How to Measure Real Time
They say, “Timing is everything.”
The older I get, the more I believe this. And yet, it’s the thing we struggle with the most. Everyone is given the same 24 hours in a day - or are we? Based on our economic status, family dynamics, health demands, passion for our work (or lack thereof) and mental health, one could argue we don’t share the same 24 hours. A retiree with two pensions and multiple streams of income isn’t living the same 24 hours as the new mom with three littles and a husband who is working overtime to make ends meet.
Time measured by minute is the same. Time measured by energy is not.
As a coach, I have learned to honor each client’s real time = minutes / energy. This removes the judgement we put on ourselves and others. It also gives us perspective on where we are wasting our time emotionally and literally.
5 ways for you to measure real time
After a week, you’ll start to see your habits, patterns and people who are either
adding to or taking away from your 24 precious hours. It all adds up …
Actual Time
Document in 30 minute segments. This is tedious but insightful.
What time do you rise? How long do you spend on your phone upon waking? What apps are you opening? How long do you take getting ready? What is happening at work? When do you get home? How long does dinner take? When do you relax? What time is bed?
Be sure to include weekends after you’ve tracked M-F.
Emotional Time
Next to the 30 minute segment - document emotional reaction.
When you open your phone, do you get anxious looking at texts? How does social media make you feel? On the drive to work, do you feel excitement or dread? Are lunch hours taking or giving to you? What happens when you try to relax at night?
There are tasks we do, habits we have that take more emotional time than literal time. A five minute conversation you have every day might cause you 1 hour of mental anguish. The 8 hours at work might actually consume 12 hours of your emotional energy.
People Time
Write down people. Who do you see regularly?
Your spouse, kids, co-workers, boss, clients, etc. Write them all down. Then, next to their name you add a plus (+) for those who energize you, a negative ( — ) for those you drain you and a ( + / — ) for those who are neutral.
People are energetic beings who either add to our reserves or drain them.
Be honest with yourself. Notice those who get ( — ) how often are you interacting with them?
Fake Time
Start timing the tasks you dread the most to get an accurate measurement.
Do you dread making your bed because it will take a whole 10 minutes when in reality, it’s 5 minutes at most? What about organizing the garage? Turns out, that did not take me an entire day. It took 2.5 hours. My guess is that you invest more emotional energy into the things you dread doing which leads to procrastination and then of course, MORE TIME!
Stop the madness.
Your Time
Be selfish. Don’t judge. Listen to your body respond.
Alright, now you have a pretty good idea of what external forces direct your days. There should be a pretty clear picture of what demands your time both literally and emotionally. Congrats! Now, put these revelations aside and go inward. What do you want your time to look like? Who gives you energy? When do you lose all track of time? What alone time recharges you?
When you put it all together, you get your REAL TIME. What modifications can you make to your schedule, exposure to people, emotional bandwidth and tasks at hand? My guess is that over the next 30-days you’ll be able to see very quickly what needs to change.
As we head into the new year, stop to create the life you want. It starts with time and how you choose to spend it. You get to choose your job, your clients, your friends and yes, even your family. You get to choose how you’ll recharge, take care of your body and your mind. You get to chose time.
Timing is everything. You have more control than you think.