Time Tracking Methods

I started tracking my time the day my business nearly collapsed.

Not because I thought it would save me — I just wanted evidence for the bankruptcy filing. Proof that I’d tried, you know? Documentation of the hustle before the fall.

Turns out, watching my hours was like catching a thief in the act. The culprit wasn’t the market, or competitors, or bad luck.

It was me. Or rather, where my time was actually going versus where I thought it was going.

Here’s what I learned about time tracking, why most people do it wrong, and how to do it right — whether you’re trying to save a business, create art that matters, or just want to stop wondering where your life is disappearing to.

The Truth Nobody Tells You About Time

Seth Godin once wrote that “we don’t need more time, we just need to decide.” Respectfully, Seth, I disagree.

We need both.

Most productivity advice focuses on optimization without verification. It’s like trying to fix a leaking pipe without finding where the leak is.

Time tracking is your detection system. Not to make you a robot. Not to monetize every breath. But to give you the truth.

And the truth is usually uncomfortable:

• The project you estimated would take 3 hours actually took 11
• You spent 38 minutes on Instagram while “taking a quick break”
• Your “deep work” sessions contain an average of 14 interruptions

I know because I’ve measured all of these in myself. The numbers don’t judge — they just reveal.

Three Approaches to Time Tracking

There are three fundamental ways to track time, each with different benefits and limitations:

1. Manual Tracking

What it is: Recording your activities using paper, spreadsheets, or basic apps.

Best for: Beginners, those resistant to automation, or when you need heightened awareness.

When I first started, I used a simple notebook divided into 30-minute blocks. I’d just write what I was doing every half hour. Primitive but effective.

Apple Implementation: Notes app with a time tracking template, or Numbers with a basic spreadsheet.

Pros:

• Creates immediate awareness
• Requires no special tools
• Builds the tracking habit through direct engagement

Cons:

• Easy to forget entries
• Labor-intensive
• Difficult to analyze patterns

2. Timer-Based Tracking

What it is: Using timers to record duration of specific activities or projects.

Best for: Project-based professionals, freelancers who bill hourly, people using techniques like Pomodoro.

Apple Implementation: Timer function in Clock app, specialized apps like Focus Timer or Toggl.

Pros:

• Provides accurate duration data
• Creates natural work/break boundaries
• Excellent for billing purposes

Cons:

• Requires starting/stopping actions
• Can create timing anxiety
• Misses passive or quick activities

3. Automatic Tracking

What it is: Software that runs in the background, recording all digital activity.

Best for: Knowledge workers, programmers, digital creatives, data lovers.

Apple Implementation: Apps like Timing (Mac-only), RescueTime, or Screen Time (limited but built-in).

Pros:

• Captures everything without effort
• Provides objective, detailed reports
• Reveals patterns you’d never notice manually

Cons:

• Limited to digital activities
• Privacy considerations
• Can lead to data overload

The Myth of Perfect Productivity

Let’s pause for a reality check.

The goal of time tracking isn’t to reach some mythical state where every minute is optimized. That’s the kind of thinking that makes people quit before they start.

I’ve tracked my time for six years. Some days I still waste hours. Some projects still run long. I still fall into rabbit holes researching obscure topics that have nothing to do with my goals.

The difference is I know it’s happening, and knowledge creates choice.

How to Start Without Giving Up

Most people quit time tracking within a week. They try to capture everything, get overwhelmed, miss a few entries, then abandon the whole project.

Here’s how to avoid that fate:

1. Start ridiculously small

Track just one type of activity for one week. Maybe just your creative work, or just meetings. Build from there.

2. Use the right level of detail

If you’re categorizing activities into 37 different sub-categories, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Begin with 5-7 broad categories.

3. Define your why

Are you tracking to:

• Bill clients accurately?
• Find waste in your schedule?
• Increase specific types of work?
• Reduce procrastination?

Your purpose determines what and how you should track.

4. Create a review ritual

Data without reflection is pointless. Schedule 15 minutes weekly to review what you’ve captured and decide on one adjustment for the next week.

The Setup That Actually Works

After years of experimentation, here’s what I’ve found works best for most people:

1. Begin with a hybrid approach:
   • Use automatic tracking to capture digital work (Timing for Mac users is unmatched)
   • Use a timer (like Focus Timer) for deep work sessions
   • Use manual notes for non-digital activities
2. Create just four categories to start:
   • Deep Work (your most important creative or intellectual tasks)
   • Shallow Work (necessary but less demanding tasks)
   • Meetings/Calls (synchronous communication)
   • Non-Work (everything else)

3. Review weekly, not daily: Daily reviews create unnecessary anxiety. Weekly patterns tell the real story.

4. Set one metric that matters: Instead of trying to optimize everything, choose one ratio to improve. For most creators and entrepreneurs, the Deep Work to Shallow Work ratio is most critical.

The Hard Truth About Your Apple Devices

Your beautiful Apple ecosystem is designed for many things. Helping you focus isn’t one of them.

Screen Time is their nod to time awareness, but it’s built more for limiting “bad” behavior than understanding patterns. It’s like having a coach who just yells “do less!” without any strategic guidance.

For serious time tracking on Apple devices:

• On Mac: Timing app (local, private tracking) or RescueTime (cross-platform)
• On iOS: Consider Toggl for manual tracking, as comprehensive automatic tracking isn’t possible due to iOS limitations
• Across devices: Use Focus modes synchronized across your Apple ecosystem to create boundaries between activities

The Three Questions That Make Time Tracking Worthwhile

Collecting time data means nothing if you don’t ask the right questions. Weekly, ask yourself:

1. What surprised me? (This reveals blind spots)
2. What’s my deep-to-shallow work ratio? (Target 2:1 for creative professionals)
3. What one change would most improve next week? (Actionable instead of overwhelming)

When to Break the System

There are times to track carefully, and times to let go.

Track methodically when:

• Starting a new project type (to establish realistic estimates)
• Feeling scattered or overwhelmed (to find the causes)
• Testing a new workflow or habit (to verify effectiveness)

Ease up when:

• Deep in creative flow (don’t interrupt magic to log it)
• On vacation (seriously, just stop)
• During personal crises (some priorities supersede productivity)

Begin Today, Not Tomorrow

Time tracking isn’t sexy. It won’t make for a great Instagram post or impress people at dinner parties.

But neither will wondering where your life went while everyone else seems to be shipping work that matters.

The difference between people who create significant work and those who just dream about it often comes down to this: knowing where their time actually goes, not where they wish it went.

Start with five minutes today. Track just one thing. See what’s really happening.

The truth might hurt at first, but it’s the only path to change.

Your future self is begging you to begin.