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Time Tracking

Anything related to matters of the mind

WebMedic

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Hi everyone,

Recently started tracking my time using RescueTime software (https://www.rescuetime.com/) and I would like to recommend it.

Usually you feel that you are being productive and making good progress which is good (keep you motivated) but we need to be realistic at the same time and what you can't measure, you can't manage.

After using the software I can now see where I am spending/wasting my time and I can see where I need to improve.

What do you do to stay productive and track your progress?
 
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townhaus

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The idea of RescueTime is good, but I don't really like the idea of my personal browsing history being shared with others (unless your are google lol)

I like 'Timing' for mac, which keeps your info on your own computer instead of it being hosted by someone else.

https://timingapp.com/?lang=en

It's really eye opening to see how much time exactly i spend infront of the computer each day (too much!), and it also shows app use (word, skype, photoshop etc), not just internet browsing.

I'm using it to discover what distractions are my biggest time wasters (youtube & forums for me), and try to improve.
 

Sanj Modha

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The idea of RescueTime is good, but I don't really like the idea of my personal browsing history being shared with others (unless your are google lol)

I like 'Timing' for mac, which keeps your info on your own computer instead of it being hosted by someone else.

https://timingapp.com/?lang=en

It's really eye opening to see how much time exactly i spend infront of the computer each day (too much!), and it also shows app use (word, skype, photoshop etc), not just internet browsing.

I'm using it to discover what distractions are my biggest time wasters (youtube & forums for me), and try to improve.

Personally, I like to acknowledge what I spend my time on. The best app has been newsfeed blocker via Chrome. I spend no time on FB off my Mac now. If I need to chat/browse, I do it from my iPhone.

I surf the internet just like everyone so what I do is set around 30 minutes before starting my day on catching up with news, sport or whatever. Get that "itch" scratched then move on. I've found it to be much more productive than using website blockers.
 

Nicoknowsbest

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What do you do to stay productive and track your progress?
Discipline ;)

I used time tracking apps for a couple of months and got a pretty good feeling of how much time I invest/waste doing certain things. I stopped doing that though, since I started wasting a lot of time tracking my time (I used to track every minute of the day) :D

I use old fashioned to-do lists to stay productive - I have weekly goals and plan ahead. I know each day what to work on and have certain time windows scheduled for reading, being on the forum, etc. If I miss out on completing a task during my pre-planned time span, I know I am losing out on opportunities to help others and make money. So the "get it done now" vs. "regret it later" works pretty well for me.

How do you track your progress with a time tracker? What is your metric for relating the "time invested" to the "actual outcome" of the work? In my case: more time invested doesn't necessarily mean more progress - that's why I always break big tasks into the smallest bits possible :)
 
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tflfguy

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Each day I jot down a quick list of 5-10 PRODUCTIVE tasks.
Set a timer for 45 minutes and work on one (or more) productive tasks.
When timer goes off, get up and move for 5-10 minutes.
Set timer again...
Get at least one productive task completed in each 45 minute work session.
 

Torobaro

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Hi everyone,

Recently started tracking my time using RescueTime software (https://www.rescuetime.com/) and I would like to recommend it.

Usually you feel that you are being productive and making good progress which is good (keep you motivated) but we need to be realistic at the same time and what you can't measure, you can't manage.

After using the software I can now see where I am spending/wasting my time and I can see where I need to improve.

What do you do to stay productive and track your progress?

Nice bro, I use Toggl
 
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Torobaro

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WebMedic

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How do you track your progress with a time tracker? What is your metric for relating the "time invested" to the "actual outcome" of the work? In my case: more time invested doesn't necessarily mean more progress - that's why I always break big tasks into the smallest bits possible :)

I can see you have amazing discipline by the simple fact that you could measure every single minute of your day at one point!

My discipline is still a WIP.

Time trackers don't measure my progress, they measure where I spend my time on the computer and with that I have goals:

- Spend less than 2 hours a day on none productive tasks
- Spend more than 2 hours a day on productive tasks

RescueTime helps tag different software and websites as Productive vs Not (Facebook? not productive, GMail? not, SublimeText? yes, etc.)

I measure my progress by having goals and to do lists, the more boxes ticked in the to do list in each goal the more I am progressing - similar to your system I think :)
 

Yoda

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Call it what it is, but I think those are all crutches, action fakes even.

Just work!

Why are you tracking your time on Facebook during the day? Why are you even logging in there, unless you're A/B testing ads?

Let me tell you who actually needs those types of apps...

Let me tell you who actually needs day planners...

It's the people who are so damn busy they can't think straight, so they need a singular work queue with an allotted time frame in which they allow themselves to work before moving to the next task.

Busy people need them.

Not those who can't keep their fingers off social media.

"eh..hmm.. Control, Control! You must learn Control!"
 
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WebMedic

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Call it what it is, but I think those are all crutches, action fakes even.

Just work!

Why are you tracking your time on Facebook during the day? Why are you even logging in there, unless you're A/B testing ads?

Let me tell you who actually needs those types of apps...

Let me tell you who actually needs day planners...

It's the people who are so damn busy they can't think straight, so they need a singular work queue with an allotted time frame in which they allow themselves to work before moving to the next task.

Busy people need them.

Not those who can't keep their fingers off social media.

"eh..hmm.. Control, Control! You must learn Control!"


For me it's not about tracking how much time I am spending on Facebook or others exactly.

It's about measuring where my time spent on the computer so I can act accordingly. (am I actually working enough this week or did I just feel like it? where is my time on computer actually being spent?)

On control: You can't manage what you don't measure.
 

Invictus

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Personally, I like to acknowledge what I spend my time on. The best app has been newsfeed blocker via Chrome. I spend no time on FB off my Mac now. If I need to chat/browse, I do it from my iPhone.

I surf the internet just like everyone so what I do is set around 30 minutes before starting my day on catching up with news, sport or whatever. Get that "itch" scratched then move on. I've found it to be much more productive than using website blockers.

Thanks for the recommendation of Newsfeed blocker! I like that I can keep my messages going (It's the main way I talk to the girlfriend) but it stops me from scrolling.

Also. My blood pressure thanks you.
 

Yoda

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It's about measuring where my time spent on the computer so I can act accordingly.

You're working, or you're not.

I can't believe you have "Spend less than 2 hours a day on non-productive tasks." as a goal. :eek: You're wasting 250 hours a year on non-productive tasks, and you need an app to tell you where you're spending your time?

If I spent 250 hours in the woods chopping trees, I'd know damn well I wasted a TON of time chopping trees.

On control: You can't manage what you don't measure.

You're working, or you're not.

Measure KPI's.
Measure Revenue.
Measure Expenditures.
Measure Sales.
Measure Traffic.
Measure Calls.
Measure Emails.
Measure Failures.

Those directly enhance your knowledge of whether you are or aren't successful, or moving towards your goal.

My point here is... I'm all about measuring. But this app measuring your time spent is ridiculous.

Look, I'm on your side. Anything you can do to improve productivity is A+ in my book. I'm as guilty as anyone wasting time here and there. The difference is, I've already been through the forest a couple times, and I know the fastest way out. It's not checking each tree limb on the way out, it's picking a direction, sharpening your saw, and cutting damn trees down.
 
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WebMedic

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You're working, or you're not.

I can't believe you have "Spend less than 2 hours a day on non-productive tasks." as a goal. :eek: You're wasting 250 hours a year on non-productive tasks, and you need an app to tell you where you're spending your time?

If I spent 250 hours in the woods chopping trees, I'd know damn well I wasted a TON of time chopping trees.



You're working, or you're not.

Measure KPI's.
Measure Revenue.
Measure Expenditures.
Measure Sales.
Measure Traffic.
Measure Calls.
Measure Emails.
Measure Failures.

Those directly enhance your knowledge of whether you are or aren't successful, or moving towards your goal.

My point here is... I'm all about measuring. But this app measuring your time spent is ridiculous.

Look, I'm on your side. Anything you can do to improve productivity is A+ in my book. I'm as guilty as anyone wasting time here and there. The difference is, I've already been through the forest a couple times, and I know the fastest way out. It's not checking each tree limb on the way out, it's picking a direction, sharpening your saw, and cutting damn trees down.

Love the forest analogy.

Don't think measuring time spent is ridiculous, I suggest you try it out and see results vs how you feel you are spending your time and you might be surprised.

Before measuring my time I seriously thought I am doing a lot of work (and there is progress) but reality was that I am doing a lot less work than I thought and a lot more time wasted on different sites (now deactivated my social media accounts).

72029244.jpg
 

Yoda

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I suggest you try it out and see results

I've already been through the forest a couple times, and I know the fastest way out.

The bigger you make your goals, the less you'll need to see where you're wasting time.

The more important your why is, the faster you'll forget how hard the grind is, and you'll only begin to hate the fact there are just 24 hours in one day.
 

WebMedic

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The bigger you make your goals, the less you'll need to see where you're wasting time.

The more important your why is, the faster you'll forget how hard the grind is, and you'll only begin to hate the fact there are just 24 hours in one day.

That's great for you :) for the rest of us who are still finding their way around the forest, it's not ridiculous to measure our time.

To me it's not that I hate the grind, I F*cking love what I am doing and HATE the fact that my human body needs rest.

Humans being humans, we get distracted and generally make mistakes here and there... measuring everything is the way to see how your life is going and gives you the advantage to steer it in the right direction.
 
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Yoda

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Great :)

For the rest of us who are still finding their way around the forest, it's not ridiculous.

Okay.. let's read this thread once again..

I surf the internet just like everyone so what I do is set around 30 minutes before starting my day on catching up with news, sport or whatever. Get that "itch" scratched then move on. I've found it to be much more productive than using website blockers.

I used time tracking apps for a couple of months and got a pretty good feeling of how much time I invest/waste doing certain things. I stopped doing that though, since I started wasting a lot of time tracking my time (I used to track every minute of the day)

Set a timer for 45 minutes and work on one (or more) productive tasks.

Busy people need them.


What I'm trying to tell you... what everyone is trying to tell you is...

While your MOTIVE is excellent (hooray!), it's not the most effective thing you can do.

I (we) fully support your idea to become more productive with your time, but there are better measures you can toy with to yield better, faster results.
 

WebMedic

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Okay.. let's read this thread once again..

What I'm trying to tell you... what everyone is trying to tell you is...

While your MOTIVE is excellent (hooray!), it's not the most effective thing you can do.

I (we) fully support your idea to become more productive with your time, but there are better measures you can toy with to yield better, faster results.

Okay yes I see your point and the other members in this thread.

This (time tracking) may not be a permanent thing. I do believe it is helpful to do, you won't lose anything and you might gain new insights on your life.

I am now at the stage of measuring where my time is being spent in order to get a better understanding of my current situation.

Yes I agree you are either working or you are not, completely true.

I believed I was working because there are results, until one day I stumbled on RescueTime. Installed it and saw that I was actually spending a lot less time working than I thought.

Now working on improving my weekly input but if I never measured my time I wouldn't have thought I am wasting so much of it.

Similar to what we do for website analytics, we can apply it here:

1. Measure
2. Analyse
3. Improve

The app I recommended does not require me to actually do anything, it sits in the background completely silent and simply measures where I am on the computer (not wasting my time in measuring my time)

Thank you for the support and advice.

Maybe you can share a thread on how you manage your day and stay productive?
 
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Bigguns50

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I use Toggle periodically. ie: For my Ebay store I tracked everything I did for 2 weeks (also including non-Ebay stuff). I could see what I was spending too much time doing and what I needed to spend more time doing. I ended up hiring someone to do the stuff anyone can do so I could spend more time doing the stuff I'm best at.
 
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Nicoknowsbest

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Call it what it is, but I think those are all crutches, action fakes even.
True that. It is action faking that is aimed at making you FEEL (more) productive.

It's about measuring where my time spent on the computer so I can act accordingly. (am I actually working enough this week or did I just feel like it? where is my time on computer actually being spent?)
But why would you do that? You know you need to improve in that area, but what difference does it make if you know you spent 2h05 or 1h50 browsing the web. What about readjusting your focus? Focus on getting more done than on optimizing what you shouldn't be doing.

Before measuring my time I seriously thought I am doing a lot of work (and there is progress) but reality was that I am doing a lot less work than I thought and a lot more time wasted on different sites (now deactivated my social media accounts).
Ask yourself at the end of the week: how many people have you helped, how much have you sold? These are the only metrics that count. Every activity should be targeted at raising the number of people helped (and for that matter units sold) - forget the rest.

I have an idea for you: stop what you are doing and most of all, stop tracking your time. Stop it NOW. Go out and help one person. Do it TODAY. And don't expect anything back from it (the credit for all that goes to @SinisterLex - I can only advise you to read his threads).

I started doing exactly that and it is crazy how quickly things CHANGE.

If you feel like it, report back here!

Go go go!
;)
 

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