Ask HN: Do you use automatic time trackers? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Do you use automatic time trackers?

6 pointsHaoZeke3 comments

Over the years I've tried and dropped a whole bunch of time trackers for code productivity, with the exception of wakatime which I keep because its super unobtrusive. However, more importantly, I never have time to actually care about the metrics generated. The only exception to this is running a key logger to determine my optimal keyboard layout, but that's different. Is the pipe dream of super productivity by analyzing self stats really just a load of bull crap? Does anyone have a good use case for knowing which windows you spend time in? If so, what do you use? Something cross platform? There seem to be more on mobile devices than anything else.

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Why do you need this though? The expectation that you should always be working at peak efficiency is a sure way to become miserable. You're not a robot.

I think tracking goals is good, but when you're getting to the level of tracking key strokes that's way too much. How would keystroke or app tracking account for things like time spent thinking about or talking about a problem anyway? It's measuring the wrong thing while putting stress on yourself.

It depends on what you are trying to achieve. My goal was to spend less time reading news and more time coding and building. I tried automated time trackers but they didn't work for me. I came to the realization that wasting time was an automatic action, not something I thought about in the moment. So looking at metrics later on just highlighted a problem I already knew I had.

There are two things I did that have had a big positive impact. I use a website blocker - I use Inmotion.app, which also has some other bells and whistles and that was very helpful.

Another thing that helped was tracking my time in a spreadsheet in 15 minute intervals. I color code the time - green for coding and building, red for 'unproductive', purple for necessities - family, working out, meditation etc. I don't make entries every 15 minutes, just whenever I remember but the sheet is open in front of me all the time. This has finally brought the discipline I sometimes lacked.

There is a power to looking back over the last x blocks of 15 minutes and coloring them red. It makes me want to make my day as green as possible and I find myself competing with myself - I highly recommend it.

What blocks you from spending time on important things? Chances are it's not knowledge of how you spend your time, but a lack of energy, will, motivation or any other relevant feeling. Even if time is technically the most important resource, it's energy that is the limit in almost every case. These productivity apps just add friction and give you the illusion of gaining control. Or like website blockers they leave you vulnerable to a change of context by failing to address the root cause of going for distractions.

Just the fact that the productivity market is an entire self-sustaining industry should be a hint that there is a fundamental problem there.

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