Updated my daily tracking template since v5. The basic idea is, I fill this out every day - it doesn't take that much time, and I get a heck of a lot out of it.
If you're new to the site, you might want to check out "The Evolution of My Time/Habit/Life Tracking" which describes the basic idea of what's going on here, and "Two Videos on How to Do Time Tracking" if you're looking to try this out yourself.
This post will mostly look at the differences between this one and my last version, so start with Evolution or those videos if you're new to this.
Okay, here's v6 -
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START OF DAY ROUTINE:
Time awake:
Total sleep (hours/minutes):
Appointments today:
Other time-sensitive things:
Key habit today:
What assets could I build/improve/acquire today:
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TOP PRIORITIES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Gym today?:
Current Top Creative:
Current Top Enterprising:
Explore today?:
Today's target procrastination:
Current book(s):
Anything crucial on my to-do list?:
Email in box, start of day:
Time complete:
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DO BEFORE GOING ONLINE:
Vitamins (C, Fish oil, Calcium/D):
Piracetam:
Drink Water:
Stretching:
Brush/floss:
Breathe:
Borderlands (+Solo):
Gratitude:
Review Life Goals:
Time complete:
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS-------------------------------------------
TIME TRACKING:MINUTES:
Enterprising:
Creative:
Exercise/gym:
Thinking/planning:
Writing:
--> Subtotal Excellent:Maintenance:
Reading:
Social:
Relaxing:
Research:
--> Subtotal Good:Semi-productive:
Daydreaming:
General-life:
--> Subtotal Okay:Surfing/wasting time:
Transit/dead time:
--> Subtotal Bad:
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FOOD AND FITNESSDiet:
Exercise:
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CHALLENGES:
Did I set priorities?
Did I write a blog post?
Did my email inbox hit zero?
Did I do some cleaning?
Did I do some reading/learning/research?
Did I act on my key habit for the day?
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END OF DAY:
What are my key life goals? Spend 5 minutes on this.
Expenses for the day (estimate)?
Cash gotten or worked towards today:
What did I do right to move me towards my goals?
What would I do differently if I had the day to live over?
Plan tomorrow:
Make a request of my subconscious:
Set alarm:
Time complete:
Analysis of changes by section -
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START OF DAY ROUTINE:
Time awake:
Total sleep (hours/minutes):
Appointments today:
Other time-sensitive things:
Key habit today:
What assets could I build/improve/acquire today:
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---> Mostly same as before. This works well. I fill this out as soon as I wake up.
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TOP PRIORITIES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Gym today?:
Current Top Creative:
Current Top Enterprising:
Explore today?:
Today's target procrastination:
Current book(s):
Anything crucial on my to-do list?:
Email in box, start of day:
Time complete:
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----> This section is largely new. I define my priorities here. I've seen a huge productivity boost since I started doing this. The 1-5 are the top things I'd like to do that day. I aim to get 3-4 of them done in any given day. "Gym today?" - I go to gym every other day, so I note if today's a day to go. I list down my top creative project, top enterprising project, if I plan to do any exploring (find a new gym, go to the museum, go to the opera, go to a local business, etc).
"Target procrastination" is EXCELLENT. When I need a break, what should I turn to first? So a lot of times I'm researching or doing something valuable with my procrastination time.
Then, what book am I currently reading? Review my to-do list to see if there's anything that needs to be done today (this eliminates the "not looking at the to-do list" problem), and I note down how many emails at the start of the day.
Also - and this has been HUGE - I note what time I finished completing this. This mini-accountability here means I try to fill it out right away.
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DO BEFORE GOING ONLINE:
Vitamins (C, Fish oil, Calcium/D):
Piracetam:
Drink Water:
Stretching:
Brush/floss:
Breathe:
Borderlands (+Solo):
Gratitude:
Review Life Goals:
Time complete:
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----> Very similar to my old section. "Piracetam" is new. I started taking Piracetam, which is a non-amphetamine stimulant with some neuroprotective effects. I've seen a bit of a boost from it. I track my dosages here. (Note: Always do your own thorough research before taking any supplements, medicine, or nutritional changes. I like Piracetam for me, but do your own research thoroughly)
"Time complete", again, adds a little minor pressure for me to get this done very early in the day to wrap it up.
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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----> Don't be fooled by how short this section this. This is the best new addition to my time tracking. I added this on a whim, and I LOVE it. I add everything significant I accomplish in a day. This does a few things:
On a day where I didn't hit my priorities, I can evaluate if what I did instead was worthwhile. Also, it lets me review what happened a given day very easily. It lets me review weeks easily. It's a good reference. This is so cool and useful. It also adds a little extra satisfaction when I accomplish things. I *love* this section. It's really, really, really good. I update it throughout the day.
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TIME TRACKING:
MINUTES:
Enterprising:
Creative:
Exercise/gym:
Thinking/planning:
Writing:
--> Subtotal Excellent:
Maintenance:
Reading:
Social:
Relaxing:
Research:
--> Subtotal Good:
Semi-productive:
Daydreaming:
General-life:
--> Subtotal Okay:
Surfing/wasting time:
Transit/dead time:
--> Subtotal Bad:
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----> Very similar to my last sheet. I changed the categories up a bit. I broke "A-task" into "Enterprising" and "Creative" - instead of focusing on the to-do, I focus on the outcome (creating things, or enterprising). I added "Research" to the Good category as well, to differentiate aimless web surfing from useful research.
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FOOD AND FITNESS
Diet:
Exercise:
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----> I stopped tracking my calories. Right now, I'm on a very clean and healthy diet, and I'm lifting weights so I don't care where my calories are at. I cut a lot, now I'm putting on weight. Tracking calories was useful and I might start again if I go into a cutting phase. For now, I just note down what food I ate, and the exercises I did. In "Exercise" I lift the sets and reps of what weightlifts I did if I went to the gym that day.
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CHALLENGES:
Did I set priorities?
Did I write a blog post?
Did my email inbox hit zero?
Did I do some cleaning?
Did I do some reading/learning/research?
Did I act on my key habit for the day?
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----> I've discussed my "Challenges" section before. After largely conquering and automating the challenges I had last time, I've updated this section.
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END OF DAY:
What are my key life goals? Spend 5 minutes on this.
Expenses for the day (estimate)?
Cash gotten or worked towards today:
What did I do right to move me towards my goals?
What would I do differently if I had the day to live over?
Plan tomorrow:
Make a request of my subconscious:
Set alarm:
Time complete:
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----> Almost exactly the same as last version, with "Time complete" added - against for the accountability boost.
I'm really, really enjoying the new time tracking. It slots in nicely with my workflow, encourages productive work, increases happiness and self-awareness, helps me get more done, helps me enjoy my life more, promotes a healthy lifestyle, and lots of other good things.
Really digging this newest version - I get a lot out of it.
Of course, if you haven't read the past posts, this might not make sense. In that case, you'd do well to start with "The Evolution of My Time/Habit/Life Tracking" and "Two Videos on How to Do Time Tracking" if you're looking to try this out yourself.
If you're doing tracking yourself, think about "Target Procrastination" and "Priorities" as something worth adding - I've gotten a huge boost from those in particular.