Day Map
The Day Map will help you discover your Transitional Time which I define this way.
Transitional Time is any time I am moving between two tasks and I personally have control of that time; when I am doing a routine task which does not require constant mental attention.
Many different activities can be considered Transitional Time. Some of them include:
- Driving/Riding
- Riding the bus
- Subway
- Walking to work
- Waiting for an appointment
- Standing in the checkout line
- Dusting the house
- Mowing the yard
- Walking the dog
- Break time
- A few minutes after your lunch break
- plus many others!
There are ninety-six quarter-hours in a day. Each box in the Day Map represents fifteen minutes. Choose a normal day and indicate how you use each block of time in that day. Use some method to highlight or identify the blocks that you have some control over what you do during those minutes.
In each block that is highlighted as being in your control, place a number indicating the minutes you control in that fifteen-minute block.
As you identify how each segment is used you can make it simple by marking W for Work, S for Sleep, L for Leisure, E for Eat, and so on. The goal of this exercise is not to make sure that every moment is filled with activity. The goal is to identify the areas of the day that you have personal control over.
| 12 mid | ||||
| 1 a.m. | ||||
| 2 a.m. | ||||
| 3 a.m. | ||||
| 4 a.m. | ||||
| 5 a.m. | ||||
| 6 a.m. | ||||
| 7 a.m. | ||||
| 8 a.m. | ||||
| 9 a.m. | ||||
| 10 a.m. | ||||
| 11 a.m. | ||||
| 12 noon | ||||
| 1 p.m. | ||||
| 2 p.m. | ||||
| 3 p.m. | ||||
| 4 p.m. | ||||
| 5 p.m. | ||||
| 6 p.m. | ||||
| 7 p.m. | ||||
| 8 p.m. | ||||
| 9 p.m. | ||||
| 10 p.m. | ||||
| 11 p.m. |
Now that you have done a Day Map, you should be much more aware of time that is available to put toward meeting your own goals and completing your own projects. The amount of time that you potentially have available probably surprised you. I know when I first did this exercise, I was astounded at the time I discovered.
How many quarter-hour blocks did you discover you have some control of? __________
How many minutes in a day does each of these blocks total? ____________
How many of those minutes would you be willing to invest in your own dream? ___________
Minutes I am willing to invest: _________
Number of days each week: _________
Multiplied by 52 weeks: _________
Total Potential Investment this year: _________
I imagine that you just found out that you have an amazing number of minutes that you can put into developing your dream this year that you did not think you had before the exercise.
Great! Now you can plan to use it reaching your dreams.