By Patrina Pellett, PhD (Follow me on LinkedIn)

Do you ever feel like you're running on a treadmill that’s going way too fast, and yet, somehow, you’re still not getting anywhere? Meetings, emails, congresses, POA meeting, travel, more emails... it’s endless. If you're like most people in Medical Affairs, your calendar is probably packed with back-to-back meetings, leaving you feeling like you’re playing an impossible game of whack-a-mole with your tasks.

Sound familiar? Well, here’s the good news: there’s a simple, yet powerful tool to help you reclaim your time and focus on what really matters. It’s called a time audit and it’s the first step to breaking free from the chaos.

Sit back and let’s dive into why a time audit in Medical Affairs is the secret key to maximizing productivity.

And for those of you aspiring MSLs, this will come in handy for you too. You’ve got a full-time job, and you’re also trying to squeeze in time for a job search. It’s a lot! Good time management habits are going to keep you focused.

Get started on your time audit with this free workbook! 

Time Audit for Medical Affairs: Unlock Your Productivity

What Is a Time Audit?

A time audit is like an MRI for your schedule. It gives you a clear, detailed look at where your time is going each day. The idea is simple: by tracking everything you do, you’ll see how much time you’re spending on productive activities versus things that are eating up your hours (like meetings with no agenda or obsessively checking your inbox).

For aspiring MSLs who are working full-time, the time audit will help you carve out time for job searching, networking, and preparing for interviews, all while keeping your current role on track. And for Medical Affairs professionals, it’s a great way to ensure you’re focusing on high-impact tasks, like building KOL relationships or showing the value of your team to cross-functional partners, and not getting bogged down in admin tasks or unnecessary meetings.

If you haven't watched this MSL Talk episode on Time Audits, you should! Tom and I deep dive on the topic and share our perspectives. 

Why a Time Audit Is the Key to Unlocking Your Productivity

We think we spend enough time on our needle-moving activities until a time audit reveals the truth. Until you’ve tracked it, you don’t really know where those precious hours are going. That’s where a time audit comes in. It gives you the data you need to understand how much time you’re spending on the things that truly matter, whether that’s developing KOL relationships, preparing for that next big career move, or making sure you’ve got time to recharge your battery.

A time audit helps you:

• Get real about where your time is going: Stop guessing and start seeing where you can make real changes.
• Find your time wasters: Whether it’s for your MSL job search or spending more time on strategic priorities, you’ll figure out what is sucking up all your time.
• Take control of your calendar: You’ll learn how to stop letting your calendar run you and start scheduling intentionally.

Color Coding Your Time Audit: A Fun and Visual Way to See Your Priorities

Color coding has become my go-to method for visually understanding where my time is going. It works wonders if you like a more hands-on approach to organizing your day.

“I’d be lost without my color-coded calendar! It’s a must for everyone! Juggling work, personal care, chauffeuring kids in the evenings, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and on for a busy professional trying to meet deadlines. Different colors for all my different categories helps to distinguish time allotments and keeps me on track.” 

- Robert Herr

 

It's very simple to implement:

1. Pick categories
2. Assign colors
3. Use colors in your calendar (Gmail, Outlook, and other calendar apps have this feature)

Here’s how I personally break down my color-coded categories. These are aligned with my goal categories:

• 🔵Blue – Personal Development: This includes time for planning, learning, and professional growth activities (perfect for those preparing for an MSL role!).
• 🟣Lavender – Health: Time for exercise, eating, and breaks—because you can’t perform at your best if you’re running on empty.
• 🟡Yellow – Business/Work: This is anything work-related for me.
• 🟢Green – Relationships: Maintaining both professional and personal relationships, whether it’s my networking on LinkedIn, connecting with my business partners or my husband and our friends.
• 🌞Teal – Finding Joy: Fun, hobbies, and relaxation. This one is so important for me. I tend to overwork and have to remind myself that I want a fun life too!

If you don't want to mix work and personal, here’s another work-only version I’ve used:

• Yellow: Important client/KOL meetings requiring preparation.
• Coral: Meetings with clients/KOLs that don’t require prep.
• Green: Prep time for meetings.
• Blue: Email, follow-ups, and scheduling.
• Gray: Internal meetings
• Lavender: Eating and breaks

Learn how I used these colors strategically to plan my week here.

You can customize the colors based on what makes sense for you, but the idea is the same: a quick glance at your calendar gives you an instant snapshot of how you’re spending your time. Don't overthink it! They aren't permanent. You can change it later.

How to Do Your Time Audit (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)

Here’s the simple, no-nonsense way to get started:

1. Track Everything for a Month: Yes, a whole month! Why? Because there’s too much variation week to week. To get the most accurate picture, you need to track your activities over time. Write down or add everything you do in half-hour increments so you don’t feel overwhelmed by too much detail. Include work tasks, personal development, health, fun stuff, everything.
2. Categorize Your Time: Once you get everything down on paper or in your calendar, categorize it by color-coding. Whether you use my personal categories (business, personal development, relationships, health and finding joy) or focus strictly on work tasks, the key is to see where your time is going.
3. Look for Patterns: At the end of each week, review your calendar and look for trends. Where are you spending most of your time? Are you dedicating enough time to personal development (especially important if you’re job hunting)? Are meetings taking up more space than you realized? What pops out at you?

Common Time-Wasters in Medical Affairs (And How to Handle Them)

During your time audit, you’ll likely discover a few areas where time is being consumed in ways that aren’t aligned with your goals. In Medical Affairs, we see a few repeat offenders:

• Unproductive meetings: Always ask yourself, “Does this meeting have a clear objective?” If not, reconsider attending or suggest a more streamlined format.
• Constantly checking email: Have you ever thought I will just quickly check my email and then an hour is gone? I bet this has happened to you! Set specific times of day to check your inbox and avoid doing it continuously. You’d be amazed how much time this frees up and how much better you feel.
• Admin tasks: These are necessary, but they shouldn’t dominate your schedule. Look for ways to streamline processes, like batching.

If you need some help with overcoming distractions, check out this article for tips. 

Next Steps After Your Time Audit

Once you’ve completed your time audit and seen where your time is going, it’s time to take action:

1. Reflect on the Results: Do you need to make some changes? Is there something you need to take off your plate? Maybe you’re spending too much time in meetings or too little time on personal development or your job search. Reflection is key to figuring out how to move forward.
   
   2. Reclaim Your Time: Now that you have a clear picture, make adjustments. Start with small changes—block off time for high-impact tasks, set boundaries around meetings, and reduce distractions.
   
   3. Align Your Calendar with Your Goals: Whether your goal is to get that MSL job, build relationships with KOLs, or focus more on self-care, your calendar should reflect those priorities. Make sure you’re dedicating enough time to what truly matters. Designing your ideal week really helps with this.
   
   4. Take Something Off Your Plate: One of the biggest lessons from a time audit is realizing that you might be trying to do too much. Is there something that’s taking up too much of your time that you can delegate, streamline, or even eliminate? Less is sometimes more when it comes to productivity.

Conclusion: Time Audit for Medical Affairs

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or struggling to balance everything, a time audit might be exactly what you need. It's been a game-changer for me. I give my week a quick glance and know exactly what I have and have not been doing:

• Not a lot green🟢? I need to prioritize networking and my husband/friends more this week.
• No lavender🟣? I didn't take a lot of breaks. No wonder I felt so tired. Then I plan my breaks better the next week.
• Calendar is all yellow 🟡and there are no little sunshines 🌞? I need more fun in my life!

A time audit gives you the clarity to see where your time is going and helps you take back control of your day. Whether you’re in Medical Affairs or on the hunt for an MSL position, a time audit is your first step to unlocking productivity and aligning your time with your goals.

How do you manage your time and make sure you are focusing on what matters? Please share with me on LinkedIn or post on the MSL Mastery LinkedIn page.

Ready to start your time audit? Download your Time Audit Worksheet and take the first step today.