How To Assess Your Time

Hello and welcome. So far, we have discussed the following topics. These topics are basics

These are the basics of time management that must be known. Once we have clarity on time management, we can assess how we use our time.

Here is a Short YouTube video.

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Why should we assess our time

Now the question is why we should evaluate the time spent. Assessing the time helps us know how we are spending the time. That is obvious. We should also see if our time is spent in line with our goals. So first, we need to clarify what our life goals and objectives are. If we have time, we should use it wisely to achieve our life goals.

Do not mix assessment and improvement.

This is the goal of assessing the time. But keep in mind not to mix assessment and improvement of time. Be patient. While you assess the time, you will want to improvise on it and manage it efficiently. This will lead to premature optimization. Please allow at least a week. Log the time honestly. Don't optimize your time or try to be efficient.

When you log the time, you will certainly be embarrassed. You might realize how unresourceful you are. But hold on. Just assess it fully before you start improvising.

If you rush through the process of improvising, you might miss many insights about how you are using it. How do you assess the time? To assess the time, you have to log it. But that alone does not suffice. You need insights into the time. So you need to categorize the time logs. So, first fixate on categorizing the time.

Categories of time logging

Here are some categories of time logging. It is always more advisable to make your own categories than to follow someone. You are the best person to decide how to categorize the time logs.

Here is how I categorize my time. I have a goal that I want to expand my full potential in the below categories.

Body and mind.:

Basically, I want to keep my body and mind fit. I choose to walk, run, swim, and do yoga. Each has their own preference. You can choose it. For the mind, meditation works for me. I do a simple 10-minute meditation, which seems to keep my mind calm and energetic. For some people, music and socializing will suffice. I log the amount of time I spend on my body and mind in this category.

Career:

A career or job will bring bread to my family. You might hate your job. Sometimes I feel like quitting it. But until you become financially independent, it is important to stick to the job. Until we lose the job, we don't realize the importance of it. That is human nature.
So in the career category, I log hours of work I do in the office. I am incorporating all the learning I am doing to grow in my career.

Passion/Side income

This is something we want to achieve and do in life. It's something we want to explore. So, in this category, I log the hours I spend learning and the time I spend creating passive income. It can also be that I learn the flute or play the piano. I will log the time here.

Family/Entertainment/Leisure

This category is also important. Your sleep, the time you spend with family, and the time you just chill and relax also need to be logged. These are significant times. These will pump your energy and give you purpose. In this category, I log the time I spend cooking and washing clothes. Time in this category generally cannot be improved or skimmed.

Frequency of logging time

How frequently do we need to log our tasks? The time intervals are 1 hour and 3 hours. So in my opinion, you should figure out a way that best fits you. For me, I don't log what I did every hour. I just take my day and log the approximate time of what I did during that time. Here is an example.

6:10 AM to 6:30: Freshen up
6:30 AM to 7:45 AM: Walk and meditate.
7:45 to 8:30: Freshen up and go to the office.
8:30 AM to 3:00 PM: Office work
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM: Time just flew by with chatting and YouTube (leisure).
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM: Read book and play piano.
7:30 to 9:30 PM: Family and relaxation.
11:15 PM: Sleep.

I just keep logging approximate times like this, and then one day I will log all this into a categorized Excel sheet. It looks something like this. Note that the sum of the rows should be 24 hours.

During this process, make sure you limit the number of categories you use. Avoid getting too obsessed with the exact timings. Additionally, avoid utilizing electronic tools and gadgets. I have occasionally made the mistake of adding graphs and XLS formulas. I sometimes wanted to give that perfect time-based presentation of how I use my time. It is all an obsession trap. Those in the long run have no useful benefit. Keep their time tracking simple. Remember, too much is bad.

The time has come for a review

Yes, this is finally what we are waiting for. The time has come for a review. Just take a glance at how much time you are spending on each of the categories. See if you can make adjustments. See where you can improve. But is it as simple as said? The answer is no. That is a separate wisdom that one should process. In further blogs, I will explain time management wisdom, tricks, and tips. Stay tuned.

For now, happy assessment time.

SnugAcademy