Lately I've been frustrated that, even after a very busy day, I don't have as much to show as I'd hoped. So, I have gone back to the classic approach as I wrote about last year: I'm time logging again.

This year, my time logging is going more smoothly - I'm doing a lot of it electronically. Here are the basics:

I'm using a Microsoft Word document called "timelog.doc" and have added a shortcut to this document to my Startup group on Windows. Therefore, my time log opens up every time I boot my system.
I have created a few ActiveWords macros to make things easier.
- "newday" adds a divider, inserts today's date, and moves me down a couple of lines to start my logging
- "ct" inserts the current time and a couple of spaces so I can easily timestamp things
- "log" opens up my time log document (because I accidentally close it a few times a day)
I'm logging more "extra" details than I did last time, such as:
- the activity I need to be doing (or should be doing, or want to do) for the next chunk of time ("Need to review slides for xxx meeting")
  - this allows me to see how many times I end up doing something other than what I intended to do
  - if I deviated from the plan, I fess up on the next timestamp if I didn't do what I set out to do
  - I also record unexpected obstacles - like yesterday when I tried to print my credit card statement for expense purposes, but Chase's card member site was down for a flippin' long time
- how many messages are in my Inbox (I only do this periodically - usually before I start processing my inbox, then again when I shift to a new task
  - this enables me to see things like
    - how much time I spend processing email
    - how many messages per minute I'm processing (am I meeting or beating the 2 minute rule or not)
    - the impact of any ratholes I got dragged into while doing email
- how many caffeinated drinks I'm consuming
- my energy level (on a 1-10 scale)
  - I look at this to see what impact certain foods and drinks have on my energy, as well as which activities energize me
- what and when I eat and have snacks

I'm only a few days into it, but I'm already uncovering some sources of unproductive time, particularly during the work day. Here are some things I'm seeing so far:

It seems my days are either too structured (filled with meetings) or too unstructured (on days when I don't have meetings, I am not being deliberate enough about what I *want* to work on - this is what triggered my previous post)
Any time email processing takes me to a web browser, I'm in danger land
My mid-morning and mid-afternoon Zone Bars are really good for my energy level
I've been drinking way too much caffeine - I've cut it by 75% in the last couple of days
I feel better when I take a walk outside at lunch (vs. sitting inside the whole time)
I gain energy from making phone calls, but lose energy when I receive them
I don't schedule enough "catch up time" after meetings to write up notes, etc.

I'm going to keep doing this for a few more weeks to see how I can tune my behavior, and I know I'll learn more. I'm also looking for a good PalmOS-based time logging system that is easy to use and (ideally) synchs easily with a PC. I'll let you know if I find anything I like.

I highly recommend time logging periodically. If you're interested, a couple of good places you can learn about it are: