A while ago, in an attempt to get better insights into my personal productivity, I installed RescueTime on my computer and also started testing Exist. At around the same time I also subscribed to Belle B. Cooper's monthly review compilation newsletter. As I haven't done much personal blogging lately I decided that probably the best way to get back into that habit is to write a monthly review of my own, considering that I now have a bit of "quantified self" data to feed into it. Due to the fact that this is the first time I'm doing this I'm not yet sure about the best structure for such a review, so I'm just trying to make something up and learn while doing.
Accomplishments
In May I launched CloudObjects Core and a first basic version of the CloudObjects API directory, for which I wrote a tutorial. Apart from that I managed to publish three more posts on the CloudObjects Blog.
On 19th to 21st of May I attended this year's local edition of Startup Weekend, the Startup Weekend Mittelhessen in Marburg. I was part of the team "InstaJobs" and our pitch was declared first prize winner by the jury!
Highlights
Apart from Startup Weekend and the first CloudObjects launch, another highlight of the month was my attendance at IndieWebCamp Düsseldorf. It was a lovely two days talking with likeminded people and I also got the chance to learn more about IndieAuth and work on my IndieAuth integration for CloudObjects.
Productivity
My top activities in May, according to RescueTime, were:
- 26% Software Development
- 22% Social Networking
- 10% Communication&Scheduling
- 10% Utilities
- 9% Uncategorized
Software Development at the top is great and as I expected, but 22% Social Networking is just too much wasted time. I need to be more mindful regarding procrastination. Also note that the time I spent writing posts for the CloudObjects Blog also counts as Software Development because I'm using the same Visual Studio Code to write the posts; this may change with a different workflow in future.
Here's a chart on how these activities are distributed over the course of a day:
To get numbers from another source: According to focus booster, my Pomodoro timer app, I had 225 sessions in May. Here's how they are distributed throughout the week:
Daily Routine
In the past I have often tried and failed to change my daily routine to start my day earlier. At the moment this is not a priority. But I've been able to delay using my phone until after breakfast and instead put in half an hour of reading in the morning before getting up, at least on most days. But, as seen in the daily time chart, I'm spending some distracting time before starting work in the morning, which is something I need to work on.
Goals
Goalsetting is something most people typically do as part of a monthly review. As this is my first review I have no goals from last month to check. My only stated goal for June will be reducing the Social Networking time to under 20%.