What tools or programs do you use to track time?

[vangogh]

I use a free program called TimeWriter which I found online years ago. It's pretty basic. It has a few features like a stopwatch you can turn on and off when you start and finish a task, but I'd hardly call it feature rich.

It's easy enough for me to know when I start and stop something since I'm on the computer and the clock is right there. I've been thinking of developing some project specific and weekly excel files and fill them out manually. I was thinking the project specific files would make it easier to go back to a project and find out how long I spent on it and the weeklys would make for an easy review at the end of the week.

I could probably prefill the weekly files with the tasks I want to accomplish at the start of the week and compare it to how I actually spend the week in order to see how well I'm meeting goals.

How does everyone else track their time or is it not as important to know where time goes in your business?

[Paul Elliott]

Steve, about 150 years ago I used SideKick, a DOS program, which had a small timer so I could track billable hours (like attornies). However, I've not needed to track my time for specific projects that closely in more recent years.

Paul

[vangogh]

I do need to track my time for some projects, but it's mostly to help me estimate future projects. I also like looking over a few weeks of data to see if I'm spending my time well. Helps me better understand the return I'm getting on my time investment.

I probably don't need to track for specific projects, but I've been wondering if it might be useful.

[Paul Elliott]

I do need to track my time for some projects, but it's mostly to help me estimate future projects. I also like looking over a few weeks of data to see if I'm spending my time well. Helps me better understand the return I'm getting on my time investment.

I probably don't need to track for specific projects, but I've been wondering if it might be useful.

Steve, I think those uses are very important, especially in testing your processes.

[vangogh]

The testing is where it pays off the most for me. I tend to do most of my marketing online in time intensive ways as opposed to money intensive ways. I'll look at how I'm spending my time and realize I may be putting too much of it into one form or marketing and not enough of another. I use the tracking to help me balance things in my marketing strategy.

[Paul Elliott]

The testing is where it pays off the most for me.
. . . I use the tracking to help me balance things in my marketing strategy.

That sounds like an excellent approach.

[vangogh]

Like last week my time tracking told me I spent way too much time posting on forums. :)

[Paul Elliott]

Like last week my time tracking told me I spent way too much time posting on forums. :)

Ouch! Too bad for us! ;)

[vangogh]

I put just about everything else on hold last week to get things up and running here and then doing what I could to fill the place up with threads and posts. I'll still spend a lot of time here in the next few weeks until we reach a point where I can go back to more normal forum posting and admining, but I have to get back to my business this week. It turned out to be good timing, but my clients didn't need me much this week and it was mostly my own projects I had to put on hold temporarily.

[Paul Elliott]

Thank you for all your hard work, Steve. We'll survive and do well while you get back to your paying customers.:D

We don't want to interfere with progress.

Paul

[vangogh]

I won't be gone this week. I do enjoy posting on forums as you can probably guess. Last week I felt it was important to make sure this place filled up with content as quickly as possible. I know we're starting with an active group of people, but I also know everyone has other things to do and can't spend all day here.

Fortunately it was a quiet week for me last week in terms of things that needed to be done right away. This week I'll be getting back to my clients and my other projects, but I'll still be here.