For four years, I have been entering my working hours to a spreadsheet. Each record would basically tell you when I started working, how long the session was, what type of work it was and what I got done. I did this more or less to ensure that I got enough work done each week since there's no one else around to keep tabs on me.
I have given up the practice this year, though. I guess it came handy from time to time, but overall I think the downsides are greater for me than the benefits, especially now since I'm rather seasoned at working on my own.
Problems With Friction and Pressure
One of the subtle problems was that having to write down when you started working actually made it harder to start working. Yeah, it's not more than a few clicks and keystrokes, but it still just felt off somehow. You know, sometimes you stare at the spreadsheet and wonder if you should write down the number and get to work, but you decide not to because it feels like too big of a commitment. But it's not really a commitment. You could just give it a try anyway and if you find out that you really don't have the creative juices, so be it. But, more often than not, you'll probably have them tucked away somewhere.
Another not quite so subtle problem was that it could put unnecessary pressure on you and kind of undermine your well-being and self-worth when you found yourself struggling. Like, you're feeling down on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday you look at the spreadsheet and go like, geez, I got to work real hard for the next five days to meet the quota. Oh, and I got to work hard right off the bat next week too just to be safe there. And then you don't get much done because the pressure is gnawing you too much, and that starts to gnaw too.
Kind of Pointless for a Workaholic Anyway
Now, keeping track of working hours can help you get work done too, but the funny thing is that I don't really need help there most of the time. As long as I can work without copious amounts of pressure, I tend to get more than enough done because I'm a workaholic like that. If anything, I'd need someone to keep tabs on me so that I don't work too much for my own good. Indeed, I have actually often ended up using the working hours stats to keep myself from overworking instead of the opposite. But there's an easier way to do the same: just take a day or two off every week.
So, yeah, I basically want to take a more relaxed approach to work again and put emphasis on just going with the flow and enjoying the ride. Of course, the ride might be bumpy at times, but that's normal for a creative job. In the end, I think that taking care of yourself is a better way to deal with that than staring at statistics.