Tracking You Life Data

A few years ago, I read Peter Drucker’s book, The Effective Executive.  There are so many lessons , but  there was one that resonated a lot: The Importance of  Time Tracking. Often we put events and tasks on our calendars, but life happens and sometimes we don’t get to all of them.

Curious about my real time usage, I downloaded the Boosted App. Boosted is a time tracker that helps you track projects and tasks, but is very adaptable. Personally, I use the Projects to define a general category, and the tasks to define the subcategories. 

For instance, under the category of “Work”,  I track time in meetings, time doing administrative work, time in classrooms, and time spent creating plans and strategy. 

Under Creativity, I track the subcategories of composing, editing, and reading. 

It’s super adaptable– it depends on your values and what you’re curious about. A snapshot of one of my reports is above.

As a result of this report, I noticed an immediate flag–you probably see it, too.

I wasn’t spending enough time with family and other people. 

I decided to take action. 

I signed up for a class so as to be social and to learn something new; we committed to going to church physically instead of listening online;  my wife and I are now committed to weekly hikes in Tennessee ; and I started attending a weekly men’s breakfast. 

In other words, the data gleaned from using the Boosted App  brought me a ton of value that I wouldn’t have otherwise.  The best part, I think it was free or a .99 cent download. 

Give it a try– you may be surprised by what you learn– especially if you are consciously designing a life you want to live. 

There are other tools I use, but this is one of the more powerful ones. Over the next few weeks I’ll share each of them and illustrate the value they bring me based on my values. For you,  MINING and SHINING IDEA LAB helps introverted leaders develop internal data tracking practices to help them make more conscious decisions when pursuing a goal. 

It looks different for everybody, but it’s 100% essential– especially for those who like to process information before they act. To signup for an Excavation Call, use this link or visit miningandshining.com.