Have you ever conducted a simple time audit on yourself? The results can be quite revealing and well-worth the effort. Most of us have a way of fooling ourselves about what’s important to us. We may say we want to grow our business but when a week-long time audit shows we spent 24 hours watching Netflix – our true priorities are revealed.
Commit to tracking yourself for one week.
Use a digital time-tracking tool or open up a spreadsheet on the computer and start noting times and activity. The more detailed you are, the better your awareness will be at the end of the week. Track in 15-minute blocks for best results, but you can also do 30-minute blocks.
When you review the data, aim to spot the highlights. What activities would you rate an excellent use of your time and talents? What activities have the highest ROI? Is there a way to give those activities more of your time?
When you develop awareness about how you’ve been spending your time, you are equipped to make new choices. Remember, this is not about spotting what you’re doing wrong. This is about giving yourself the gift of becoming intentional with your time.
What do you expect to find? What do you think you’ll be surprised by?
