The Gap Between Planned and Actual
The most reliable finding in personal time data: what was intended for the day and what the day contained are substantially different, in a consistent direction. 3 min
What records show
The same findings recur across almost every record, which makes them worth knowing before you start.
7 notes · about 25 min in total
Context Switching
The cost of changing task is real, the popular numbers about it are not, and the count of switches matters more than the duration of any of them. 3 min
Meetings
Usually the largest single identifiable consumer in a tracked week, and the one where the recorded figure understates the real cost most severely. 4 min
Admin That Grew
The category that starts small, absorbs everything that does not fit elsewhere, and turns out to be a fifth of the week. 3 min
Waiting, Blocked and Dependent
Time that does not appear as work and is not free either. The category most records handle worst and the one that explains the most about long projects. 4 min
The Hours That Vanish
The gap between hours at the desk and hours accounted for, which is one to three hours a day for most people, and what is actually in it. 4 min
Overrun and Optimism
Tasks take longer than estimated, by a consistent factor, and knowing your own factor is the single most useful number personal tracking produces. 4 min