I feel like I’ve done nothing all day, but I was busy. How come?

Sometimes I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything, but I know I was busy, so what gives?

I remember working at a particularly busy job and I just couldn’t seem to get everything done that I needed to. I was busy, but when I looked at my output it seemed I had done very little, so why did I feel so swamped and unable to get my other work done? Someone suggested that for a few days I keep a time log. I thought, “Great, something else for me to do. I have enough to do already," but I did it and I was quite surprised at what I found out.

It wasn’t long before I could see what was keeping me from getting at my other work. I spent a lot of time on the phone scheduling meetings, checking voicemails and responding to client e-mails. It was a real eye opener at the end of the day when I saw how much work I had actually done, just not the work I wanted to do.

I don’t keep a time log anymore, but I certainly saw the value in it. Once I saw where my time was being spent I could see where I needed to organize and prioritize.

Click here to read an article on keeping a time log on Jodith's blog the Administrative Arts.