Record Your Activities and Time

It's a lot easier to manage your time if you know how you spend it.

Adding a new habit or finding time to study can be overwhelming if you think about making a change all at once.

It'll be easier to take one day at a time.

In this video, you will build a list of all the activities you do on a day you choose --and how many hours and minutes each activity took.

Seeing all your activities at once can help you plan enough time for tasks, like cooking dinner or practicing an instrument, and for things like catching up on TV shows and sharing photos with your friends.

Writing down exactly how long your activities take will help you find spare time and use all your time in the best way you can.

The example shows some of the ways you might spend your time, but your schedule will look different.

Also, there is no exact number of activities you need to include.

Just record everything you do during the day.

To set up your sheet, create column headings that organize your activities and time spent.

These headings will help you break down your time, so it's easier to see.

Bold the first row, so that your headings will stand out separately from your activities themselves.

Once your spreadsheet is set up, you're ready to start recording activities.

You may want to start recording the next day or your teacher may assign you a day.

Add the date you're recording activities to your spreadsheet.

Now, for the date you selected, begin to make a list of all the things you do as you complete them.

Record the most time-consuming activities, like sleeping, school, or working at a job first.

Add the hours and minutes you spent on each activity.

If you're not sure, just estimate.

If you play an instrument or participate in a sport or another activity, make sure to account for the time you spent practicing.

Think about "in-between" tasks, like getting to and from school and eating meals.

Some of your activities may overlap: for example, you may have watched TV while using social media or cleaned your room while listening to music.

That's okay.

Record the time you spent on the activity that required more of your attention during that time period.

Or split the time in half  between the two activities.

Add your regular responsibilities --anything you do to keep up with school or help out your family and friends.

And don't forget to include what you do in your free time.

Some of these activities might take more space than the cell gives you in the spreadsheet.

Wrapping the text allows you to see everything at once.

Now, it's your turn: label your columns, bold the first row, enter the date you will be recording your activities, record each activity and how long it took, and wrap the text.