How To Track Your Time (And Improve Productivity)

In an 8 hour day, the average worker is productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes.

Which basically means we’re completely unaware of the time we’re wasting every single day on unnecessary tasks, multitasking, and unproductive habits. Without tracking and analysing how our time is spent, it’s way too easy to fall into patterns that make us work more, whilst achieving less. The challenge then, is becoming aware of these inefficiencies and identifying opportunities to streamline our workflow—enabling us instead, to work less, and do more.

Therefore, if you want to:

Improve your focus
Allocate time for deep work sessions
And prioritise the high-value tasks that drive results

Tracking your time is the answer.

Before I started tracking my time, I was constantly busy. I felt like I was being super productive, when in reality I was barely working. My days were filled with pointless meetings, tasks, and inefficient processes, which meant my most important projects weren’t getting the attention they deserved.

They were suffering because of it, and so was I.

That’s when I was introduced to the concept of context switching.

At the time, I thought multitasking would be the key to getting more done. I’d move from one task to the next—checking emails sporadically, jumping into meetings, working on client projects, and switching thoughts constantly.

What I didn’t realise was how inefficient context switching really is. Every time I shifted my focus from one task to another, I lost time and mental energy. In fact, research shows it can take up to 25 minutes to fully regain focus on the original task. When you’re constantly switching between tasks, you’re forcing your brain to reset over and over again, which ultimately leads to less productivity, not more.

And that’s why tracking your time is so important. Because it helps you identify flaws in the way you’ve been working. So, if you want to start working less, and doing more, the first step is tracking your time.

How To Track Your Time In 4 Steps

Step 1: Choose Your Tracking Tool

First up, select a method for tracking that feels convenient for you.

I like Toggl because you can download the desktop app, quickly log time entries, and create reports easily (it’s also free). However, it’s important to select a method that works best for you, this could be a simple spreadsheet too.

Using a method that you find easy increases the likelihood of consistent tracking which is crucial.

Step 2: Track Time for One Week

For your typical work days, track all your tasks.

Now when I say track your tasks, I mean track them ruthlessly. Log every little thing you do during your work week. If you jump on social media, log it. The act of logging time entries alone will start to raise red flags. You’ll begin to notice how often you’re context switching throughout the day.

By tracking a full week, you get a holistic view of your time.

Step 3: Categorise Your Tasks

Now you’re ready to see where your time’s been going.

If you used Toggl you can create a report for the previous week, including your individual time entries. With your time audit in front of you, go through and review your entries by categorising them into groups (e.g., high-value tasks, low-value tasks, interruptions, distractions, etc.)

By categorising your tasks, you can see if you’re spending a lot of time on low-leverage tasks, or getting distracted and interrupted a lot.

Step 4: Analyse and Reflect

Finally, review your time audit and categories.

Look for trends, such as frequent context switching, recurring distractions, or tasks that take longer than expected (I was shocked at how long I was spending writing emails for example). Ask yourself what activities truly contribute to achieving your goals.

Analysing your time in this way encourages strategic thinking about how you spend your time which leads to actionable insights.

In Conclusion

In wrapping up, tracking your time is the first step to uncovering your inefficiencies and boosting your productivity.

It brings awareness to where your time really goes and helps you make intentional changes. Next week, we’ll leverage the insights from your time audit by shifting your mindset from managing your time to managing your energy and we’ll identify specific changes you can make, such as: