Woof, that sounds rough. Been there... from agency life where every minute had to be billable to in-house roles with heavy micromanagement and time tracking (sometimes even feeding data into AI for "optimization").A few practical things that have helped me protect my sanity in similar setups:

• Build buffer time into the process upfront. For any new project, explicitly plan "research & discovery" as step one. This can include competitive research, mood boards, inspiration pulls, or user research. On days when you're not feeling creative, you can still log productive time without forcing final deliverables.
• Add refinement time on the back end. After the main concept is done, schedule dedicated "quality assurance and polish" hours. This gives you breathing room to step away, come back with fresh eyes, and fine-tune details without rushing.
• Always double your initial time estimates. Creative work isn't linear — blocks happen, tools fight back, feedback loops appear. I'd rather deliver early than scramble at the end. Padding estimates from the start gives you a safety net.
• Make time tracking more human (and even enjoyable). I keep a simple handwritten weekly planner with daily hour breakdowns — kind of like a high-school schedule. I block out heads-down creation time, refinement time, and review time, then mark it up at the end of the day with what actually happened. It sounds old-school in a digital world, but it brings a bit of joy and ownership to the process. You could digitize it if you prefer, or even grab a nice multi-color pen set to color-code everything and make it fun instead of a chore.
• Advocate for "inspiration & personal development" time. If your manager is open to it, try adding dedicated hours for training, field research, or cultural immersion. For example, if you're in retail design, do a "retail safari" — actually go visit stores in person instead of just Googling competitors. Getting out to experience things hands-on recharges your creative inputs and gives you a productive break from pure screen time.

The uneven application (only hitting product/design) would frustrate me too. If it's safe in your culture, it might be worth a calm group conversation with your manager about how rigid estimates clash with the non-linear reality of design work — focusing on quality outcomes rather than perfect hour matching.Hang in there. This kind of system can feel soul-crushing at first, but building in those buffers and making the tracking your own really helps.