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[Brad Blackman]

I wrote on the blog that I want to try a time-tracking experiment to see just where my time goes. I'm going to track everything, big and small tasks. I think it'll have an impact on my new role as stay-at-home dad.

Have you ever tracked your time to see where it went? How did it help? What did you find out?

[whitehatblackbox]

I've tried it a few times and for the most part it is kind of a pain. First you have to remember to record what you are doing. Next, recording what you are doing takes you away from actually doing it. Finally, do you record ever small action or large chunks of what you were doing? What about if you switch to something else for a few minutes in between?

Gina Trampani of Lifehacker made a useful vbscript if you really want to record what you are doing when you are on the computer. It can be downloaded here:

http://quicklogger.com/?page_id=4

[matthewcornell]

Hi Brad & Daryl. The traditional time audit is a pain in the butt, no question. However, it can be an enlightening exercise. I'm about to come out with a 20 page guide to daily planning that allows a more natural version of auditing, FYI.

[Brad Blackman]

I'll be on the lookout for that, Matthew. We're really glad to have you here!

[Stephen Smith]

I do a time log for two days at the end of each quarter, I have found that by reviewing these logs I can cut out the non-essentials.

[Jason Echols]

I personally have never been a fan of time logging. I tend to agree with those who state that the very act of logging time robs you of productivity.

I do see the benefit, however, of taking a couple of days a month to log time and check yourself for sanity, so to speak...as long as your behavior on those days are not different or slanted toward making your measurements look good.

[Brad Blackman]

I did this a few days last week, and noticed a huge difference in how I felt at the end of the day. While I didn't always get big things done, I saw what small things I had done, little things that go a long way, like unloading the dishwasher. Sure, it only takes 2 minutes, but it has a big impact on family life. It's stuff like that that I forget that I've done, but then I look back and realize I did something small yet significant.

[Luther]

This is a great idea. I started doing this recently with pretty much everything I work on (including personal time) using Billings from Marketcircle.  I started out using Harvest (free web app with an iphone app as well) but switched it all to Billings since I was using it for work stuff.  Certainly makes you think about the loss of 'billable' hours that get frittered away.

[James Mallinson]

Agree with what's been said. I can see the value in it, but I think if you're time is so tight that you feel compelled to do it, you're better off focusing on time saving measures, simplifying, 80/20-ing, etc. Be interested in reading Mathew Cornell's guide though.