{"id":48367,"date":"2025-05-16T08:58:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T06:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/?p=48367"},"modified":"2026-03-29T13:53:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T11:53:57","slug":"i-tracked-every-hour-of-2024-as-timecamp-ceo-heres-what-i-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/i-tracked-every-hour-of-2024-as-timecamp-ceo-heres-what-i-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"I Tracked Every Hour of 2024 as TimeCamp CEO, Here\u2019s What I Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">\u201cThere are constant pressures toward unproductive and wasteful time-use.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive, 1967<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca1 <strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Imagine AI did this for you. TimeCamp&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/time-tracking\/ai-time-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AI time tracking<\/a> can now automatically capture and categorize your work time \u2014 no manual input needed. The same insights, zero effort. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/time-tracking\/ai-time-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Try it free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>TLDR: I Tracked 5995 Hours of My Life in a Year \u2014 Here&#8217;s What I Learned<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I tracked <strong>all my time for a year (5995h, without sleep)<\/strong> using a calendar and 15 types of activities. I&#8217;m pretty happy about my time allocation, but I have some insights about relocating time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"642\" data-end=\"686\">Why I Started Tracking Every Minute<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"687\" data-end=\"747\"><strong data-start=\"687\" data-end=\"747\">The Motivation: Why a CEO Tracked Every Hour of His Life<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the <strong>CEO of TimeCamp<\/strong>, a time tracking software company, I wanted to practice and gain deeper insights into my own productivity patterns. I was curious: <em>where does my time actually go each day<\/em>?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"860\" data-end=\"899\">My Daily Time Tracking System<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"900\" data-end=\"964\"><strong data-start=\"900\" data-end=\"964\">The Time Tracking Method That Took Less Than 5 Minutes a Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After some experimentation, I found a system that worked for me:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I used Google Calendar and Apple Calendar rather than real-time timers (which I found created too much cognitive load in my case)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I updated my calendar a few times daily, using 15-minute increments<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I integrated TimeCamp computer usage tracking as iCal into Apple Calendar to help remember what I was doing when I forgot: the integration filled out my calendar with the time blocks representing apps\/sites I was using<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The entire process took me less than 5 minutes per day<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This approach worked because I already lived in my weekly calendar, making it easy to visually see where my time was going. The TimeCamp integration automatically copied my calendar to my timesheet and assigned tasks based on automations I\u2019ve created.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1518\" height=\"2536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1.jpg 1518w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-239x400.jpg 239w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-613x1024.jpg 613w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-768x1283.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-919x1536.jpg 919w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-1226x2048.jpg 1226w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-147x246.jpg 147w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-335x559.jpg 335w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1518px) 100vw, 1518px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1073\" data-end=\"1113\">My 15 Time Categories Explained<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1114\" data-end=\"1174\"><strong data-start=\"1114\" data-end=\"1174\">15 Time Tracking Categories I Used (and Why They Matter)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After researching time tracking methods and analyzing posts in the <em>r\/dataisbeautiful<\/em> subreddit, I settled on these categories:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kids<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Morning routine (getting up, getting kids ready, etc)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personal tasks (personal tasks or hobby)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waste (useless scrolling, cheap dopamine)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chores<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Travelling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Relaxation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Home projects<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Family<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sick<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eating<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Education<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meditation (I&#8217;m doing Vipassana meditation)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1283\" data-end=\"1334\">Key Takeaways from a Year of Time Tracking<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1335\" data-end=\"1390\"><strong data-start=\"1335\" data-end=\"1390\">What I Learned After Tracking Every Hour for a Year<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, I&#8217;m pleased with my time allocation, but I discovered some areas for improvement:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having to enter activities in the &#8220;waste&#8221; category made me more conscious about reducing unproductive time<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The app Clearspace helped me significantly reduce cheap dopamine-seeking behaviors<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I identified an opportunity to redirect hundreds of hours from &#8220;waste,&#8221; &#8220;morning routine,&#8221; and &#8220;chores&#8221; categories into more meaningful areas like &#8220;kids,&#8221; &#8220;relaxation,&#8221; and &#8220;spirituality&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1509\" data-end=\"1552\">My Top Time Allocation by Category<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1553\" data-end=\"1607\"><strong data-start=\"1553\" data-end=\"1607\">Where My Time Went: Top Categories and Time Splits<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-48436\" src=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1518\" height=\"1434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3.jpg 1518w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3-400x378.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3-1024x967.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3-768x726.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3-423x400.jpg 423w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3-260x246.jpg 260w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3-592x559.jpg 592w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1518px) 100vw, 1518px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1687\" data-end=\"1730\">Custom Tools That Made It All Work<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1731\" data-end=\"1795\"><strong data-start=\"1731\" data-end=\"1795\">Tools I Built to Track and Analyze Time (Free &amp; Open Source)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help analyze my data, I created a small Chrome Plugin that cleans up Google Calendar data and generates statistics. You can find it on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/timecamp-org\/good-enough-time-review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GitHub<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/chromewebstore.google.com\/detail\/calendar-events-analyzer\/glhidlfodbkohjaohmhojhepkhehciaa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chrome Plugin Marketplace<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1903\" data-end=\"1930\">\ud83d\udcc1 Full Report Access<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1931\" data-end=\"1985\"><strong data-start=\"1931\" data-end=\"1985\">Download the Full Time Tracking Report (PDF + PNG)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those interested in the complete breakdown:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/public-hosting.timecamp.com\/calendar-statistics2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open full report in PDF<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/public-hosting.timecamp.com\/calendar-statistics.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open full report in PNG<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"2097\" data-end=\"2143\">\ud83d\udcbb Bonus: My Most Used Apps and Websites<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2144\" data-end=\"2193\"><strong data-start=\"2144\" data-end=\"2193\">Top Tools &amp; Websites I Spent the Most Time On<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to hours, TimeCamp has also been tracking my computer activity, so I could quickly assess which tools I&#8217;ve been using the most since the beginning of 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_48379\" style=\"width: 1546px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48379\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48379\" src=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking.webp\" alt=\"a chart in TimeCamp presenting time divided into categories\" width=\"1536\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking.webp 1536w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking-400x159.webp 400w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking-1024x408.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking-768x306.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking-600x239.webp 600w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking-390x155.webp 390w, https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/timecamp-categories-time-tracking-839x334.webp 839w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-48379\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Data source: TimeCamp usage tracking, 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThere are constant pressures toward unproductive and wasteful time-use.\u201d \u2013 Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive, 1967 \ud83d\udca1 Pro tip: Imagine AI did this for you. TimeCamp&#8217;s AI time tracking can now automatically capture and categorize your work time \u2014 no manual input needed. The same insights, zero effort. Try it free \u2192 TLDR: I Tracked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_glsr_average":5,"_glsr_ranking":4,"_glsr_reviews":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1354],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48367"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52948,"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48367\/revisions\/52948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timecamp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}