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If you feel like there’s never enough time to get things done, there are probably two reasons: The first is that you are wasting time; the second is that you are trying to do too much. Fortunately, the cure for both problems is the same – to become aware of how you use time, as discussed in our previous article, “How to Become More Time Conscious.” If you can account for your time over a week, you will quickly notice where you are either squeezing time, or stretching it to a breaking point.

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Find Out Where Your Time is Going

The best way to develop time consciousness is to use a “time log” to track your time accurately. Before you begin, write down a list of the tasks you need to get done each day, plus an estimate of how long each task takes. This is so you can compare your perception of time with the actual time you used. Then print out David Seah’s excellent time log, the Emergent Task Timer. Also, invest in a kitchen timer or a digital watch with an alarm. Set the device to go off every 15 minutes and write down what you are doing when the bell rings.

There are also a number of electronic and internet tools you can use to track time, such as your PDA or Activity Tracker. However, these can only record what you do while you’re on your computer, which is why pen and paper are more useful.

When you first start a time log, you may find you lose a couple of hours here and there. Maintaining it for a week though will give you a clear picture of how you use time – and it may come as a shock. You could be wildly underestimating the real time it takes to complete a task, which is a sure-fire recipe for stress. Conversely, it can be painful to realise that a seemingly productive day was actually taken up by trivia. Still, it’s only when you are fully aware of how you actually use time that you can begin to make effective changes. This is why it’s good to do a new time log each year, to ensure you maintain your time awareness.

Build In a Fudge Factor

Personal development writer Steve Pavlina suggests that you use your time log to create an individualised “fudge ratio” to schedule your time more effectively. To do this, add up all the tasks you need to get done and divide them by the time available. In Pavlina’s example, if you believe you need 12 hours, but you actually use 15, then your fudge ratio is 15/25 = 1.25. This lets you know that you need to allocate 25% more time to get things done. Like all simple solutions, this one is not foolproof, but it will give you a rule of thumb to work with.

Understanding how long a task truly takes lets you manage your own time better and shows you which tasks are more time-consuming than they may be worth. Using this method can help you construct a four-quadrant time management grid to outline the tasks which are urgent and important, down to those which are neither urgent nor important.

The grid can also help you identify where you are being most effective, so you can use the Pareto Principle to your advantage. This principle states that your most effective 20% produces about 80% of causes. These concepts will be explored in further articles, but keeping a time log is a good starting point to help you schedule your life and reduce your stress.

» Get the PDF including full references and the Emergent Task Timer from David Seah (Club members only)

Author:Felicity Carter
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