Why I stopped using time management apps to plan my day
Time management apps are everywhere, promising to streamline your schedule, increase productivity, and make the most of every minute. I followed through on that promise and tried app after app in hopes of mastering my daily routine. Although this practice initially gave me a sense of accomplishment, I eventually decided to move away from these apps. Here’s why.
1 My day lacked flexibility
When I planned my day using a time management tracker, I filled in every hour of the day from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed. Whether I set aside time for writing, work, exercise, or hobbies like reading and crocheting, there was something to do every waking minute.
Sometimes this rigid structure filled me with dread rather than giving me a useful map of how to spend my day. What if I didn’t feel like reading a book on a Wednesday night from 6 to 8 p.m.? What if I wake up later the next day and my entire schedule has to be moved?
I spent more time stressing about not meeting the time increments I had set aside and felt “stuck” in my schedule, leaving little room to go with the flow and join last minute plans. I had to take the time to understand my time management needs because this approach to time tracking was not successful.
2 Some tasks took more time than I expected
Another thing I learned from using time management apps is that I always underestimated the amount of time it would take to complete a task. Whether it’s filling out job applications, cooking dinner, or even getting ready in the morning, I’ve somehow found a way to squeeze through the allotted time in my schedule.
I was constantly rushing to get to the next task while failing to complete what I had originally set aside time for, leaving me with half-finished tasks that I inevitably had to come back to later in the week. This meant that I rarely felt a sense of accomplishment at the end of the block of time I set aside for a particular task.
3 I often rescheduled
Building on my last point, I often rescheduled my day because some tasks were much longer than I anticipated. I tried to compensate by building my schedule for the next day using the tasks I didn’t have time to finish, but that would only lead to me pushing the looming deadlines even further, sometimes into the next week.
Tracking my time was supposed to help me finish tasks earlier, but I was left empty-handed and pushing deadlines in the race against my own set deadlines. My stress only increased in the end.
4 I enjoyed hobbies less
Unfortunately, dividing time between hobbies in the evenings was less fun overall. Instead of spontaneously reaching for a book in some downtime, evening reading or crocheting became a chore. My hobbies soon became something I “had to” do to cross them off the list for the day.
It made me wish the block I had set aside for reading would hurry up and be over so I could move on to the next task. When I turned my hobbies into a task, they felt like an extension of my typical work day. What’s the fun in a hobby if I don’t actively enjoy it and hope it ends?
5 The day went by much faster
Instead of a random free hour or two where I could decide what I wanted to focus on, my time was always filled with something to do. This meant that the days went by much faster as I was constantly running from one assigned task to the next.
In hindsight, I needed to factor in some downtime to sit back and relax from the constant flying. Rushing from one task to the next found me approaching 10pm at a record pace, and I still felt wired when I climbed into bed. Most nights I ended up staying up later trying to relax by scrolling through memes to calm my brain so I could actually sleep.
6 I could not concentrate on the assigned tasks during the scheduled time
Sometimes my brain just couldn’t focus on the task I had set for that part of the day. Whether it was writer’s block, fatigue, or some other wrench thrown into my plans, I just couldn’t push through and complete my assignment. I felt guilty for not being able to focus and tried to push myself to no avail rather than take maybe 10 or 15 minutes to reset by going for a walk or reading a chapter in a book.
The tight nature of my schedule made me feel like I couldn’t just get up and do something because it meant I wasn’t working on what I was supposed to be doing. While I’ve definitely learned about the downsides of time management apps, there are plenty of time management strategies that I’ve now added to my routine to increase productivity.
When I planned my day using a time tracker, I was more stressed trying to meet my own deadlines, which meant I was less focused on the tasks at hand. My hobbies were also less enjoyable and my days flew by in the blink of an eye. I’m glad I’m done with time management apps. Now I can spend my days at a leisurely pace while actually completing my to-do list.