Time audit

Enter a typical week by category and see where your time goes compared with what you say matters.

• Evidence: Common practice

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How it works

1. Hours. Enter roughly how many hours a typical week goes to each activity. The numbers already filled in are just examples. If you’re not sure, track one real week first: a note on your phone each evening is enough.
2. How much it matters. Rate each one from 1 (not much) to 5 (a lot). Leave it at “–” if it doesn’t apply.
3. Read the comparison. The tool compares each activity’s share of your waking hours (everything except sleep) with its share of your “matters” ratings, and points out:
   • things that matter a lot but get little time (rated 4 or 5, with less than half the time their rating would suggest)
   • things that take a lot of time but matter less (rated 1 or 2, with more than twice the time, and at least 3 hours a week)

The thresholds are rules of thumb, not science. Use the result as a prompt for one small change, not a verdict.

Why it helps

Writing down what you actually do, rather than what you think you do, is a form of self-monitoring. Keeping a written record of progress helps people reach their goals [1], but this specific comparison hasn’t been tested, so it’s rated Common practice. Do the values exercise first if you’re not sure what matters most. For ways to free up hours, see Buying back time.