Hit 200 days straight of logging my work hours and it totally flipped how I see my day

I used to think tracking every hour was overkill. But I started doing it just to see where my time actually goes. When I hit 200 days last Tuesday, I looked back and realized I was spending almost 15 hours a week on stuff that wasn't really work. Like scrolling, reorganizing my desktop, or starting a load of laundry mid-task. That number surprised me because I thought I was pretty focused. Now I block off my first 3 hours as "deep work only" with no phone or email. It's helped my freelance income stay steady without burning out. Has anyone else tried logging their hours and found a pattern they didn't expect?

3 comments

3 Comments

troyc178d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly that "15 hours a week on stuff that wasn't really work" hit me hard. I feel like I do the same nonsense but never had the guts to actually count it. Tbh starting a load of laundry mid-task is such a specific move that I totally get, it feels productive but it's just not. Good for you for catching that and making a change, 200 days is no joke.

troyc176d agoMost Upvoted

Laundry and the phone scroll were honestly tied for me. The phone was worse because it's so easy to tell yourself "just one quick check" and then 15 minutes vanish. But the laundry was sneakier because at least you're doing something around the house, makes it harder to call yourself out on it.

carr.luna8d ago

Starting a load of laundry mid-task" is such a perfect way to put it - it's like we trick ourselves into feeling productive without actually moving forward on the real stuff. I gotta ask though, what was the hardest habit for you to break when you finally started tracking that time? Was it the low-effort stuff like laundry, or the bigger distractions like scrolling through your phone for 20 minutes? I've been trying to cut my own wasted time but I keep falling back into the same little traps.