This is pretty interesting. I actively AVOID tracking my time because I know I'm not doing what I'm supposed to. I think it's all how you look at it. All that time I'm not doing something I don't feel like doing, and instead playing solitarire on my computer -- I like to think of that as keeping my mind sharp to help with my creativity. Yeah... that's it.
Thanks for sharing this perspective Renee! I hadn't thought of it like that. And I can see now that a lot of people might share your view. It can be scary to know exactly how one spends their time if the expectation is that time is spent "productively" all day.
I 100% agree that solitaire is critical for keeping your mind sharp and creative. I like tracking time spent on relaxing activities so I can see what impact that has on my work. I've been pleased to find that relaxation and fun stimuli can lead to more productivity/creativity. It's the phenomenon of an "on ramp" that is discussed in ADHD circles. It also aligns with this idea that creativity blossoms when your brain is on "theta waves."
Before I tracked my time, I would think back on some workdays and only remember vaguely what I did, like be on youtube. I'd think I just wasted the day being unproductive and feel bad about myself. The truth is much more mixed. I would have chunks of time where I just consumed content. But I'd also see little snippets of me getting small things done here and there and have something to celebrate. It's been really helpful with quieting that critical voice.
And besides all that, I'm trying to celebrate days and weeks where I take time to just have fun. I have a somewhat illogical but helpful take on it: cheer productive weeks. But also cheer restful weeks.
Your comment has been so helpful to me thinking through the framing of next week's post. It's a whole angle I hadn't considered. Thank you as always!
Noor, I'm glad I provided a catalyst for your next article -- no doubt called "Don't Let This Happen to You"... ;)
There of course is a kernel of truth in my "mind sharpening" joke. I think once my brain hits overload it goes into a protection mode where I just don't want to think, and doing something like play solitaire or design a writer resource allows me to be mindless, but still critically think--sounds silly.
I know exactly what you mean by only remembering vaguely what you did. My husband listens to my constant battle cry of "how much I need to get done"... I'll be in my office from 8am to 6pm and he'll say, "Did you get a lot done?" and I don't really have a quantifiable answer. I know I did stuff...
It's like when I commute on the train and I can't make myself read more manuscripts - but I can read Substack. That's because I don't have to find issues and suggest a fix. Sometimes I can't read at all and I listen to a Podcast instead. You'd think sitting in silence would be the fix and I do that sometimes too, but I'm Type A and I believe it's a law that I do something at all times.
I commend you for being willing and able to track your time. I always wished that pill in the movie Limitless truly existed. To actually have the clarity and focus to get on--and stay on--task would be amazing.
Thanks for sharing the time tracking tool. I actually tried this for about a week now. It's making me more aware of how I spent my time and helped me re-focused when I side-tracked to reading news etc.
The things you hate come back to befriend you. Great article Noor. I'm wondering if you try plan your week ahead and then just follow the plan without thinking too much about it?
I tried to do this with meal planning but my family think it too prescriptive.
Thanks Abid! I like finding the silver lining from all that headache.
And about weekly planning, yes, it’s what you inferred. I have an “ideal” calendar where I time block tasks I want to take care of, but if I end up not doing what I intended, I don’t beat myself up about it too much.
Time tracking is both awful and wonderful! I would love the read out but I don't love the process. Super commendable that you are able to do this and glean such great insights!
Thanks for sharing this exercise! I’d love to have the data to assess how I’m using my time and when I’m at my best creatively. Did you find time tracking also helped you manage ADHD symptoms? I think I’m going to give this a try. 🤓
Glad you liked this piece Alyssa! The tracking does help me manage my ADHD in the sense that I can see when I'm in "hyperfocus" mode and when I'm in one of my productivity "troughs." I try to be very gentle with myself about when I learn about my work habits. I'm not sure I would have had the discipline to track time if I wasn't forced to do it for my job for so many years. But now that I have the habit, I find that it has been helpful for a lot of reasons.
This is pretty interesting. I actively AVOID tracking my time because I know I'm not doing what I'm supposed to. I think it's all how you look at it. All that time I'm not doing something I don't feel like doing, and instead playing solitarire on my computer -- I like to think of that as keeping my mind sharp to help with my creativity. Yeah... that's it.
Thanks for sharing this perspective Renee! I hadn't thought of it like that. And I can see now that a lot of people might share your view. It can be scary to know exactly how one spends their time if the expectation is that time is spent "productively" all day.
I 100% agree that solitaire is critical for keeping your mind sharp and creative. I like tracking time spent on relaxing activities so I can see what impact that has on my work. I've been pleased to find that relaxation and fun stimuli can lead to more productivity/creativity. It's the phenomenon of an "on ramp" that is discussed in ADHD circles. It also aligns with this idea that creativity blossoms when your brain is on "theta waves."
Before I tracked my time, I would think back on some workdays and only remember vaguely what I did, like be on youtube. I'd think I just wasted the day being unproductive and feel bad about myself. The truth is much more mixed. I would have chunks of time where I just consumed content. But I'd also see little snippets of me getting small things done here and there and have something to celebrate. It's been really helpful with quieting that critical voice.
And besides all that, I'm trying to celebrate days and weeks where I take time to just have fun. I have a somewhat illogical but helpful take on it: cheer productive weeks. But also cheer restful weeks.
Your comment has been so helpful to me thinking through the framing of next week's post. It's a whole angle I hadn't considered. Thank you as always!
Noor, I'm glad I provided a catalyst for your next article -- no doubt called "Don't Let This Happen to You"... ;)
There of course is a kernel of truth in my "mind sharpening" joke. I think once my brain hits overload it goes into a protection mode where I just don't want to think, and doing something like play solitaire or design a writer resource allows me to be mindless, but still critically think--sounds silly.
I know exactly what you mean by only remembering vaguely what you did. My husband listens to my constant battle cry of "how much I need to get done"... I'll be in my office from 8am to 6pm and he'll say, "Did you get a lot done?" and I don't really have a quantifiable answer. I know I did stuff...
It's like when I commute on the train and I can't make myself read more manuscripts - but I can read Substack. That's because I don't have to find issues and suggest a fix. Sometimes I can't read at all and I listen to a Podcast instead. You'd think sitting in silence would be the fix and I do that sometimes too, but I'm Type A and I believe it's a law that I do something at all times.
I commend you for being willing and able to track your time. I always wished that pill in the movie Limitless truly existed. To actually have the clarity and focus to get on--and stay on--task would be amazing.
Thanks for sharing the time tracking tool. I actually tried this for about a week now. It's making me more aware of how I spent my time and helped me re-focused when I side-tracked to reading news etc.
That's awesome, I'm so glad it worked for you! And thank you for coming back and sharing your experience!
The things you hate come back to befriend you. Great article Noor. I'm wondering if you try plan your week ahead and then just follow the plan without thinking too much about it?
I tried to do this with meal planning but my family think it too prescriptive.
Thanks Abid! I like finding the silver lining from all that headache.
And about weekly planning, yes, it’s what you inferred. I have an “ideal” calendar where I time block tasks I want to take care of, but if I end up not doing what I intended, I don’t beat myself up about it too much.
Time tracking is both awful and wonderful! I would love the read out but I don't love the process. Super commendable that you are able to do this and glean such great insights!
Thanks for sharing this exercise! I’d love to have the data to assess how I’m using my time and when I’m at my best creatively. Did you find time tracking also helped you manage ADHD symptoms? I think I’m going to give this a try. 🤓
Glad you liked this piece Alyssa! The tracking does help me manage my ADHD in the sense that I can see when I'm in "hyperfocus" mode and when I'm in one of my productivity "troughs." I try to be very gentle with myself about when I learn about my work habits. I'm not sure I would have had the discipline to track time if I wasn't forced to do it for my job for so many years. But now that I have the habit, I find that it has been helpful for a lot of reasons.