Have you ever felt like there's never enough time in the day? Like your to-do list keeps growing while your energy diminishes? Or maybe you've found yourself complaining about never having enough time to work on the things that truly matter to you - personal projects, quality time with your family, or even a moment to just breathe.

If this sounds familiar, I have a tool that can help. It’s simple, it’s powerful, and it might just be the game changer you’ve been looking for: time tracking.

Why Time Tracking?

You probably already have a general sense of how your days go. You know the drill: work, meals (how many sandwiches have you made today?), laundry, errands, the bedtime routine, and on and on. But do you know how much time you’re actually spending on these things? Do you know how many hours in your day are being devoted to things that leave you feeling drained or unfulfilled?

I’ve worked with clients who—just like you—make assumptions about how much they're working, doing chores, or caring for kids. It’s easy to fall into the trap of overestimating our productivity or underestimating how much time certain tasks take. This is where data comes in.

The Aha Moment: Realizing Where Your Time Goes

When I first started tracking my steps a few years ago, I was shocked by the results. I thought I was averaging 5,000-6,000 steps a day, but when I checked the data, I learned that I was barely getting 2,000 steps a day! No wonder I felt sluggish! Armed with this insight, I made a conscious effort to walk more, and after months and months of intentional effort, I now average about 8,000 steps a day. But this shift wouldn’t have happened without tracking to know how much I was actually walking.

Time tracking works the same way—it gives you the hard facts about where your time is actually going. You might discover that your day is filled with time-consuming tasks that don’t align with your true priorities. Or, you might find pockets of time you never knew existed. The beauty is that once you have the data, you can act on it.

A Simple Approach to Time Tracking

When I was working in corporate America, I used to track my time even though it wasn't required. It wasn’t a glamorous task—tracking every 15 minutes in a clunky old system—but it helped me understand exactly where my energy was going. And it gave me data to take my leadership team to help them better understand what was and was not realistic in terms of expectations. As a working mom, when I found myself overwhelmed with an ever-growing to-do list, I started tracking my time outside of work too. I wanted to understand if I was truly as busy as I felt or if I was simply being inefficient.

Now, as a coach and a full-time working mom of three, I still use time tracking tools to check-in on myself and my assumptions. I personally use a tool called Toggl, which is easy to use and even has a free version that will get you everything that you need. Whether it’s during work hours, in the morning before the kids wake up, or on the weekends, I’ll track my time to see where I’m really investing my energy. It's a great way to uncover areas where I might be spending time on things that aren’t aligned with my goals.

The Real Benefits of Time Tracking

What’s been most enlightening for both me and my clients is the “aha” moments that come from reviewing our time logs. Here are a few real-life examples of what I’ve seen:

Client #1 thought she was working 60+ hours a week. She was resentful of how much time she was spending at her desk. But after time-tracking, she was shocked to find out it was closer to 45 hours. It was a big moment for her because it meant she could reassess how she was spending her time, both at work and outside of it.
Client #2 found that time tracking helped her get unstuck. Just the act of logging what she was working on made her feel more motivated to stay focused and productive when previously she would have reached for her phone or done mindless searching on the internet instead of doing her priority projects.
Client #3 discovered that she was wasting time in the evenings mindless scrolling or wandering around her house. Once she realized this, she was able to reclaim some of that time for more intentional activities like reading or spending quality time with her husband.

In all of these examples, it was time tracking that revealed the patterns these clients were not aware of. Time tracking forces you to confront the reality of how your day unfolds, and it often sparks ideas for how to make meaningful changes.

How to Start Time Tracking

If you're ready to give it a try, it’s easy to get started:

Pick a Tool: Download a free time tracking app like Toggl or simply use a notebook if that feels easier. I only recommend starting with something digital because so many of us always have our phones that we can access when we're on the go. But if you're used to carrying around a notebook or something similar, that's a great way to go too.
Track Your Time: Don’t wait for the perfect time to start. You can begin tracking right now, even if you’re in the middle of your day. Whenever you catch yourself changing tasks, just hit start on the timer and stop it when you're done. Or jot it down if you're tracking on paper.
Stay Consistent: Don’t worry about being perfect. The goal is to get a realistic snapshot of your day. The more consistently you track, the more insight you’ll get.
Review the Data: After a week or two, take a look at the patterns. Where are you spending your time? Where can you make adjustments to free up time for the things that matter most to you?

Small Changes = Big Impact

Once you’ve tracked your time and have the data, it’s time to make changes. The goal is not necessarily to find extra hours in the day (though that’s always possible!), but to make your days feel more manageable and intentional.

Maybe it’s shifting a few tasks around to make your evenings less chaotic or carving out time in your morning to work on a personal project. Small changes like these might not give you an extra hour of free time, but they could make a huge difference in how you feel about your day.

Ready to Take Control of Your Time?

Time tracking is the first step toward getting more clarity and control over your days. It’s a powerful tool for anyone, but especially for busy moms who often feel like there’s never enough time for themselves. It’s about understanding where your time is really going and making changes to align your time with your values and priorities.

If you’re ready to dive deeper and get personalized feedback on your time tracking, get on the waitlist for my group coaching program for working moms, Beyond Balance. Your first assignment will be to do a week of time tracking so I can give you direct feedback.

Time tracking has been a game changer for me, and it’s had the same impact on many of my clients. It’s not about perfection—it’s about awareness, understanding, and making intentional changes that support your goals.