Many people who keep a log of their activities do so to find their "black holes" where time is frittered away or wasted - it could definitely be helpful for that, but I have other priorities.
1. Get a better grasp of how long it actually takes to complete tasks rather than how long I perceive it will take.
Ever block out a segment of time to do something, and not even get close to finishing it? This happens to me all the time at work. And what I've learned from logging my time is not so much that I underestimate the time it will take me to do something, it's that I don't account for how significantly interruptions can interfere with my timeline. Place on top of that the time it takes to refocus and figure out where you left off when you return to an activity and it really adds up.
2. Make myself feel better when progress is slow :).
Some days when I'm driving home I ask myself "What did I actually do today?" given that so little on my list was actually checked off. Reviewing my notes at the end of the day answers that question in advance, and makes me feel better that I still have a few checkmarks to go.
3. Great reference for the future.
Working in a career with a cyclical pattern like education makes it a little easier to plan for what's coming ahead, especially when you keep track of what you do when. I add brief notes to most activities or conversations as well which is extremely helpful for jogging the memory later on.
3 1/2. Reminders.
I have an area where I can jot down things I need to remember to do at the end of the day (like request a software update from ITS) or after leaving work (often grocery related!). That way I don't have to keep a separate running list or try to remember it in my head, and can even just snap a picture of it with my phone as I'm leaving. At the end of the day I also write down a few things that I have to remember to tackle the next day.
Anyone else out there keep a record of your time? What do you use?
