How to Track Your Time: 3 Simple Steps to Transform Your Creative Life
Can’t seem to find more time?
Many creatives spend all day (or all night) carefully crafting their art.
We use any leftover time to keep all the other pieces of our lives from imploding. But more often than not, we find ourselves frustrated with the process.
There’s just not enough time!
Or is there?
Think of Time Differently
Having control over our time means having control over our creative lives.
We gain that control by understanding where we spend time each day.
We think we’re doing a good job.
We think we know where we’re spending our time.
But do we, really?
If I were to ask you what you did yesterday, could you tell me?
Maybe.
But not well.
And not with any meaningful specificity.
Now think of what you did:
→ Last week.
→ Last month.
→ Last year.
Everything blurs together.
Before we know it, we’re reliving the same mistakes, regretting we didn’t do things differently.
Time has us under its control.
Today, we’re going to change that.
It’ll take a bit of effort on our part.
But the steps are simple to follow if you commit to them.
Let’s take back control of your life.
Track Your Time in 3 Simple Steps
Step 1
Choose a Method
Tracking time is a straightforward process in theory. You do a thing, then you record what you did. But there are a few basic tools that can make that exercise easier or more difficult depending on the type of person you are.
Option 1 - Digital
We live in a digital world. You probably use some form of technology every day to get you by. The most common options to track your time digitally include:
Tracking Apps (like Toggl)
Google / Apple / Outlook Calendars
Word Files
Excel Spreadsheets
Option 2 - Analog
Paper and pen may seem like a pain compared to digital tracking apps at first glance. But these tools can help you disconnect your busy digital life from the tracking you’re doing—making you more likely to do so. Common analog options include:
Blank Paper
Journals
Calendars
Worksheets
Step 2
Track Your Time in 15-Minute Blocks
The next step is to take whatever format you selected in Step 1 and (gulp) actually track your time. The most difficult part of the process is to maintain a high-level awareness of your tracking throughout the day.
This means everything.
→ Personal, professional, and all the stuff in between.
In order to record your time properly, you’ll want to set aside what you track in 15-minute blocks. The sweet spot is 15 minutes because (like Lego) it can be used as either a single block or as a combination of blocks for longer activities.
Single Blocks
Blocks can be counted as single units for simple items such as
Emails
Phone Calls
Coffee Breaks
Quick Conversations
Blended or Multi-Blocks
Blocks can blend together for activities that take longer:
Meetings
Exercise
Getting Ready
Commuting
TV / Video Games
Creative Work Sessions
Step 3
Repeat Daily for 1 Week
In order to make the most of this activity, we need enough data to truly understand how we spend our time.
Any one day in one week could be deceiving. A full week though shows the variety you’re likely to encounter over the course of multiple days.
A week also shows you what a typical work day looks like compared to a day off. How you spend your time on both of those types of days will likely be quite different.
Time Tracking Tips
Keep it Simple: Use a single word or phrase to track each activity.
Don’t Judge: There’s no reason to judge the value of your activity while you’re recording it. Just record the activity and move on.
Round Up: When in doubt, simply round up a block to fill the next. Your life isn’t a perfect stacking of exactly 15 minutes. You don’t need to be too hyper-specific.
Fill In Gaps: If you forget to assign times to activities, don’t freak out. Check in at the end of each meal or at the end of the day to go over what you did.
Start Today: It doesn’t matter what day or time you’re reading this. Start now. Don’t wait until a full week comes around again. If you do, you may not start at all.
Need some help?
I got you covered.
Get the Track Your Time Template Pack for Free.
Sign up below and get:
Track Your Time Template (Excel)
Track Your Time Template - Weekly (PDF)
Track Your Time Template - Daily (PDF)
By signing up, you’ll also get a weekly email with useful tips and tricks like this!
You’ve Tracked Your Time. Now Do Something With It
Once you’ve documented your time this week, take a few minutes and reflect on the choices you made.
Where did you land?
What are the things you:
• Did too much of?
• Want to do less of?
• Want to do more of?
• Didn’t do at all, but wanted to?
After you’ve seen the list, make some basic decisions on what you’d change. Think of how your week might look if you had the chance to do it all again.
What would it take to make that happen?
• Less Netflix?
• No digital devices after 8pm?
• Batching creative tasks each morning?
• Setting aside family time after dinner?
• Blocking out meetings for afternoons only?
Hit Me Baby One More Time
So you’ve tracked your time and you’ve made some internal decisions about what to do next.
There’s really only one thing left: do the entire process one more time.
I know. I know.
You thought you were done.
But trust me—this is where the magic happens.
This time, be cognizant of the changes you’re making throughout the week.
As the second week comes to a close, reflect on the process again.
• What did you learn?
• What changed from one week to the next?
• Are you making better choices for who you want to be?
My guess is you certainly are.
If that’s the case, you’ve successfully taken the first step to controlling your time!
Final Thoughts
When we have control over our time, we have control over our lives.
You don’t need to track your time like this forever. But it may be worth checking in once a day or every other day to evaluate how you did.
→ It’s not about winning every day.
→ It’s about being more deliberate about how we use every day.
To live our lives the way we want to.
TL; DR
• How do really spend your time?
• If you control your time, you control your life.
• Track your time in 3 simple steps
• Step 1 - Choose a method
• Step 2 - Track in 15min increments
• Step 3 - Repeat daily for 1 week
• Reflect on your choices
• Make better ones
Quote of the Week
Motivation for the days ahead of you.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
— Gandalf the Grey, TLOTR
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
