Reflecting in December: Here’s How to Do It

December often brings a wave of reflection on the past year. Taking the time to look back before jumping into a new year has become quite common—think of concepts like Spotify Wrapped and YouTube Rewind. Reflecting on the year is also incredibly valuable in a business setting, where numbers play a crucial role. The data tracked by your employees over the past year can offer insights that prepare you to thrive in 2021. Here’s how to make the most of it.

Where Do the Numbers Come From?

With our time-tracking software, you and your employees can easily keep track of hours worked. Companies often use Keeping to time-track each task, allowing employees to log how much time they spend on specific tasks or projects. Since the app can accurately track the minutes employees spend on tasks, it creates a detailed overview of all hours worked—perfect for analysis.

Reviewing the Numbers Together

These numbers aren’t just useful for management; employees can also gain valuable insights. Motivation and workflow are complex, but numbers don’t lie. Work environment, workload, and daily schedule play a huge role in motivation and productivity. Looking at these numbers with your team and drawing conclusions can help employees reach the next level. When reflecting at the end of the year, consider asking your employees questions like:

• Which task/client/project do you think you spent the most time on this year?
• Does the time spent match your perception of these tasks?
• Are there tasks that received too much or too little energy? Do you see that reflected in the data?
• Which tasks flowed the most smoothly? Do you see that in the data?
• Which tasks were more challenging? Is that reflected in the data?
• How could you adjust your workflow to work more comfortably?

Using the Information for Improvement

As a manager, you can also use the insights you’ve gathered. Are there colleagues frequently working overtime? It’s helpful to understand why. Do you see peaks and troughs in workload throughout the year? Perhaps you could spread the workload more evenly so people can take more time off in summer. Could changes to the office layout enhance productivity? Maybe working with music could help certain colleagues. The time data your employees have tracked is incredibly valuable, and the last month of the year is the perfect time to put it to use!

Not using Keeping yet? Start the new year off right by tracking your time! Try the Plus plan free for the first 14 days.