Time AuditLong hours are a given once you commit to being a financial analyst. Still, do you sometimes wonder where your day has gone before you even get to start the most important task on your agenda?

I am starting a time audit for myself this week. It’s basically a log tracking my activities in 15-minute slots for one week. The last time I did this was almost two years ago. This is a good time for me to do a re-audit given the recent transition of my career focus and changes in my daily routine.

The left column of my worksheet is the time in 15-minute slots and the right columns are categories of how I spend my time. Some of my categories are:

Productive work, un-productive work, interruptions
Business calls, personal calls, email
Administrative, planning, reading/learning
Exercise, breaks/meals
Self, family, fun and more…

With this information, I can easily tally the time for each category and identify patterns. It may seem tedious at first but I guarantee this is a simple yet powerful exercise.

My time audit indicates that I’m most productive in the mornings and evenings but least focused in the afternoons. This means, I might as well stop resisting the notion of working in the evenings. Instead, I’ll move my family time from evenings to late afternoons, continue to reserve my mornings for high-payoff actions and do my readings and planning in the evenings.

If you have a full time job, you probably won’t have as much flexibility. Your audit result should still be able to identify your time bandits for you. Are you constantly reacting to your incoming emails? Can you spot any interruption patterns? Can you delegate any of the time drainers? When are your more productive and un-productive hours?

What’s more, the time audit will reveal your value and expose your weaknesses. Where do you spend most of your time? The answer tells you what you value the most. What are you avoiding the most? Is it time for you to work on and pay attention to it?

Mine says I’m inconsistent with my morning exercise routine. It’s a reminder that I should be more disciplined and maybe consider moving my exercise time to the late afternoons when I’m not as focused at work.

The last time I did this, I was amazed that I “found” almost 10 hours in a week by re-scheduling some activities and removing some time drainers.

Audit your time for a week and let me know what insights you gain from this simple exercise. Don’t let a full time job as a financial analyst keep you from being creative with your own schedule.

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