how you can take steps to use your time more efficiently.
Example: 9/26/09
Time Activity Yes/No
12:00am sleeping yes 12:30am " "
1:00am " "
1:30am " "
2:00am " "
2:30am " "
3:00am " "
3:30am " "
4:00am " "
4:30am " "
5:00am " "
5:30am woke up, shower,
brush teeth yes
6:00am ate breakfast "
6:30am got dressed, left for
work "
7:00am arrived at work "
7:30am check personal web no
pages
8:00am sent personal e-mails "
8:30am work (accounting) yes
9:00am " "
9:30am " "
10:00am coffee break "
10:30am work "
11:00am " "
11:30am " "
12:00pm lunch (went for walk) "
12:30pm " "
1:00pm " (ate donut & coffee) no
1:30pm gossip in lunch room "
2:00pm work yes
2:30pm " "
3:00pm " "
3:30pm " "
4:00pm " "
4:30pm left work, drive home "
5:00pm read newspaper, relaxed yes
5:30pm mowed lawn "
6:00pm ate dinner with family "
6:30pm " "
7:00pm went for walk with wife "
7:30pm " "
8:00pm helped daughter with hw "
8:30pm " "
9:00pm watched TV "
9:30pm " "
10:00pm " "
10:30pm " "
11:00pm " "
11:30pm went to sleep "
While it may seem tedious to keep this journal every day for seven weeks it will give you insight into how you spend your time. It is one thing to think about how you use your time and another thing to actually see it on paper. People are often surprised by the actual chunks of time they devote to certain activities. These seem to jump off the page at them.
Spend 10-15 minutes at the end of the week examining your time journals and assessing where you used your time efficiently and inefficiently. You can use this information at the end of seven weeks to help you decide which activities contribute to your efficient use of time and those that rob you of precious time and make it hard to reach your goals.
