Revisiting the Emergent Task Timer (ETT)

Revisiting the Emergent Task Timer (ETT)

Last year I started to work on an update to the Emergent Task Timer, the “Where Does My Time Go?” form that pre-dates the Emergent Task Planner (ETP). Unlike the ETP’s focus on tasks and blocking out the day, the ETT by comparison records what you’re doing with 15-minute granularity, and gives you time awareness. It happens to also be good for time tracking.

Front Side I think the ETT will be the next printed product, the first for 2014! However, I am thinking of giving it a different name to help distinguish it from the Emergent Task Planner, since people get the names confused all the time. If you would like to read about the new form and provide additional feedback, I would be very grateful.

I’m also curious how long it will take me to get this produced, packaged, and available for sale. My guess is two months, but I am pulling that number out of my butt. Project tracking begins now!

7 Comments

  1. Pierce Wetter 10 years ago

    Some names:

    Daily Task Tracker Daily Emergent Tracker Emergent Tracker Tracking Task Planner Task Tracker Task Time Tracker Seize the Day Tracker

  2. Erica M 10 years ago

    After years of using the ETP (got a pad of pre-printed sheets for xmas!), I’m in my third week of using the (old version of the) ETT to track my time. I probably should have done this a year ago, when my transition from a regular office job to full-time-studenthood was still fresh. I’m finding myself with more to juggle currently, and a need to know how much time I really am spending on various things (especially “overhead”). It’s a side benefit to find out how much time I’m wasting, too. But that hasn’t necessarily translated to motivation yet. I was going to go back to the ETP for that, but maybe this new version of the ETT will help.

  3. Guy Porter 10 years ago

    First of all, I love everything you’ve ever done. On this form, I love the concept, since so much does pop up. And your form makes more sense than my present method of writing notes on the ETT? But I think it would be better if it were a vertical form. I work less than 11 hours a day and do more than 11 up scheduled tasks a day. Just my $.02. Thanks again for all your good work.

  4. Larea Arnett 10 years ago

    Just wanted to share something funny – I clicked on this article from the email and started looking at the images of the forms before reading. My eyes had just noted the highlighted “update to ETT” comment and missed the part about the revision being made last year. So expecting to see a new form, I first looked at the pictures. I was very familiar with the one on the right because I use it from time to time. I then thought the one on the left must be the new one. I was thinking, How can he think this is an improvement? Why would he take away the top 3 tasks? Then I looked again. What a relief!

  5. John 10 years ago

    I too would like a vertical version with fewer tasks in columns and time down the vertical axis.

  6. Author
    Dave Seah 10 years ago

    I’ll see about making a 12-hour version in vertical format. I used to have one, but I haven’t heard a request for it in a while!

  7. Joe S 10 years ago

    David – I love all your stuff, especially the ETT. I use it and Bubbletimer’s like it quite often. Did this ever make its way towards the Amazon store in 2014? I’d be curious to see about how successful this product ship has gone. Thanks again for all your work. Joe