Why lock screen time tracking works when timers don’t
Most people give up on time tracking within a week because they forget to press start. Asking at the moment you unlock your phone fixes that.
Read articleBefore changing how you spend your time, it helps to know how you spend it now. A time diary — a plain record of what you did, and for how long — is the most reliable way to find out. Our guesses are usually wrong: we overestimate time spent working and underestimate time spent on our phones.
Choose broad categories
Start with six to ten activities that cover a normal day. For example: Work, Study, Commute, Sport, Family, Meals, Social media, Rest and Sleep. You can add more later; too many at the start makes logging slower.
Log as you go, not at the end of the day
A diary written in the evening is a diary of what you remember, not what happened. That is why SelfM asks on your lock screen during the day. Answer each prompt honestly — the aim is information, not a perfect score.
Don’t change anything yet
For the first week, resist the urge to “be good” because you are tracking. You want an honest baseline. Changes come after.
Read the results
After seven days, open the weekly view in Statistics and ask three questions:
- What surprised me? One number usually stands out.
- What would I like more of? Sport, reading, time with family?
- What would I like less of? Scrolling, commuting, meetings?
Set one goal and one limit
Pick a single activity to grow and a single one to shrink. In SelfM, add a daily goal to the first and a daily limit to the second. Keep tracking and compare the next week with the first.
Small, visible changes add up. Thirty extra minutes of study a day is more than 180 hours a year. Read our guide for students.
