IBM e-learning : Most Valuable Time of Your Day – Time Log

Do you feel you have been working all the day, yet you are unable to complete the task you had planned.

A Time log is an effective way to monitor your use of time, It is a record of how you spend your time. It’s a diagnostic tool makes you aware of your usage of time and thus helps you increase your productivity.

Many people feel that they use time productively. If work purely from memories, it is easy to believe you spend all day working. However, if you maintain time log for few days, you will be surprised to see precisely how much of your days is wasted. Maintain a time log for 3 to 5 days.

What is a time log?
□ It is a personal dairy.
□ It is a record of how you spend your time.
□ It is a list of tasks your want to accomplish. .
□ It is a prioritized list of tasks that have to be carried out.

A Time Log has four sections. The first section is a record of time. Break your workday into units of fifteen minutes each and arrange them chronologically. It’s also worth noting in this section how you feel in these periods – alert, flat, tired, or energetic.

You can also arrange the time section on the random sampling basis.
Just set your watch for six or eight random different time during a day. When the buzzer goes off, look at exactly what you were doing at that moment. Note down in the time schedule column the time and the tasks you have being doing.

The second section of the Time Log is the activity section. Create a list of your most frequent activities at the top of the grid in the activity section. This list could include reading, phone calls, paperwork, travel, meetings, and so on. Place a single “X” for something you have worked on during your fifteen minute period in the appropriate box. You may have worked on three or four items during a period. Put down one “X” for the one item within that period that either took the longest or was the most important.