Time Journals
Posted by Posted in Motivation Posted on 06-10-2008
Have you ever wondered where the hell the day went? One day last month I looked at the clock in the kitchen and thought to myself, “It’s 11 pm already, what have I done today?”
I know that it’s difficult to find time for exercise or even to find the time just to prepare for the next day. I often find myself putting off my workouts because I can’t fit it in that day.
For the month of October I am keeping a time journal. Nothing fancy or elaborate as I don’t care how many times I go to the washroom each day, so I’m not tracking that 
A time journal is just a record of the actions I am doing from day to day. It covers all 24 hours and is divided into Morning, Afternoon and Evening which are the 3 basic “shifts” in my life. My time journal is basic and covers broad tasks such as Working, Commuting, Eating, Watching TV, Reading, Family time, exercise etc….
This is a sample of my time journal.
It’s not as complex as it looks and only takes about 5-10 minutes to update. I also have a much more scaled down version that is easier to update and keep track of.
This one is attached to other files that automatically update my totals for the week and month.
I am anxious to see the results and find out where my days are spent over an entire month.
What is the Point?
Well, beyond curiosity I am hoping to find where the waste is.
As for goals I know that I want to make more time for exercise and spend more time with my family. Hopefully this will let me identify which areas in my life that I need to cut back on in order to make that happen.
What do you think about time journals? Have you ever tried one? Are there any online ones?
I’d love to hear from you
I always liked the idea of keeping track of my time especially when it comes to non-worktime time but just like a budget I am not good at doing it.
One of the great things that I think you can leverage with this is if you made a plan before hand and then see how much I can stick to the plan. After the week of trying to live up to the plan I would be able to rejig my plan for the next week based on energy levels, quiet time and family time.
Thanks for the inspiration for this. I will email you my spreadsheet for the schedule as well as goals and results based on your ideas. Still in one excel workbook I am sure
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I have a time journal on my wall which i follow religously! Its great way to remind yourself of the motivation needed to keep ontop of excerise!
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This is a great idea. Keeping a record of spent time can improve yours organization surely. I will have to try it. Just i am not quite good in understanding your detailed daily track. I will have to make own. Thanks!
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So many things to keep track of, it becomes overwhelming! So, how much time do you find you spend on your blog both with writing, researching, making commments on other blogs, seo, etc? That takes a lot of time out for me I know. Time I should probably be spending exercising instead.
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The time tracking is going very well. One thing that I have noticed so far is how much TV time I use. Roughly 1-2 a day and with the new episodes of my fav shows that is increasing.
I have a PVR (it’s like a Tivo) and I think I’m going to save up the shows and watch them all at once, when I have the time. Fast forwarding the commercials will cut my TV time in half
@John (weight loss blog) I spend about 1-2 hours a day on the internet, including by break/lunch time at work. I am working on this site as well as others that I am developing. It is very time consuming.
I found this article a while ago and I’m just starting to put it into practice now.
Why don’t you see what you can get done in an hour
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I need to do the exact same thing but with MONEY. Great idea!
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
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yes it is a good idea, and i use something simliar that i print out. Its like a timetable and helps to keep me organised throughout the day. Definitely worth doing, as you can chunk your day and make you more productive.
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Most my time is spent working on the PC! I guess working is productive however, unlike watching TV. As long as I fit in an hour of fitness training in, complete my work load, and spend the rest of the time relaxing and being with family, I am happy. I agree, not enough hours in the day sometimes.
Interesting, I guess alot of people would be surprised how many hours they spend watching TV.
Andy
Fitness Uncovered
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great post, time journal works not only for weight loss but the other aspects of life. Having a time journal helps you stay on focus in the journal to weight loss and all other aspect of life, it keeps you going and reminds you of your goals.
http://onlineweightlossexpert.com/blog
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