Time audit worksheet you can fill in privately
4 min read By David from TimeRetain
Download worksheet This PDF has three day tables and a review page. Write start when you begin, and write end when you stop or pause. When you begin again, use a new row.
It is not a timesheet to submit. What a time audit is is the method. This page is how to fill the PDF.
The download is a two-page PDF. Type in a reader, or print it and write. Keep the finished file on your device.
What is on the worksheet
Page one is the log: three tables, one per day. The columns are start, end, and note. One row each time you begin. Rough times are fine.
Use ordinary days, not a launch week or a trip.
Page two is the review: where the hours went, what surprised you, hours vs value. Under that, two lists: keep watching, and let go.
There is no rate column or client field. The rows are not a half-hour grid.
How to fill each line
When you begin, write the start time. When you stop or pause, write the end. When you begin again, use a new row.
- Start and end. Use the time you would tell a friend. 09:10 to 09:55 is close enough.
- Note. Name the work. “Inbox and Slack” tells you something. “Busy” does not. “Drafted onboarding email” is clearer, and a few words beat a blank.
Do not set a repeating alarm. Write the times, then go back to the work.
Leave rows blank if the day was quiet.
A filled day
A morning:
| Start | End | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 09:10 | 09:55 | Inbox and Slack, reactive |
| 09:55 | 11:20 | First pass on the proposal |
| 11:20 | 12:00 | Weekly catch-up, ran long |
| 13:00 | 13:40 | Receipts and calendar cleanup |
Inbox took the first 45 minutes. The proposal starts at 09:55. The weekly catch-up takes the rest of the morning.
The gap after 12:00 is a pause. The next row starts when work begins again.
Those notes are easier to write if nobody else will read them.
After three days, fill the back
Fill page two after you have three days of rows.
Read the days once. Write:
- Where the hours went. Which kind of work took the most clock time. One sentence.
- What surprised you. A block that felt short and was not, or the other way around.
- Hours vs value. The work that ate the day, next to the work that actually moved something.
Then split what you found. Keep watching is for a habit you are changing, or hours you have to report. Let go is for the rest.
If you want a plan for the hours that remain, a time budget is the next sheet. The audit shows what the week did. The budget sets a ceiling for next week.
A daily work log answers a different question: what finished, and what got in the way. Fill that at the end of the day if you want a handoff to tomorrow-you. Do not merge it into the audit rows.
Keep the file on your own device
Save the finished PDF on your device. Do not drop it in a shared drive “for later.” If you print it, do not leave it in a stack someone else can read.
Use a local-first timer for the categories you keep watching. The audit can stay on paper. The follow-up record does not have to leave your machine.
If Keep watching has a couple of lines, use manual time tracking: start when the block starts, stop when you switch, add a short note. TimeRetain is that timer, on your own device, with no account. It will not watch the days you choose not to track.
Keep a private timer for the few things the worksheet said to watch.
Put the file away
When the three tables and the review are filled, close the file. Leave Keep watching for the few lines that still need a timer.
Questions and Answers
What is a time audit worksheet?
A time audit worksheet is a two-page fillable log. Page one has three day tables with start, end, and note. Page two is the review: where the hours went, what surprised you, hours vs value, then keep watching and let go.
How do you fill out a time audit worksheet?
Write start when you begin, and write end when you stop or pause. When you begin again, use a new row. Add a short note, skip repeating alarms, and leave quiet rows blank.
How many days should a time audit worksheet cover?
This worksheet has three day tables. Fill ordinary days, not a launch week or a trip.
Is a time audit worksheet the same as a timesheet?
No. A timesheet is a record you may review, export, or submit. This worksheet stays with you. It is not a form for payroll or a client.
Can I type into the time audit worksheet PDF?
Yes. The fields are fillable in a PDF reader. You can also print the worksheet and write on it. Keep the finished file on your own device.