How to Conduct a Time Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Narrative of the Day 

Day 1: Monday 

It is the day after a weekend, getting some sleep at the usual 12 A.M is difficult, we had some catching up to do with my wife which makes me fall asleep at 12 A.M. The recording of the time was done at 4.30 after waking up since I fell asleep from 12.30 A.M to 4.00 A.M. waking up was a problem since I spent my 30 minutes of sleep chatting with my wife hence the effectiveness of completing the task was low. Preparing the kids for school was not done within the scheduled time, the kids after the weekend tend to slow in doing things. The bus picked the kids 10 minutes late which made me leave for work late and also got 10 minutes late to work. Work was well done throughout the day except for the few minutes before the closing of the day where I got fixed on my phone. I also got late to class getting low in the effectiveness. 

Day 2: Tuesday 

The sleeping time was well managed with the effectiveness of all tasks being high. Waking up and starting to pray, waking the kids up and helping them prepare was not accomplished within the time scheduled through the difference in time was only small. I left for work extremely late since after getting back to the house I got caught up watching, there was some breaking news. This resulting in arriving late at work and affecting the time I started to work. The tasks between starting work at 8.30 A.M and lunch hour were accomplished perfectly though I got late for a tea break while trying to hit a target. The cafeteria was so crowded which made me take longer to get served starting work at 2.40 P.M extremely late. Work was well done in the afternoon but at 5.00 P.M, a colleague needed assistance with some work which made it hard to complete the day’s work at the right time. I also left office later than 5.30 P.M getting to class 20 minutes late and the effectiveness was therefore low. The rest of the day’s tasks were well done with only a less than 5 minutes delay in completing them. 

Day 3: Wednesday 

Sleeping time was well spent earning an A for effectiveness but getting up, praying, and preparing breakfast took a long time than expected. Waking up the kids was accomplished since I had to go for a 20 minutes jogging session. I got behind the schedule in taking breakfast and on that day I did not help my kids catch the bus. I left for work at 7.45 A.M which was so late arriving and preparing for work being moderately accomplished. Every other task of the day was well done including my 45 minutes of ministry work except for arriving home since I got caught up in traffic. 

Day 4: Thursday 

Everything from sleeping to taking breakfast was accomplished well except for that I took an extra 5 minutes in waking up and praying, preparing breakfast. As always I got late leaving for work but this time I was checking the bills that needed to be paid. Work was perfectly done but I got late in the afternoon since I had to run to the bank during lunch hour to pay the bills. I did not take the 4.30 P.M tea as per the schedule which made me leave office later. Arrived at class on time and also got the kids ready for bed on time, showering, taking supper, catching up with family and reviewing classwork were moderately done. 

Day 5: Friday 

Sleeping, as usual, was accomplished as per the time set but as is always the case waking up was behind schedule and on this day I woke up extremely late. I had to reduce the time I took to read the bible, take a shower and dress in order to get the kids prepared on time. At work, I met the target but I had to reduce the time I took lunch since I left office for lunch late. I also left work late since I had to arrange my stuff properly in the locker because the weekend was starting which made me get home late as well. We took longer to prepare supper since it was a special treat for all of us after a busy week hence I got a C for effectiveness. On Fridays, I watch movies with my family which took the time scheduled for it but on this day I got late going to bed since I had to tell the kids a bedtime story, help clean dishes and chatting with my wife. 

DSL Program and Work/Life Balance 

After registering for my DSL program I have noticed that I have been forced to become more time cautious. The program has affected my life-work balance in different ways. Prior to taking up the DSL course, my life and that of my family was affected in that I had minimal time to spend with the family. 

At the moment I am struggling to find time to spend with the kids on weekdays. Before registering for the course every evening I would spend time with my kids helping them tackle their assignment, having dinner together and tacking them in bed. However, nowadays I find the kids already asleep or having dinner. I am too tired to play with the kids or tell them a bedtime story. 

The DSL course has occupied most of my free time. As a minister I used to prepare for my sermon and attending prayer meeting on weekends. Time has become a constraint for me especially on the weekend because I have to fix all my ministry duties on weekends and try to allocate time for my family. 

As a family, we used to have time to go out and play on weekends. Now I spend the week attending to my classwork and assignment. We can only play around the house compound or I am left at home as the family goes out. In general, I have less time for leisure activities as I spend most of my time doing my work and attending to the DSL course work. 

After the first few weeks that have been hectic and tiresome, I have resolved to develop a time audit that will play a role in helping me integrate DSL program’s workload with current work/life balance. DSL program has increased my daily responsibility and thus I have resolved to utilize my time better and an increment of 30 minutes to my daily schedule to try and attend to all my daily duties. 

I am working on a strategy to increase work and class efficiency and effectiveness. Work effectiveness plan is meant to make sure that I finish all work duties during work hours that I do not have to carry any workload home. Also, I am working on proper time management at the workplace to save time and avoid procrastination so that I can finish all the work in time. 

Similarly, I am working on a plan to reach to class in time and actively participate in class through listening and contributing. I am also avoiding class skipping to avoid the last-minute rush. After getting home late at night I am working hard to help with the kids and home activities such as cleaning and setting up the dinner table. 

Despite having a plan in place I am facing challenges and sometimes I have to skip some of my daily activities. Sometimes I have challenges of excess workload that I am forced to extend time at work and getting late to attend the classes. Other challenges identified are workload and lack time to rest causing fatigue that is affecting my productivity. By the end of every week on a Friday, I have troubles of staying up to watch a movie with my kids because I am too tired. My family has been complaining that since I began my classes I have less time for them because I am too occupied with ministry work or classwork. 

With all these challenges, I have developed a plan with my family to help me in adapting to the changing work/life environment. My plan involves engaging the boys and their mother in helping me do some of the home shores that I used to do so that I can concentrate on my work and classwork. We have tried to implement the work and it is working with a few challenges.