Timetracker

A Google Sheets template I use for personal timetracking.

During the middle of my first-year fall, I realized my life was spiraling out of control. I was sleeping late, skipping breakfast, hadn’t gone to the gym in weeks, and spending a lot of time scrolling on my phone. So, I decided to start timetracking my day-to-day life. At first, my timetracker was just a notes document on my phone, and I would track time spent doing homework for each class. After a week, I realized I wanted more actionable data, so I migrated over to Google Sheets and tracked thirty minute intervals of my day.

An early version of my timetracker.

Since then, my timetracker has gone through multiple iterations. The current version of my timetracker operates on fifteen minute intervals and is complete with automated formulas that tally up my weekly time spent on categories like classes, exercise, sleep, etc.

I’ve continued time tracking up to sophomore fall, and have found it super useful for keeping me accountable in my day-to-day tasks (knowing that I would have to track ‘wasted’ time if I start scrolling Instagram), as well as letting me reflect on each week—are there areas of my life that take up a lot of my time, that I don’t actually care about?

Probably the most useful takeaway I’ve gotten from timetracking is that our time is limited, and that mindlessly following the tasks others set out for you can lead to not much personal fulfillment. On the other hand, timetracking gives me the agency to spend time on what I think is important, whether that’s learning, spending time with friends and family, or just time for hobbies.

I’d highly recommend people give timetracking a shot, especially if you feel like there’s a lot you want to do but not enough time to do it. Feel free to reach out with questions about my template or how to implement timetracking into your life!

Here’s a link to my most-updated timetracking template!