by Lindsay

I decided to start a time log, just to see how much time I’m actually wasting at my job. If you want to learn more about how you are actually spending your time, I recommend you try it as well.

I decided to have a small notebook handy, and record every task I did while at work. I work ten-hour shifts, four days per week, which allows for plenty of wasted time. Although I had a pretty good idea of how I was handling my time after the first day, I continued the time log for one week. Some of my tasks only took a few minutes, so I actually had 50 or so different entries each day.

At the end of my first day recording a time log, I learned that I spent 5 hours and 40 minutes doing work related to my job. And this was a busy day for my office. I spent about 3 hours doing work for myself, totally unrelated to my job, and about another hour talking to friends over MSN. I wasted 20 minutes just searching the Internet aimlessly.

At the end of my 40-hour work week, I had spent a total of 17 hours and 40 minutes doing job-related work. I spent another 14 hours working on my own projects. That means I wasted about 8 hours and 20 minutes during the week. And this doesn’t count the hour and 40 minutes I waste in the car every day. This is an alarming amount of
time wasted.

I am a list and schedule-oriented person. I do not like to waste a lot of time. So actually, I was proud of myself for all that I accomplished at work. But, I learned I need to stay more focused on one task at a time, rather than going back and forth between every little thing that comes up. For example, I would respond to every email I received the second I got it. If the thought occurred to me that I should check my bank account or read the latest update on the Twin Cities Marathon, I would do it at that moment rather than finishing what I was working on first. I am also logged in to MSN messenger the entire time I am at my computer. I learned that if I make a list of all I want to accomplish in a day, I spend a lot less time fooling around and more time getting things done.

If you are like the rest of the population with an office job, you probably waste even more time than I do. If you are stuck at a boring job, maybe you could be using your time more wisely to think of ways to start your own business, or to bring that business to the next level so you can afford to quit your day job. Currently, my office time is split pretty evenly between working on job-related tasks and working on my own personal projects. Imagine what I could accomplish if I did not have a day job and could spend more time on my own business. A lot of time would be saved!

That said, give the time log a try. You will feel more in control of your life if you are aware of how you spend your time. And you will learn to spend your time more wisely.

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