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“Finding” Time By Tracking Time

February 3, 2016 by Jenny 27 Comments

Finding Time By Tracking Time

Have you wondered how some women find time to scrapbook, exercise, read, or spend so much time with their family?  I just finished Laura Vanderkam’s I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time and found the book to give me several ideas of how to “find” more time in my day (which I will be blogging about in the next few weeks).

If you have found yourself struggling for finding time to do hobbies and activities that you enjoy (or need to do and aren’t getting done) Vanderkam suggests tracking your time with a time log.

Here’s how I tracked me time, on Vanderkam’s blog, she has a free time tracker to download.  Each time slot is 15 minutes.  (I would have preferred 30 minutes but by doing 15 minute intervals, I was really able to examine exactly what I was doing.)

I tried this last week and was amazed at all the 10 minute blocks of time throughout the day that I normally waste either waiting for someone to put on their shoes, waiting for dinner to finish baking, waiting for the kids to get off the school bus, or waiting while Jason ran an errand.  These small chunks of time alone added up to 40 minutes of waste throughout the day!

I’m not trying to be a time Nazi or be 100% productive!  I’m just pointing out that even using two of these 10-minute time blocks would give me 20 minutes of reading time (or working on a blog post, throwing in a load of laundry, starting the dishwasher, etc)!  I can get quite a bit of reading done in 20 minutes and it’s something I love to do!

Now, I will admit that it took a lot of intentionality to physically track my time for a week (and I wasn’t perfect but I was very diligent about it).

By tracking my time with a time log, I confirmed that I am more productive in the morning so I can save some of my lighter tasks for after lunch (like pinning blog posts to Pinterest that don’t require any will power) to utilize my brain power in the morning.

I also discovered that I should always have a book in my purse! Instead of mindlessly browsing Facebook while I’m waiting for Jason (or for a kid to finish up an activity) I can use that time to read (which added up to over 20 minutes throughout the week).

I also found it interesting that by tracking my time, I was able to see exactly how much sleep I was getting (or not getting in a few cases).

Have you ever tried tracking time?  Where do you think you could find time to do more of what you love?
Sometimes I feel hypocritical writing about marriage because I have one failed marriage under my belt. On the flip side, I've seen what really doesn't work and have experienced the pure joy of what a "good" marriage is all about. I've been married twice (for a combined total of 14 years) . Luckily the second time has worked out much better than the first! So please grant me grace, but I hope my experiences will only help you in your own marriage (or a friend's)! Here are 10 things I wish I'd known before saying, "I do".

Hi ladies! Welcome to week 57 of Women With Intention Wednesdays!

Welcome to a new week of Women With Intention Wednesdays!  I’m so thankful for a new week!  Last week several of my kids battled strep throat and now we are smack in the middle of a blizzard!  Needless to say, I have a family that is ready to get out of the house!  I’m so thankful they are all healthy again and we still have power!

Next week I’d like to have our first featured blogger.  If you’d like to be a featured blogger, here is the link for you to fill out a link to be the Featured Blogger on WWIW’s! There aren’t many questions and I’d love to include you in our features!

worship

Last week the most popular post was Using Your Worship as Your War-ship by Ifeoma at Purposeful and Meaningful. I loved her clever play on words and am happy to feature her this week!

Welcome to Women With Intention Wednesdays!

Here is what you will find at Women With Intention Wednesdays:

  • This is a link up party where you come to encourage one another, have fun, and share your best posts to help women live their best life!
  • In other words, any post that you have written about Christian living, homemaking, relationships, healthy living, living a frugal life or that helps another woman can be included in this link up! Please just them family friendly (I reserve the right to remove anything that I feel isn’t appropriate).
  • This link up is beneficial for every woman! Whether you are a blogger or a reader, this is one you won’t want to miss! I’m very excited to offer this link up as a place to not only build new relationships between bloggers but also by providing an awesome resource of information for my readers!

Here are the rules of this link up:

    1. You must link directly to your post (no homepages, please).
    2. Please link up no more than 2 posts each week and please do not link up the same post week after week.
    3. For every link you add, please visit the link before you and one other of your choice. If your links are consecutive visit the blogger before you and your choice for the 2nd link. It’s impossible to build relationships when no one communicates! Please don’t link and run!

    4. By linking up you give me permission to share your posts and photos on this blog and social media. Each week I will choose a featured blogger as well as the most popular post. I will only feature you and the most popular posts if you have followed the rules (otherwise I’ll move on to the next most popular post). All features will be linked back to the original source.
    5. You also give me permission to email you a quick reminder that the party is live. You may opt out anytime. I don’t spam my readers with emails.
    6. Answer the community building question below so we all get to know each other! That’s the purpose of being here! 🙂

I’d love for you to add a button to help spread the word about Women With Intention Wednesdays (thank you)!

Women With Intention

If you were featured, please feel free to grab this button!

Women With Intention

[inlinkz_linkup id=604910 mode=1]

Community Building Question: If you had 30 minutes of free time today to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?

I would read!  I’m smack in the middle of a book and I’ve been trying to sneak in small pockets of time to keep reading!  This blizzardy weather is the perfect opportunity to curl up and read!

Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!

 

Filed Under: Women With Intention Wednesdays

Comments

  1. Keri says

    February 3, 2016 at 5:55 AM

    I hope you all stay healthy! I would read too! When I am in the middle of a book, I am constantly looking for little moments to read!

    Reply
  2. Laura Hicks says

    February 3, 2016 at 6:41 AM

    I would read as well. I have two books I just got that I would love to be able to sit and read without interruption. Wouldn’t that be glorious! ☺

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      February 3, 2016 at 8:28 PM

      Yes! I’m going to do that in about 15 minutes! 🙂 Hope you find the time, too and thanks for joining in!

      Reply
  3. Michele Morin says

    February 3, 2016 at 6:53 AM

    I would read, too! With a cup of hot tea!

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      February 3, 2016 at 8:27 PM

      Kindred souls, Michele! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Holly @ While I'm Waiting... says

    February 3, 2016 at 7:01 AM

    It’s so funny that you mention all the times you spent waiting… That’s exactly how I came up with the name of my blog! How could I use all that time and do something good with it. I still waste lots of time but really try to be intentional with all the wait time. Thanks so much for the link-up! See you next week!

    P.S. Hope everyone is healthy (and outside!) soon!

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      February 3, 2016 at 8:26 PM

      Love it, Holly! 🙂 Thanks for the sweet words and for being faithful joining in! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Sarah Koontz says

    February 3, 2016 at 7:46 AM

    I would write or work on a project, honestly and truly. I have had a busy “people” week and I truly enjoy my “me” work.

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      February 3, 2016 at 8:25 PM

      I understand the “me” time! Thanks for joining in! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Susan Shipe says

    February 3, 2016 at 9:20 AM

    Jen, thanks for your faithful hosting of WWI. I appreciate it. I wrote an interesting piece on TIME for a guest post later this month. I’ll be sure to share it when available!

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      February 3, 2016 at 8:24 PM

      I’d love to read it! 🙂 Please do!

      Reply
  7. Bonnie Lyn Smith, Espressos of Faith says

    February 3, 2016 at 10:37 AM

    I am most successful at tracking time while I’m getting the kids out the door in the morning on three different bus departures. I am able to plan dishes during one’s breakfast, laundry during the next slot, and meal prep during the last. I need to have a system for the writing/reading hours, but they are always so interrupted by appointments and meetings that aren’t regular or consistent times.

    Oh, and are we supposed to fill out the featured blogger form every week, or just once? Blessings!!

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      February 3, 2016 at 8:24 PM

      Bonnie, just once for the featured form! I love your time tracking! 🙂 Thanks for joining in!

      Reply
  8. Mary Hill says

    February 3, 2016 at 12:00 PM

    I think this would be a valuable tool. It is something I am going to have to try. I hope you will share this post at Literacy Musing Mondays this week. We welcome all posts about blogging, literacy, reading, and writing, poetry, photography. Thanks. 😉

    Reply
  9. Mary Hill says

    February 3, 2016 at 12:15 PM

    PS, I am reading blog posts in my few moments of free time. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Jenny says

      February 3, 2016 at 8:21 PM

      Thanks, Mary! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Angela @ Setting My Intention says

    February 3, 2016 at 10:02 PM

    I’ve never tracked my time before, but I try to catch up on reading other blog posts and commenting, or responding to comments on my own blog if I have 10 minutes here or there.

    Reply
  11. sue says

    February 4, 2016 at 2:06 PM

    What a great idea Jenny, to track your time. Ive written about making time for ‘me’ time but somehow that is not as easy to do. I like the idea of tracking your time so you can see where you could schedule your ‘me’ time into your day. Thanks for a good idea and also for the opportunity to link up Ai WWI

    Reply
  12. Joanna Sormunen says

    February 4, 2016 at 7:02 PM

    I always carry my iPad with me when I know I need to wait for something or someone. I have my Kindle and Scribd there and it is the best way to be able to read and spend my time usefully in something that I truly enjoy.
    I couldn’t honestly live without it 🙂

    Reply
  13. Rashel says

    February 4, 2016 at 9:10 PM

    I’m doing it now! Working on my blog and reading other blogs!

    Reply

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Hello! I’m Jenny!

I'm a wife, a mom of 6 and daughter of the King. I love my chocolate, cute cloth diapers, DIY and self-improvement projects, and curling up with a great book!

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