Overheard a guy at the co-working space say he uses a stopwatch on every task

I was grabbing coffee last Tuesday and this freelancer next to me said he times everything he does with a simple stopwatch app. He tracks how long actual work takes versus how long he thinks it takes and it was eye opening. I tried it for three days and realized my email responses were eating up over an hour a day that I never accounted for. Has anyone else tried this kind of time logging without using one of those fancy paid apps?

3 comments

3 Comments

drews554d ago

My buddy tried that stopwatch method and quit after a week because it actually made him slower. He was so focused on hitting the timer that he kept forgetting what he was even working on. Sometimes tracking stuff too closely just adds stress without giving you anything useful back.

adam1864d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah but I think it depends on the person, honestly. Some people need that external push to stay on task, even if it feels awkward at first. The timing thing isn't about being perfect, it's just a way to build a habit of stopping distractions.

laura_wilson4d ago

Oh man, I feel this. My sister tried one of those time-blocking apps and it drove her nuts after two weeks. She said it made her feel like she was back in high school with a hall pass and a strict schedule. But honestly, I get why some people need that external push. I'm the complete opposite though. If I set a timer I just start watching it tick down and stressing out instead of actually working. Do you find that the stopwatch method works better for certain types of tasks, or do you just apply it to everything?