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What did you do yesterday? No, really…if you were asked to write down a detailed list of everything that you did yesterday, how many items would be on that page? What about the day before yesterday, or the day before that, or last week?

If you are like most people, you could probably provide a fairly accurate accounting of the major tasks that you accomplished yesterday, and maybe even the day before. Beyond that point, things would start to get a bit fuzzy, and at best you might recall the major stand-out activities for each of those days.

Here’s the thing, if you are trying to take control of your time, and start developing better time management habits you need to know EXACTLY where and how you are spending your time down to the minute each day. That means tracking every activity no matter how seemingly insignificant. You want to look at what you were doing throughout the entire day, not just the highlight reel of what you accomplished.

Why You Should Be Tracking Your Daily Tasks

When you commit to writing down or logging every activity for a set period of time you will quickly see where you truly spend your time, and you may be surprised by the results. Most people think that they have a pretty good sense of how they spend their time minute to minute but the truth often paints a completely different picture.

For starters, many people have a tendency to underestimate the time that they spend checking or responding to emails, searching the internet, or performing other repetitive or mundane tasks. These activities are so ingrained in our daily activities that we don’t even notice that we are doing them and this time often escapes our memory when we are recalling what we did each day.

When you record every activity as you are performing them throughout the day you are able to quickly identify these hidden time “black holes’ that eat up far more time than we realize throughout the day. The longer that you keep tracking your daily activities the more evident your own personal habits and patterns will become. With this data in hand, you will have a clear snapshot of the actions you need to take to ensure that you are focusing the bulk of your time on your most valuable daily work and eliminating those unimportant daily tasks that put a dent in your timeline.

Creating A Simple Daily Activities Log

You don’t need to procrastinate or spend a fortune to start tracking your time. You can easily track your daily activities using a simple spreadsheet, document, or journal. Choose the format that works best for you and start logging.

Regardless of how you choose to keep track of time throughout the day, there are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind to get the most out of your daily activities log.

Start With A Goal

This is one of the most often overlooked aspects of daily activity tracking. Sure, you could simply start recording your daily activities without any particular goal in mind, but if you are not sure why you are tracking your time in the first place, how will you know if you are on track? Your goal could be as simple as tracking your work hours to bill clients or provide to your employer for payroll processing. You might also choose to use your daily activities log as a daily task tracker to provide information about how much time you are spending on specific tasks. Having a goal and knowing how you intend to use your log will help you determine what you need to be tracking day to day.

Record Everything

The point of creating a daily activity log is to provide a formal structure that aids you in tracking day to day tasks. To get the full benefit of a daily task tracker you need to make certain that you are recording everything that you do during work hours, or during the period that you want to analyze. This means recording the actual time spent on both productive and non-productive tasks.

Identify Patterns

If you plan to use your daily activities log as a habit tracker you will need to analyze your entries regularly to look for patterns that may help you identify any problem behaviors or activities that are costing you more time than you realized. Once you identify these challenge areas you can adjust your daily tasks accordingly.

Which Daily Habits To Track

Choosing which daily habits to track will depend on what you intend to use your daily activities log for.

If your goal is to track work hours for billing clients, or providing to your employer for payroll processing, then you will need to keep track of time spent on billable tasks during the hours you are actively working. You may also need to track time spent on specific tasks or projects for more accurate invoicing and billing.

If your goal is to improve your productivity and time management habits then you will want to track every activity that you do during the period of time that you are interested in analyzing. This means tracking both productive activities and non-productive activities to get a clear picture of where you may need to adjust your work habits.

Tracking Actions Using Time keeping Or Daily Habits Apps

Time keeping apps or daily habits apps offer an even easier solution to help you track work hours or record your daily tasks. There is a sea of time keeping software programs, habit tracker apps, and project management tools available to help you keep track of hours worked, monitor and record your daily habits and tasks, and stay on top of your workflow and project timelines. Many of these tools offer built-in timers that can help you automatically track and record the time you spend on different activities throughout the day.

Choosing The Best Habit Tracker App For You

Time keeping and habit tracker apps vary greatly in their included features and functions so you will need to do some research and explore several options to find the best time keeping or habit tracker app for your needs.

To give you a headstart, we have provided a brief overview of some of the top habit tracker apps below.

Team Compass

Team Compass was designed to help team leaders gain insights into their team’s performance and share actionable insights with their team members. The app allows team leaders to establish weekly goals and monitor team activity throughout the week providing a detailed report at the end of the week. 

These reports can then be shared with team members to discuss successes, failures, and areas for improvement on a weekly basis. The platform is intended as a productivity improvement and project management tool and does not offer the automatic time clock feature found on time tracking apps. Tean Compass is a useful tool for team collaboration and project performance monitoring but may not be the best choice for those requiring more granular tracking details.

Asana

Asana is a cloud-based project management and team collaboration tool built to allow teams to coordinate their work on various tasks and projects from anywhere with an internet connection.

Asana is a well-developed tool with a great deal of scalability which allows users to choose different views, features, and integrations to create the specific type of tracking tool that they need. Like Team Compass, Asana is geared toward facilitating communication and collaboration between team members as they work to complete group projects or tasks. While the platform does feature activity logging to track progress and the time users spend working on a specific task or project for billing, invoicing, and budgeting, it does not offer an employee time clock function.

Rescue Time

For those looking for the most accurate (and brutally honest) snapshot of how they spend their time, RescueTime may be the solution. RescueTime is designed to be used by individuals who want to know every detail of how they spend their time online.

Users simply download the RescueTime app and install it on their computer. The app then runs unobtrusively in the background tracking actions and activities kike the specific websites that you visit and the time spent in each location. The app will also track which apps you use, and the files that are opened or accessed from your computer. RescueTime runs automatically and continuously unless manually turned off by the user. The app can also be programmed with your work hours allowing you to keep your work time activity and personal time activity separate.

RescueTime goes a step further by analyzing all of your recorded activity against its own preset formula that ranks different activities based on how productive or non-productive they are, making this a great tool for anyone looking to develop better time management habits.

Toggl Track

Toggl Track is hands-down one of the better choices for those looking for a habit tracker and time keeping app with a ton of features and functions. The tool offers an automatic time clock function that allows users to quickly clock in and out of tasks and projects. The data from the time tracker is automatically populated into daily activities logs that can be viewed from the user-friendly dashboard.

Toggl Track is a great app to keep track of work hours as it offers advanced time keeping features that allow users to track the hours they spend working as well as the time they spend on breaks throughout the workday and any work time that should be legally classified as overtime hours.

These logs can be used to generate insightful reports that show users and managers exactly how much time is spent on specific tasks and projects. The tool integrates with a slew of other popular project management and productivity apps allowing users to expand its capabilities even further.

Final Thoughts

Tracking day to day habits is an excellent way for individuals and teams to get a handle on their time and boost productivity. Whether you choose a traditional pencil and paper daily activity log, start a habit tracker journal, or opt for a full-featured time keeping app with project management capabilities built-in you are likely to be amazed at how much time you could actually recover from your “busy” schedule.

Developing solid time management skills has always been one of the key determiners of success in a competitive and fast-paced business environment. What many don’t realize is that the advantages of building skills in time management can not only help you perform better at work and school, but it will also help you stand out from the crowd when you are applying for a job, and it can even help improve your personal life in the long run.

Let’s take a moment to explore the broad range of advantages that come along with buffing up those skills.

Benefits Of Building Better Skills In Time Management

Better time management can improve your life in many areas. Most are already familiar with the importance of productivity in the office setting, or wherever you happen to be working, but mastering your time can also improve your standing in the employment market, help you perform better in school, and even improve your leisure time. Here are some of the top ways that learning to manage your time wisely can improve your life.

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Become A Productivity Powerhouse

Time management and productivity go hand in hand. Building your skills will help you streamline your workflow, making work feel easier, and allowing you to be more productive. You will soon find yourself allocating your time wisely, prioritizing the most important tasks, and delegating responsibility when needed. Mastering these skills will help you to make the most of your time at work, meet your deadlines, and maximize your productivity.

Dial In Your Decision-Making Ability

You are faced with decisions all day in the workplace. When you are disorganized you are likely to lack a significant amount of the information that you need to make high-quality decisions leaving you feeling overwhelmed and guessing. When you learn to manage your time better you put yourself in a position to make more informed decisions based on the known costs and benefits of each task. As an added bonus, building strong skills in time management will also give you more time to make solid decisions.

Open The Door To Better Opportunities

It is no secret that business owners are interested in ensuring that their organization is as profitable as it can be. That means hiring not just the most talented employees, but those who can consistently get the job done on schedule. That means that employers place a high value on employees who are able to manage their time efficiently without supervision. Developing skills in time management and highlighting these on your resume and in your interviews can help you stand out from the competition and open the doors of opportunity to advance your career goals.

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Raise Your Reputation

Think about it. If you meet someone who is rushed, and disorganized you are likely to judge them negatively no matter how talented they may be. This is a part of human nature, we all make snap judgments about a person’s abilities based on seemingly unrelated or superficial factors like demeanor and appearance. Those who are always punctual, always well-prepared, and on top of every deadline are seen as more reliable and trustworthy than those that are always rushing to complete tasks and arriving at the last minute. By building strong skills in time management you can build a strong reputation as someone who consistently delivers on promises and gets things done.

Soothe Your Stress

We have all felt that panicked rush that comes with being down to the wire on an important deadline, feeling unprepared for an important meeting or interview, or feeling like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to complete everything that needs to get done. Over time this chronic stress can lead to poor health, broken relationships, poor job performance, and an overall decline in quality of life. Managing your time effectively is a big step in the right direction when it comes to reducing stress.

Controlling your time usage will help you to create an improved work-life balance by allowing you to establish priorities, plan ahead, and avoid the last-minute rush that can leave you feeling overwhelmed and burnt out. Managing your time effectively at work or school will also leave you more time to spend relaxing and nurturing your personal relationships without the guilt and stress of looming deadlines or late projects at the office or in the classroom.

Top Tips To Help Improve Time Management Skills

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Of course, knowing the importance of time management and actually developing good time management skills are two very different challenges. Even with the best of intentions, it can feel like an insurmountable challenge to simply make time to develop more effective time management skills. Fortunately, we have put together a list of some of the top tips to help you take control of your time.

Time Management Tip #1: Goal Setting

You can’t accomplish your goals if you aren’t sure what they are. Establishing well-defined time management goals will help you prioritize the most mission-critical tasks, and help keep you on track towards completing projects. The secret to solid goal-setting lies in being as specific as possible. Goals that are overly broad can leave you feeling overwhelmed and often leads to procrastination. We have a tendency to set grand sweeping goals like writing and publishing our first novel, or launching our own business line. These are worthy goals to be sure, but you are far more likely to accomplish them if you break them down into bite-sized goals starting with the first task you need to accomplish, and then proceeding forward as you cross each completed goal off your list.

Time Management Tip #2: Proper Planning

Proper planning is the key to ensuring that you have allocated ample time for completing each of the tasks needed to reach your goals. You will need to know which tasks are dependent on other tasks, how long each task is likely to take, and plan your schedule accordingly. Solid planning will help you to better manage your time effectively and ensure that you have plenty of time to complete essential tasks and that you do not spend unnecessary time on unimportant tasks.

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Time Management Tip #3: Prioritization

Prioritization is an essential aspect of proper planning and is certainly important enough to warrant its own section. As we touched upon briefly above, planning involves knowing which tasks depend on the completion of other tasks. With this knowledge in hand, you can prioritize the tasks that need to get done first to avoid needless and frustrating bottlenecks in the workflow. You are also able to prioritize the highest-value tasks that are likely to produce the greatest return on investment versus the tasks that can be accomplished during slower periods.

Time Management Tip #4: Accountability

Of course, it has to be said that all of the time management tips in the world won’t help you improve your time management skills if you are not committed and accountable to completing each task and sticking to the time management program you have chosen. You will need to practice strong self-discipline to ensure you eliminate distractions, avoid procrastination, and stay focused on reaching your goals.

Time Management Tip #5: Flexibility

While self-discipline and accountability are critical to success, flexibility and being able to pivot quickly also play a strong role in accomplishing your goals. Even the best-laid plans can hit a roadblock sometimes. Solid skills in time management will allow you to be more flexible and able to roll with the changes as they occur without totally derailing your progress.

Time Management Tip #6: Organization

A well-organized workspace, whether it be a physical office set-up or a digital office suite, is critical to ensuring that you are able to keep track of your goals and all of the individual tasks and projects required to reach them. That leads us to our final section where we will explore some of the best time management tools to aid you stay organized and manage your time effectively.

The Best Time Management Tools

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When it comes to the best time management tools you have your choice of both the low-tech version as well as a slew of new high-tech apps to help you improve time management, stay organized, and plan your schedule to accomplish your goals.

To-Do List

To-do lists are a simple and effective low-tech way to keep track of all the tasks that you need to complete in any given period. Whether you choose the old-fashioned pencil-and-paper to-do list or a digital version, this classic time management tool will allow you to prioritize your tasks, and show you at a glance what you have already completed, and what remains to be done.

Calendar Or Planner

You can take your to-do list a step further with a calendar or a daily or weekly planner allowing you to record deadlines for project completion at a later date. Calendars and planners can also help ensure that you are always prepared for important meetings and that you remain accountable to your personal or professional success timeline.

Time Tracking App

Time tracking software and time scheduling apps offer you an easy-to-use, and often automated, way to schedule your time and monitor how much time you spend on each task. Depending on the type of time tracking tool you choose you may also be able to monitor all of the ways that you spend your time helping you to identify and correct your time-wasting habits and improve your productivity.

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Pomodoro Tool

The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time management strategy that is based on the idea that the more time you allocate for a task to be completed the longer that task is likely to take. The technique is based on a couple of theories: you will always use up all of the time that you have allocated for any given task, and productivity and focus diminish over time making you less effective. The Pomodoro Technique dictates that you establish a set amount of time that you will work on a task. When that time expires, you will stop working on the task regardless of what stage of completion it is in. You will then either take a short break and return to the task refreshed and ready to give it your best, or you will switch to another equally important task for another pre-set block of time allowing your mind to focus on something new. This method has been shown to help improve focus and stave off burnout, and mental fatigue. There are a number of Pomodoro tools from simple Pomodoro timers to full-featured project and task management systems based on the Pomodoro Technique. Choose the best fit for you to help you take advantage of this useful strategy.

Task & Project Management Tools

Task and project management tools can help you stay on top of your workflow, and make sure that you are meeting all of your deadlines. If you are a freelancer, solopreneur, or perhaps a student, juggling multiple clients, courses, or projects, task management tools will allow you to manage your time effectively by creating project completion timelines, assigning budgets, prioritizing tasks, and monitoring progress. If you are a business owner, agency manager, or team leader, task management tools can help you collaborate with your team, keep track of who is working on what, track task completion status, and assign or reassign tasks as needed to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget.

Journals & Note-Taking Tools

Finally, there is simply no substitute for the written word. Writing down your goals, projects, and tasks in a journal or notebook helps to make them tangible, and serves as an easy-to-reference reminder of what needs to be completed, and an ever-growing repository for all of the ideas, reminders, and vital information you need to accomplish your goals. Digital note-taking apps make the process even easier by allowing you to tap in a quick note from your desktop, tablet, or smartphone, and access the information from anywhere.

Final Thoughts

There you have it. Armed with these time management tips and tools you are ready to start supercharging your productivity and take charge of your time, your goals, and your success.