When you fill your time with the things that deserve to be there, you can have it all. Do you fill your time with the things that deserve to be there? And how do you know?
Most of us live our days as if they are happening to us. We follow a schedule that feels out of our control. We make to-do lists that never get done. We have so much on our plates that we are often spinning instead of taking action. Do you know that feeling? I know I do.
How can we stop this hamster wheel and actually put things on our calendars that deserve to be there? Today, we talk about how to use a time tracker to be more productive.
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Show Notes: Time Tracker
Hey, hey friend! Welcome to episode #62 of The Secrets of Supermom Show! I am thrilled that you are back for our special series called “The Enemies of Productivity”. Today is Part 3 of the series, and each day we will be building on what we learned in the previous episode. If you missed Part 1 and 2, I recommend you head back and listen to Episode #60 and 61 and then jump back in for Part 3.
Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours and I Know How She Does It, said, “This is what happens when you treat your 168 hours as a blank slate. This is what happens when you fill them up only with things that deserve to be there. You build a life where you really can have it all.”
When you fill your time with the things that deserve to be there, you can have it all. Do you fill your time with the things that deserve to be there? And how do you know?
Most of us live our days as if they are happening to us. We follow a schedule that feels out of our control. We make to-do lists that never get done. We have so much on our plates that we are often spinning instead of taking action. Do you know that feeling? I know I do.
How can we stop this hamster wheel and actually put things on our calendars that deserve to be there?
One of the biggest mistakes we make is having no idea where our time is going. In the last couple of episodes, we talked about terrible time wasters and how they can take time away that you are not really willing to give. But how much time? Do you know? If you are a social media scroller, are you losing 10 minutes a day or 110? If you tend to procrastinate, is that wasting you an hour or half a day? Most of us can’t answer these questions because we genuinely don’t have a solid handle on how we are spending our time.
The very best way to determine what is happening with your time is to track it. And I am talking old school. Write it down on a paper time tracker. If you love this idea, I have a free time tracker for you that lets you track every 15 minutes for a full 24-hours. You can head to secretsofsupermom.com/timetracker and grab your copy for free, but you can use any old sheet of paper.
Pick a day and write down everything you do in 15-minute increments for 24 hours. If you can, do it for 2 or 3 days so you can really get a better picture. I like to recommend 2 weekdays and a weekend, especially if you have kids in school or work a typical Monday through Friday schedule.
Write down everything you do and see what pops out at you. Are there tasks that take you way longer than you thought they did? Are there tasks that go much faster than you thought they did? Do you do things you hate? Are there things you absolutely love? Are there times when tasks seem to drag on? Are there times when time seems to fly? In the book, The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks calls this “einstein time”. Time almost doesn’t seem real because you are so engaged in what you are doing.
I am willing to bet some things will jump out at you. The best part about diving into your time is that now you can be intentional with it. You know I love to talk about being intentional.
When you know what is happening with your time every day, you get to decide where to make changes. Do you love your two-hour Netflix binge after the kids go to bed and you don’t feel like it is a time-waster at all? Keep it. Does laundry not take you nearly as much time as you thought? Maybe you move it to a smaller pocket of time instead of an all-day Sunday chore. Did you find hidden time-wasters?
An intentional look at your time puts you in control. You. You get to decide what stays and what goes. You get to decide where you make changes and where you love things just as they are. No one decides what you do but you.
If you decide to do this, I would sure love you to share it with me or share it on social media and tag me so I can cheer you on. I love seeing other moms dive deep with the time they have.
Alright, friends, tomorrow is our final part of the series, and we are going to talk about five big mistakes you are making.
And if you want to really get more done in your day and feel your most productive, I invite you to join us for a special masterclass just for moms. While others might simply learn to recognize the enemies of their productivity, you want to learn how to destroy them once and for all. You want to conquer those enemies and thrive every single day.
Join us for my newest masterclass called “How to Be Productive Every Day” at secretsofsupermom.com/lesstime. In this masterclass, you’ll learn the number one mistake keeping you from getting more done and reaching your big goals, how to identify your personal enemies of productivity and actually destroy them, and ten productivity hacks you can use today to find an hour in your day to use as you please. I think we can all feel good about that!
This masterclass is full of real examples from real moms and easy step-by-step processes you can try right away. Head to secretsofsupermom.com/lesstime to sign up and get ready to conquer those enemies once and for all!
