Time Tracking
March 17, 2008
When I first started my business my husband encouraged me to find a time tracking system. He must have emailed me 10-15 different online options and I found something wrong with each and every one of them. Truth was, I didn’t want to track my time. I just wanted to write and make money!
Several years later, (where’s that sheepish emoticon when you need one?), I found myself looking for a time tracking tool. I’ve become so busy with several different projects and businesses that I really don’t know what’s making money and what’s just eating my time.
For me a time tracking device had to be:
Simple. If I have to read a manual on how to use it, I don’t want to use it.
Something I could RSS or put on my homepage so I was reminded to use it each and every morning when I booted up.
It has to be able to generate reports. After all what’s the purpose of a time tracking tool that doesn’t?
It has to have a stopwatch type feature so I can just click the button when I begin a project and click it again when I’m done.
It has to have the ability to input information (in case I forget to use it.)
Oh, yeah and I didn’t want to pay for it.
Sounds like a tall order but I actually found one that meets all of those criteria and more.
It’s called http://timegadget.logicsmiths.co.uk/
It isn’t the prettiest tool on the web and it’s in beta but it’s the best darn time tracking tool I could ask for! I’m even using it:-)
Do you track your work tasks and if so, what tools or software do you use?
I have to admit, I’m not very good at keeping track of my time either. All the late nights working are telling me that I need to consider that a little bit more, though.
I have used myhours and timestamp. They’re both free, but I haven’t been too consistent in using either of them. I really should do that.
I think I’ll check out timegadget. Thanks for the suggestion.
Consistency is definitely key and for me, the most difficult aspect of tracking time. That’s one of the things I like about this gadget. It allows me to forget and still guesstimate so the reports are fairly accurate.