>> Keep a log of your work. In fact, keep a log of everything you do.
> Set a timer to go off every 15 minutes
I realise this won't be a popular point of view with the folk who are always 'life-hacking' or what not, but my goodness that sounds mortifying to me.
I have worked in professional services too, and I had to bill for my time in 6 minute intervals, but I found it much easier to just switch between set of running timers when I changed tasks. No need to put together any timesheets at the end of the day, just note/submit the final times. I think a repeating 15 minute timer would literally cause me to go insane.
I'm all for people staying on top of their schedules, but I doubt that for most people the benefits of something like recurrent 15 minute timers could ever outweigh the costs (concentration, flow, mental health).
The odd part is that the recurring timer actually calmed me down. I can't perceive the passage of time, so having a prosthetic that forces me to ground myself periodically in the moment has been a blessing.
I use an Apple Watch, and it's a gentle tap on the wrist that's perceptible to me and basically no one else.
I think a repeating timer acts as a calming or focusing tool for some. I don't advocate it personally, unless your life or work schedule must be ruled by the clock.
When I say "write everything down" I mean use the lightest of note taking. It can be a bullet point for the day, or an expansive note on a particularly difficult technical challenge, there is no one set way of approaching this.
> Set a timer to go off every 15 minutes
I realise this won't be a popular point of view with the folk who are always 'life-hacking' or what not, but my goodness that sounds mortifying to me.
I have worked in professional services too, and I had to bill for my time in 6 minute intervals, but I found it much easier to just switch between set of running timers when I changed tasks. No need to put together any timesheets at the end of the day, just note/submit the final times. I think a repeating 15 minute timer would literally cause me to go insane.
I'm all for people staying on top of their schedules, but I doubt that for most people the benefits of something like recurrent 15 minute timers could ever outweigh the costs (concentration, flow, mental health).