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Time Tracking Starter Guide
You don't need to track every minute forever. One or two honest weeks of time tracking will show where your working day really goes, and that's usually enough to make better plans. This guide shows how to do it with any timer app, a spreadsheet or paper.
Run a one-week time audit
1
Pick five to seven categories
For example: client work, admin, email and chat, meetings, learning, breaks. Fewer categories make tracking easier.
2
Track as you go
Start a timer or jot the time when you switch tasks. Don't rely on memory at the end of the day.
3
Be honest, not perfect
Rounding to 15 minutes is fine. The goal is a clear picture, not a perfect record.
4
Total it up
At the end of the week, add up hours per category.
Questions to ask your results
- Which category took more time than you expected?
- When in the day did your best work happen?
- How much time went to email, chat and meetings?
- What's one task you could batch, shorten or hand off?
Daily time log: a printable fill-in grid with columns for Start, End, Task, Category. It is in the PDF.