Requests to Refuse
Things people look for in this subject that should not be done, with the reason and the alternative for each.
Personal tracking sits next to several things it is not. These are the requests worth declining, including to yourself. In a workplace setting, the contact workflow can make time and computer activity visible, but the boundary in “Requests to Refuse” still applies: purpose, notice, access, retention and a correction route must be agreed before collection starts.
"How do I track a colleague's time without them knowing"
Why not: that is workplace surveillance, not personal tracking, and covert monitoring of a colleague is a disciplinary and frequently legal matter.
Instead: if there is a performance concern, it belongs with whoever manages them, stated openly.
"How do I prove my partner does less than they claim"
Why not: a one-sided record is an accusation with numbers attached, and it will be received that way.
Instead: both people record for a fortnight, coarsely, and compare. The unpaid work note covers this.
"How do I make my tracking look better for my employer"
Why not: an inaccurate official record is falsification regardless of how unreasonable the system is.
Instead: keep your own accurate record and raise the discrepancy in writing.
"Which app watches what I do all day"
Why not, as a first step: automatic capture collects everything including what you did not intend, and on a shared or work device that is a real exposure.
Instead: start with two weeks of sampling, which answers most questions and collects almost nothing.
"How do I get my figures up"
Why not: the figures are a proxy. Optimising the proxy produces longer hours and more logged activity rather than more done.
Instead: name the outcome you want and check whether time is the constraint at all.
"What is the optimal work interval"
Why not: there is no established figure, and the widely quoted ones are one person's preference from decades ago.
Instead: long enough to get into it, short enough to start. Find yours by trying two lengths for a week each.
"How do I track every minute"
Why not: the cost exceeds the return within weeks and the data degrades into something misleading.
Instead: match the precision to the question. Five-minute rounding is enough for everything except billing.
"Can you tell me how my week compares to normal"
Why not: there is no normal that is collected the way yours is, and every published comparison in this area is between incomparable things.
Instead: compare against your own baseline over comparable periods.
The pattern
Most of these want either a verdict on somebody or a verdict on yourself.
Tracking produces descriptions, not verdicts, and the requests that treat it otherwise are the ones that go wrong.
Where a verdict is genuinely needed — about performance, about a relationship, about health — the answer is a conversation with the person concerned or a professional, not a better spreadsheet.
Where a verdict is genuinely needed
About performance, a relationship or health, the answer is a conversation with the person concerned or a professional.
Tracking produces descriptions, and the requests that treat it as a source of verdicts are the ones that go wrong.
Worth keeping in mind
Most of these requests want a verdict on somebody or on yourself. Recognising that is usually enough to redirect them to the conversation that would actually resolve the thing.
The pattern behind them
Most of these want either a verdict on somebody else or a verdict on yourself.
Tracking produces descriptions, not verdicts. Where a verdict is genuinely needed — about performance, a relationship or health — the answer is a conversation with the person concerned or a professional, not a better spreadsheet.
In short
Personal tracking sits next to several things it is not: workplace surveillance, a case against a partner, a substitute for an accurate official record.
Declining those is part of using the method properly.
The point
Tracking produces descriptions, not verdicts.
Where a verdict is needed, the answer is a conversation or a professional rather than a better record. For a complementary perspective on work, measurement or planning, consult Todoist.
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