How to do a personal time audit (without going crazy)
František Hlinka · Solo developer of Nanominute
· 4 min read
A personal time audit is a short stretch, usually a week, in which you log what you actually do and then look at where your hours went. It is not about perfection. It is about replacing the story you tell yourself (“I have no time”) with data you can act on.
Why do a personal time audit?
Because we are bad at guessing. Many people can say how long they work, but not how long they spend in transit, on routines or scrolling their phone. An audit shows where your time really goes, which lets you make intentional decisions about it. I wrote about why tracking your time is worth it separately.
How do you actually do a personal time audit?
You pick a week, choose a way to log, define about ten activities and log each one as you switch. At the end of the week you review the totals. Here are the steps:
- Pick a typical week. Not a holiday, and ideally including a weekend.
- Choose a tool. A free spreadsheet works, or a timer app that makes switching quick.
- Define about ten broad activities. You can split them later.
- Log what you are doing now. Start the timer or add a row when you switch.
- Review at the end of the week. Look at totals and surprises.
For the tool, you have options. You can use Nanominute (specifically built for this), a spreadsheet template or any of the options in my comparison of tools for tracking personal time.
What should you track, and what should you skip?
Track the main thing you are doing at each moment and skip the rest. Three rules keep an audit simple enough to finish.
Do not go hardcore
It does not have to be perfect. A week of 90% accurate data beats a perfect system you abandon on day three. If you forget to switch, fix the entry afterwards and move on.
Track one thing at a time
If you chat with a friend while being outside, or read while commuting, you will go crazy trying to log both. Pick the one that feels more important at that moment. This biases the data a bit towards the big things, and that is fine. I did it for all of 2025: a meal with friends counted as Social, not Eating.
Skip the tiny details
Logging every bathroom visit is too much. (Unless you suspect you spend 30 minutes scrolling your phone in there. Then that is exactly what an audit is for.) If an activity takes two minutes and does not change anything, fold it into the activity next to it.
How detailed should your activities be?
Go detailed where you care and broad where you do not. Detail answers questions you actually have; everything else is noise. Here is how that can look:
| If you want to know… | Track separately | Otherwise, one category |
|---|---|---|
| Whether your mornings are too long | Showering, getting dressed, breakfast | Routines |
| How much you really cook | Cooking and food prep | Eating and cooking |
| Where your evening goes | Chilling, phone, TV, reading | Free time |
| How much your commute costs you | Commute | Travel |
| Whether you train enough | Exercise, walks | Health |
For example, I tracked showering separately, and it turned out to be 14 minutes a day on average. I did not track every chore: most went into one category. The rule is simple: only add a category when you would act on what you learn.
How do you review a personal time audit?
Look at five things: the totals per category, the biggest surprise, how much time went to things you did not choose, what is missing compared to what you say matters, and one change to try next week. Do not try to fix everything at once.
Questions worth asking:
- Is the time I spend on something I care about anywhere close to what I thought?
- Is my sleep schedule consistent, not only long enough?
- How many hours disappeared into commuting, routines and errands?
- What is the one activity I would like to double or halve?
One finding from my own year: “8 hours of work, 8 of sleep, 8 free” is not how days work, because routines take a lot of time. You can see the maths in the 8-8-8 rule is a myth.
Pro tip: let Nanominute build your activity list
The hardest part of an audit is deciding your categories. In Nanominute, a short setup questionnaire builds your list of activities from a curated catalogue, personalised for you. You can still rename, recolour or delete anything.
I’m the solo developer of Nanominute, so I’m biased. I built it for my own pain point and I use it every day. It is not free forever: there is a 2-week free trial, then $49.99 a year (US price). There are no ads, and I never sell your time tracking data. You can also run a complete audit without it, with the spreadsheet above.
Try it yourself
Track your personal time with Nanominute
A time tracker for your whole life, not just work. Start a timer, switch with a tap, and see where your days go. Try it free for 2 weeks on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux.
Frequently asked questions
What is a personal time audit?
A personal time audit is a short period, usually one to two weeks, in which you log what you actually do with your time, then review the log to find surprises and decide what to change.
How long should a time audit last?
Seven days is a good first audit because it includes a full week of routines and a weekend. Even a few days will show you something surprising. Longer is better only if you keep doing it without it becoming a chore.
Should I track multiple things at once?
No. Pick the one that feels more important at that moment. Tracking two things at once double counts time and turns a simple habit into a puzzle.
How detailed should my activities be?
Be detailed where you want to change something and broad everywhere else. If you do not care about showering, cooking and eating separately, log them together as routines.
