Day 26 - Time Review

Today's Exercise:

Step 1: Before going to bed, block off on a piece of paper every hour of the upcoming day from when you wake up to when you go to bed. Write down in each block what you plan on doing during that time period. You should have a sense when you wake up in the morning of how your time will be spent for each hour of the day.

Step 2: Live in and through this schedule, trusting the path you have already laid out. Try to focus on being present and engaging in whatever is in front of you (and only what is in front of you).

As you live into this day, periodically write down next to each time block what you actually ended up doing during that time period.

Step 3: At the end of the day review your day and see where you were true to your plan and where you were not. What trends do you see? What surprises you?

Why It Works:

It's not uncommon for us to go to bed wondering where the day went. It seems like there is never enough time. The reason is - most of us aren't aware of where our time actually goes. 

By blocking out your day and then honestly recording how that time was spent you will grow in awareness of how long things really take, as well as the many distractions that might filter into your schedule on a daily basis.

Use Cases:

The more you do this exercise - the faster you will grow in awareness of how your time is spent. Doing this exercise for the first time can truly eye opening but it is equally useful as an ongoing habit. For some people it may even be appropriate to exercise this practice everyday for a certain period of time until they feel they have reached their desired level of personal time awareness.