Time Track Thursday #2

This week: Where does the time really go? Putting a value on it helps you decide the best way to spend it.

I spent a week meticulously logging my time. Every time I shifted my attention, I wrote down what I was doing (as suggested by Alec Mackenzie, The Time Trap). Then I asked myself these questions:

1. Did I achieve my goals for the day? To what extent?
   
2. When was I the most productive?
3. When was I the least productive?
4. What were the biggest interruptions and time wasters?
5. What have I been doing that I can delegate to someone else?

I learned a lot about myself, some of which I will go over briefly. I achieved my goals to the extend I intended when I wrote them down in the morning or night before. I am most productive with my computer time in the morning and with my crafting in the afternoon. After 5pm I don't get that much done. That's when I cook, clean, do laundry etc. After a 6 hour shift at Starbucks, I'm useless for several hours. I spend a lot of time on Twitter! Sometimes it crosses over into wasting time. I've delegated my graphic design needs to someone else. I can do it, but its icing on the cake, and it takes me too much time. Besides, I know people who make better icing than me.

Then I estimated my Time Worth using this formula by Dan Kennedy:

1. Determine your base earnings target for the next calender year. (I added my Starbucks pay and the $200/month goal I have for my shop.)
2. Divide by annual workday hours (220 days x 8 = 1,760 hours).
3. Multiply that answer by 3 (He says on average we are productive 1 out of every 3 hours.)
4. The answer is your time value per hour.

My time is worth so much more than I expected, even with my conservative numbers! Posting this value and seeing it often will definitely help me to spend my time more wisely. I hope these steps help you as well.

P.S. My new shop at mandibeads.etsy.com will be opening in 4 days!