Tracking Daily
Activities
This week, you’ll record your daily activities
and the amount of time you spent on each. If you already keep daily records,
continue with whatever system you're using, being sure to focus on what you
actually do. Please don’t write down every tiny detail, just get the gist of
things down on paper.
Why should you do this? You need to have a comprehensive
picture of your day’s activities so you can more easily note where to make changes that will make you more successful.
Day 1: Take your daily planner or, in lieu of
that, use a plain piece of paper. During your workday, write down the following
things in short form:
Activity
|
On or off task?
|
Disturbance?
|
from …
until…
|
Day 2: Keep track of your day. Write down your
daily activities just as soon as you’ve done them. Don’t wait until the end of
the day (or week!).
Activity
|
On or off task?
|
Disturbance?
|
from …
until…
|
Remember, the focus of time management is
actually changing your behaviors, not changing time. A good place to start is
by eliminating your personal time-wasters. For today, for example, set a goal
that you're not going to take any personal phone calls while you're working.
Day 3: Does keeping track of what you do during
the day keep you more on the “straight and narrow”? Are you less likely to
extend conversations, meetings or breaks? Are you becoming aware of optimal
concentration times and also times of the day where it takes longer to get
things done? Write down what you have done just after you do it.
Activity
|
On or off task?
|
Disturbance?
|
from …
until…
|
For today, disconnect instant messaging. Don't
instantly give people your attention unless it's absolutely crucial in your
business to offer an immediate human response.
Activity
|
On or off task?
|
Disturbance?
|
from …
until…
|
Today, block out distractions like Facebook, Twitter and
other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
Day 5:
Activity
|
On or off task?
|
Disturbance?
|
from …
until…
|
For today, practice not answering the phone
just because it's ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect the signals for e-mails and incoming instant messages. Especially
during the time where you need to be absolutely concentrated on a high-priority
task. Instead, schedule a
time to answer email and return phone calls.
Whew, that called on lots of self-discipline!
Five days of tracking your daily activities isn’t easy but very important.
Check through the week’s lists and see if there were activities that were
detrimental to your time management success. Then go enjoy your weekend.
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