Time Management Tools for Domestic Information Work Environments

Information workers often have trouble managing their time due to highly demanding workloads and internal or/and external interruptions. They often feel that they use their time ineffectively, resulting in frustration, stress, and anxiety. Due to COVID-19, it is predicted that working from home will be the new normal for many. A large body of HCI research has examined how to improve productivity and wellbeing from the context of office or organization, but fewer studies have examined multitasking and productivity in home workspaces. As the home becomes a space to perform tasks, idiosyncratic characteristics in terms of personal space and conditions can influence productivity and their mental wellbeing.

In our study, we aim to explore how we can help information workers who remotely work from home to manage their time—not just for their productivity, but also for holistic wellness. As one aspect of this effort, we have designed and built two Time Machines—physical interfaces that create tangible representations of how people spend their time. Rather than providing explicit and visible information to help people gain knowledge easily and quickly, our time-management prototypes aim to make space and time for critical thinking about users’ time management behavior(s).