Your Time Deserves Your Attention
By the end of the day, I walk into the room where my team lead is already waiting. The conversation drifts from one thing to another and beyond, until we get to the topic of how we spend our hours. In other words: where does all that time actually go?
And I’ll be honest: that is by far my least favorite topic.
In my work, I know what needs to be done and what the goals are. The way I carry it out is continuously fine-tuned together with the rest of my team. Work can always be improved, results can be achieved in a more enjoyable way, and if it can also be done a little faster than before, that’s a nice bonus.
But keeping track of exactly how many hours go into each part? I have no idea, and I couldn’t care less. The only time I’ve ever had to track my hours was when I worked on a subsidized project. After all, every granted euro needs to be accounted for. That everything and everyone gets made up and reality has long since been thrown out doesn’t seem to matter.
Luckily, my team lead agrees with me. Mostly, anyway, but the one caveat is actually a positive one. Because — and it’s a more than fair question — are you spending enough hours on yourself? On your own development? Are you making space for your personal growth?
Now that, that’s the one reason to keep an eye on those hours. For yourself. At least then it’s good for something.