Introduction: Do you often feel like you want to do 10 things but only get done 2 things? Let me explain how you can time track every minute so that you don’t feel like you: don’t get what you want accomplished in the day. Well this was me and still is me but I notice if I do this strategy it will help keep you more accountable with how you spend your time and get more done!
Items needed: So For this strategy you will need: 1. Blank papers. 2. Timer or timers. 3. Black pen ( optional: multiple color pens)
How this works: Let me first tell you what this can train you on: So the idea of this strategy is it builds your mental discipline and it stops procrastination. Tell yourself: I will do a task/habit and then do it with little or no resistance .
Rules: Focus on time tracking 1 single task at a time ( drink 1 cup of water, charge your phone, Habit #1,etc. ( Or a ” related” group of tasks such as: Bathroom ( includes washing hands), Supper ( can include cooking, washing dishes, washing hands), #1-#2 ( setup for next habit and track habit progress, etc)
When you get distracted or a long delay to start the next habit/task. Just pause the timer and write the time on the timer. ( Optional: Write the delay/distraction reason on a separate paper: To see your procrastination reasons we can solve).
When You leave the house and do a long task: Write the time left or started getting ready to leave- main task- time got back. ( If its a short task like a quick run then you can just set the timer, but if its a longer task like work. Write time left or started getting ready like: 7:00am-Work-3:00 pm.)
It doesn’t need to be 100% accurate, just time track as much or as little stuff as what you find helpful and that you can do. ( You can time track every task that you do everyday, or just time track the important tasks, its up to you!. But try both ways to see what one you find the most helpful!)
Bonus rule: Try and do the same order of tasks everyday if you can, so its easier to form habits and mentally automate your day so its easier!
Steps to do this system:
- At the top of the page: Write today’s date and ” Time Tracking”. Example: March 11 2026: Time tracking
- At the top right corner of the page you are going to write: – Time woke up: – Time Slept:
3. Now its simple: You write the task number, then you write the task, then you write the time took:
4. Write at the top and then go down, so that way you can use the whole page while still being clean and readable.
Here is an example of what your Time tracking might look like
1. Fix bed: 7:45,
2. Bathroom: 17:24
3. Floss, Brush: 11:54
4. Setup Google docs, check Gmail: 1:54
5. Setup Habit #1: 4:10
6. Habit #1: 20:00
7. workout: 3:20
8. #1-#2 ( this is setup/track): 4:40
9. #2: 20:00
10. Lunch: 62:90
etc.
When you wake up you want to write the time on a paper or just take a screen shot of time, the moment you wake up.
So when you get in bed write the time on a paper, write the time on a notes app, or just take a screen shot of your phone right before you sleep. Any one of these works.
Tips: 1. When you finish a line of tasks, draw a line down the page and start the next row ( just make sure you leave enough space, and make sure it doesn’t look to cluttered)
2. After doing this for some time you will notice patterns such as: What tasks you do in order, what tasks you add during the weekends, how long on average each task takes, how often you drink water, use the bathroom, etc.
3. If you focus on doing this daily and try and track as many daily tasks as you can: You will notice your mental discipline would seem to get stronger because you tell yourself that you will do something helpful and then you do it! ( That’s the goal of this!)
4. For longer tasks like: Eat lunch, clean up to go to bed, etc. You can set a timer on your phone. Just remember your phone timer has the potential to cause a lot more distractions for you, so most of the time I would just recommend using a physical timer.
5. 2 timer strategy: You can just use the classic 1 timer strategy: Set a timer and let it run until you finish the task. But if you want to finish a task faster or give yourself time pressure:
Use the 2 timer strategy: 1. Timer starts at 0:00 ( start it when you start the task), 2. Max time to do the task like: 5:00 ( For setup/track main habits for example: #1-#2: ( 5 minute max for setup/track)
6. Once you notice a predictable daily structure on how you spend your days: You can create a predictable schedule with max times based on the average time it took you to do each task. ( But for now just focus on doing this plan: write the task then set a timer then do it)
Conclusion: Try this strategy today and let me know how it goes. I think you will be quite surprised on how much you can actually get done in a day, and how often you procrastinate on small stuff at least for me haha. When you wake up you want to write the time on a paper or just take a screen shot of time, the moment you wake up.