Successful Time Tracking at Work
“Time is money” the saying goes. And yet, many of us don’t even realize how precious it is until we start measuring our income in hours we spent on work. We often spend time on activities which aren’t necessarily connected to our projects. What’s even worse is that part of them contributes to the decrease in our productivity. There’s no need to elaborate on the fact that it can be devastating to our work and doesn’t help in forming good habits at all.
There are many great, detailed methods of productive time tracking. Lots of them often requires significant changes. And you don’t have to be an expert at tracking time in order to make your time tracking helpful. We present 4 small time tracking hacks which will help you achieve a great success and boost your productivity!
1. Use Time Tracking Tools
Probably one of the most popular ways of tracking time is using special tools intended specifically for this purpose. One of them is TimeCamp – created for individuals, freelancers, small or large companies.
It is an easy-in-use, intuitive time tracking software which helps in work. Most of all, it is automatic (of course, there is an option of manual time tracking) and tracks everything in a real-time. The software has loads of useful features which make work more efficient and smooth such as budgeting, billing, invoicing, extensive reports, integrations, etc.
It is good to use time tracking software because you can see how much time you spend on particular tasks. This can help in smarter time allocation.
2. Prioritize
If you don’t prioritize your tasks, you are more likely not to finish them on time. A lot of people tend to waste a lot of time on doing things which are not of much importance.
Set clear and achievable goals for every day. Do the most important things first, then all those which don’t require your immediate attention.
A great aid to prioritizing are to-do lists or apps which help you keep your thoughts and ideas in one place. You can try tools such as Evernote, Todoist, Trello, or even a simple Google Calendar. If you feel more comfortable, you can always create a paper version of a to-do list. Or simply keep a notebook with you in which you will write down all important things.
Make sure to check out TimeCamp + Trello Power-Up to increase your productivity and always stay on top of your work!
3. Create a Block Schedule
Do you have your workday organized? If not, you have a big problem. From my own experience of working as a freelancer, I know that working without any block schedule is a killer to productivity. You should always know how much time you can and should allocate to particular tasks during your workday. Let’s assume that we work from 9 to 5, a standard working hours. Here’s how your block schedule could look like:
- 9.00 – 9.30 am – time for making coffee to boost the energy, and making sure you have all the details of your day organized.
- 9.30 – 11.00 am – the block during which you do the main project or task.
- 11.00 – 11.20 am – time to take a break.
- 11.20 am- 2.00 pm – another time block of working on the main project
- 2.00 – 3.00 pm – time to takea break, eat lunch, drink more coffee, perform small activities, for example, checking e-mails, talking to your team, checking the progress of your work.
- 3.00 – 4.30 pm- here you can work on those smaller tasks.
- 4.30 – 5.00 pm – the last block you can spend on making sure that all your tasks for today are well-performed and nothing is missing. Also, you have some time to prepare a block schedule for the next day.
This is just an example and you can crate the block schedule according to your needs and preferences. Of course, you don’t have to strictly stick to it, you can be flexible.
4. Use Timesheets
Timesheets can be an alternative to time tracking software. However, the best way is to combine both and get the best results. TimeCamp also offers timesheet software which you can find here.
Why should you use timesheets? Because they enhance the workflow, make work more productive, give you the information on how much time you spent on particular activities.
It’s a great tool in boosting productivity.
To Sum Up
If you combine all these 4 small hacks into one and use them in your work, you will soon see the improvement. They are all great tools for enhancing time tracking. Or maybe you have other useful tips for making your work productive with time tracking? Let us know in the comments!