Lost time is the challenge of the new millennium. It is getting increasingly difficult to manage time effectively with the constant barrage of information. Thankfully, there are great tools available to help identify how time is spent and improve productivity. Researching the various FREE and low cost tools available is a good start. Consider these great time management systems:
1. Rescue Time
"RescueTime is a FREE tool that allows you to easily understand and optimize how you and/or your team spends their time and attention. You install a small application on the computer and they magically track what software and which web sites are actively being used."
This is a great tool to keep you and/or your team on task. It tracks in the background what application you have open and are currently using. You can do the “stay focused” feature which will allow you to set a block of time where you can’t access sites you have predetermined (helps with that internet surfing!). It has some great reporting features too. If you find it hard to stay on task or have employees who seem distracted, this might be the tool for you!
2. Syncd
"Syncd is trusted by thousands of businesses around the world to track and analyze their time and expenses. Freelancers and large corporations alike use Syncd to improve accountability, productivity and profitability."
This is a great tool! A comprehensive time and expense tracking system. Very useful for time tracking projects by various clients, but even more impressive is the expense tracking feature. You are able to log expense receipts by client or project and there is a very robust reporting feature. NOT FREE. It is a one price plan and at $5 per month per user, it seems affordable for the features provided.
3. Let's Freckle
“How regularly do I work really? Which days do I work best? Where are my hidden time sinks? Which of my clients are the least profitable? Freckle helps you find out, with its holistic, info-packed project overviews and powerful reporting features. “
A project and time tracking tool. It offers a detailed insight into how you and your team spend hours. It also has an invoicing feature. NOT FREE. This tool costs a bit more than the others, but may fit your exact needs.
4. Toggl
"Get things done and turn your time into money. Track time with a single click, switch easily between different tasks and create reports."
Another great tool for freelancers or consultants who have multiple clients and need to track time for each of them. There is a lot of integration available with various computer operating systems and smartphones. There is a simplified FREE version or a more robust plan for a premium.
5. Tick
"Tick is a simple and friendly time tracking application focused on helping you hit your budgets."
A tool designed to track time and multiple projects, while tracking budgets. A FREE version is offered. What I like about this tool is the visual for each project on how much time is left in budgeted hours. For example, if you’ve spent 90% of the hours approved by your client and you are only halfway finished, it is glaringly obvious.
