Activity Tracking: An Effective Time Management Strategy
We now live in a world where we have the most time management applications and systems out there, yet more and more people are still struggling to effectively manage their time. This is because people tend to focus on tools without understanding that effective time management is more about skills than about tools and systems. WATT (Weekly Activity Time Tracker) is a highly effective time management tool because it helps you develop necessary time management skills by focusing more on your activities.
I created WATT after working with several clients who had difficulties managing their time because they didn’t understand the different activities that was consuming their time even though they had tried tools like time log sheets, planners, etc. The tool was created based on the JessylsCharm Productivity System called the Life Harmony System that we use for helping people organize their lifestyle. The Life Harmony System helps us master life by chunking, categorizing and containerizing it.
WATT focuses on your activities which is made up of chunks of your time rather than focusing on your every minute. This is essentially because you can’t control, manipulate or alter time but you can control, manipulate, alter and adjust your activities.
WATT also helps us develop essential life skills which are the core elements of time management.
WATT can help you with the following:
Defining Purpose
Often I ask people “Can you make a list of all the activities you engage in every day, I mean every single one of them?” They often have a hard time answering that question. Some claim to have a mental list but not a physical one. WATT will help you understand the different activities in your life and help you clearly define the purpose for those activities.
Priority Management
Time management is an element of priority management. They go hand in hand. WATT groups all the activities in your life into 6 categories and encourages you to use a scale of preference aka the importance and urgency formula in deciding how to spread your time across those various areas of life.
Decision Making
Often we forget that time management is more of a cognitive than behavioral effort. To be an effective manager of your time, you must develop good decision making skills. This helps you eliminate confusion and develop clarity for your life. WATT helps you group your activities based on the purposes they serve. This is because a certain type of activity can be connected to more than one category.
Self-Awareness Development
Being clear about the different activities in your life and how much time you allocate to each of these activities can significantly boost your level of self-awareness. WATT helps you develop not just a mental structure for your activities and time but also a physical one.
Goal Setting
Since you already know that you cannot directly control time, it is important to understand that you are the master of your life and therefore must be in control of your activities. Using your time effectively must include a structure for setting and tracking your goals alongside your daily activities and WATT was designed to do that for you. When you’re in control of your activities, you invariably can have control of your time.
WATT is a tool for:
Clarifying your life
Designing your year
Defining your activities
Planning your days
Setting your goals
Etc.
It’s time to cut out the confusion, chaos and overwhelm in your life and this tool will help you significantly reduce your stress levels. To find out more about WATT and how we can help you incorporate it into your daily life, feel free to contact us or schedule a free consultation via the link below.