Learn how to manage and document your time. In these easy steps you can start keeping track of your most valuable asset, time.

1. Document your time

2. Why you should use a time log:
If you feel that you never have
enough time to get your tasks done you
should ask yourself two questions. The
first question you should ask is, “How
much time do I have?” In a typical work
day, an individual has eight hours, but
this may vary.

3. You are given approximately 30
minutes to an hour for lunch. The next
question that needs to be asked, is,
“How do I spend my time?”

4. The factors in how time is spent at work
vary, but they involve how much time is
spent on the phone, on email, on
budgets, log books, and socializing just
to name a few. In order for one to
properly manage their time, they first
need to document it to find how that
time is spent.

5. This is accomplished by the use of a
time log. The time log will document
how much time you spend in each are
during your weekday.

6. It will then identify areas where you
are spending your time that is not
productive towards your overall goals
and the job. Taking control of time can
help improve ones self worth and lower
stress levels, which in turn create better
production and a better lifestyle.

7. How to create a time log:
Starting out with a daily log should
include about one typical work week. To
start a time log, the basic information
needed is the time started what the
activity was, and how many minutes
were spent on the activity

8. To effectively record activities must
be written down immediately after they
are completed. Include all activities,
how minor they may seem. This
includes coffee breaks, restroom break,
time spent tidying up, and time spent
reading periodicals for example.

9. Do not procrastinate or wait to
record the activities, as information may
be forgotten. Additionally it is important
to create a time log during a typical work
week, not a week with holidays or
planned business trips.

10. As activities are
entered into the log,
they should each be
categorized as specific
as possible. Examples
given for this are e-
mail, meetings,
breaks, lunch, phone,
and data entering.

11. The next step into creating the time
log is how you want to prioritize each of
the activities. The recommended system
to do this is a High, Medium, and Low
priority.

12. You’re High, or H priorities need to
be those activities that are directly
associated with your job responsibilities
and individual and team goals. These
activities categorized as H, have little
room for failure and must be given the
most weight when considered in the
hierarchy of time management.

13. Some examples of high activities
are completing evaluations for your
subordinates. Medium, or M activities
are those that are activities that support
critical job goals

14. Medium level activities are of
medium value to the accomplishment of
the job, and should be given a high
sense of urgency. An example of a
medium priority activity is updating your
evaluation log.

15. The lowest priorities, L are those at
are both urgent and on-urgent but
have no or little relation to the
critical goals and responsibilities of
the job. An example of this is time
spent socializing about the games
played over the weekend. Chart one
is an example of how to create a
simple time log.

16. After the time log has been
completed after a week, it then can
be summarized. Include category
types, total time per week, time per
day, and the priority of each
category on this log.

17. By using this summary chart you
can then determine where time can be
saved by cutting out low priority
activities that are not supporting your
goals. Chart two is an example of this
weekly summary.

18. Time Log
Time Category Activity Priority Minutes
Chart One – Time Log

19. Summary
Activity Total Hours Average Per Day Priority
Chart Two - Summary

20. Identify Time Wasters
Once the weekly summary has been
completed, time wasters must be identified. Some of
the time wasters that must be identified and watched
out for include.
• Focusing on the wrong tasks. These are tasks
that do not relate to the job, and what must
be done now.
• Failing to delegate. If you spend time doing
others work will severely impact the ability to
get your job done and waste your time.
• Misjudging time. Not properly planning the
time it takes to get something done will waste
time, and prolong projects unnecessarily.

21. Identify Time Wasters
• Procrastinating. Putting off the important task, by
doing personal things such as surfing the net,
socializing with co-workers, or focusing on low
priority tasks is a time waster.
• Socializing. Socializing about things that are not
related to high priority tasks will take away
important time that those tasks can be
accomplished.
These are just some examples of time wasters that can
affect the way you can accomplish the task at hand
and not manage time effectively.