Time is often equated with money, and just as we often find ourselves short of cash, we also find ourselves with short of time.
To understand where your time goes, it is important to assess how you actually spend it.
This is where a ‘time audit’ can prove to be invaluable.
A time audit can help you carefully track your time over the course of a week.
This detailed picture of what you’re doing each day can help you determine if you’re spending your time on the tasks and activities you want and need to be doing.
This exercise will give you an indication of where time may be being wasted without you even realising it.
A simple exercise that packs a powerful punch!
It will help you identify
- patterns in your behaviour
- distractions
- interruptions
Contact me for your Time Audit Tracking Chart
Below highlights 4 areas where I frequently see time wasted.
Look at the list and identify areas where you feel you waste most time.
1. Your Inner self
- Fear of Failure
- Low self esteem
- Fear of making the wrong decision
- Lack of urgency
- Unable to say No
2. Lack of planning
- Lack of written goals
- Quick decisions
- Taking on too much / making time estimates unrealistically low
- Failure to break priorities into manageable parts
- Lack of plan / priorities
3. Lack of self-management
- Biting off more than you can chew
- Lack of delegation (wanting to do everything yourself)
- Perfectionism
- Haste or impatience
- Failure to listen or take notes
4. Lack of control over the work environment
- Telephone interruptions
- Drop-in visitors
- Too much paperwork
- Too many meetings
- Confused responsibility and authority
No an exhaustive list, but some very common points.
Think about your own situation and environment.
What are the causes behind wasting time you can see?
I share some more thoughts on Time and 10 tips which you may find useful in my book ‘The One Big Mistake People Unwittingly Make When It Comes To Time Management and HOW To Avoid It’. You can access your free copy here by completing the sign up box at the top of my home page or send me a request and I will email you a copy or you can also view here
If you would like a copy of my Time Audit Tracking Chart contact me and I will send you a copy with my compliments.
WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS LITTLE GADGET CAN HELP YOU GET MORE DONE AND KEEP ON TRACK?
Just ask! or You can read more here
1:1 Time Audit sessions available ~ more details here
In-house Time Audit and Time Management programmes, training and workshops also available.
Contact me to discuss your individual requirements