I started using Rescuetime in March 2015 and have over 4400 hours logged in the software apart from one month in 2016. The software is running 24/7 on my computer. During this time I have been a freelance developer, with the computer as my sole means of income. Here are some highlights of how my behaviour has changed after learning how I was spending my time.
2015
Overview
Categories
Categories Breakdown
Percentage
Time
Category
24%
445h 10m
Software Development
15%
281h 50m
Communication & Scheduling
12%
224h 56m
Entertainment
11%
202h 8m
Business
9%
170h 42m
Reference & Learning
9%
167h 17m
Social Networking
6%
108h 30m
Uncategorized
4%
82h 17m
Design & Composition
4%
76h 16m
Utilities
2%
44h 43m
News & Opinion
Activities
Activities Breakdown
Percentage
Time
Activity / Website
8%
151h 38m
Gmail
8%
145h 43m
facebook.com
4%
82h 17m
youtube.com
3%
55h 20m
sublime text
3%
52h 3m
specific localdev site
3%
50h 33m
VLC Media Player
3%
47h 7m
coda
2%
42h 45m
sublime text 2
2%
41h 30m
netflix.com
2%
41h 15m
messages
Nearly 300 hours on Facebook & Email in less than a year! After seeing the data, I was astonished, and started taking more control of how I used my time. I didn't use any of Rescuetime's advanced functionality, but I did start reviewing my use on a more consistent basis.
2016
Overview
Categories
Categories Breakdown
Percentage
Time
Category
28%
541h 6m
Software Development
19%
372h 42m
Communication & Scheduling
12%
235h 45m
Business
9%
168h 34m
Design & Composition
8%
153h 27m
Reference & Learning
6%
110h 57m
Utilities
5%
101h 48m
Entertainment
5%
97h 52m
Uncategorized
4%
67h 59m
Social Networking
2%
34h 44m
News & Opinion
Activities
Activities Breakdown
Percentage
Time
Activity / Website
7%
143h 11m
Mail
6%
109h 28m
sublime text
5%
93h 49m
messages
5%
90h 46m
slack
4%
75h 47m
coda
3%
50h 40m
facebook.com
2%
45h 29m
MS Excel
2%
40h 11m
Finder
2%
37h 31m
youtube.com
2%
35h 45m
Terminal
Email was still high, but Facebook and Youtube use got cut back considerably, keeping in mind that this sample is approximately 2 months longer than the previous year.
2017 Overview
Top Categories
Categories Breakdown
Percentage
Time
Activity / Website
41%
277h 11m
Software Development
14%
94h 5m
Communication & Scheduling
10%
68h 34
Reference & Learning
8%
51h 27m
Business
7%
44h
Entertainment
5%
36h 43m
Utilities
5%
31h 23m
Uncategorized
4%
25h 55m
Design & Composition
3%
20h 12m
News & Opinion
2%
10h 47m
Social Networking
Top Activities
Activities Breakdown
Percentage
Time
Activity / Website
10%
64h 39m
sublime text
5%
35h 5m
coda
4%
25h 54m
messages
4%
25h 2m
pycharm
4%
24h 42m
slack
3%
23h 17m
specific localdev site
3%
18h 23m
Gmail
3%
16h 45m
Google Documents
2%
15h 28m
youtube.com
2%
15h 13m
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Facebook is gone. And damn it feels good. If you're not tracking your time download Rescuetime, and see where your time is really going. If you're already tracking, please comment below, I'd love to hear how you're using the tool to better your life and the lives of those around you!
"You’re already a financial trader. You might not think of it in just this way, but if you work for a living, you’re trading your time for money. Frankly, it’s just about the worst trade you can make. Why? You can always get more money, but you can’t get more time.” - Tony Robbins
Rescuetime: Quantifying Your Most Important Asset | Ecency
