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Last post Author Topic: Best way to track the time you spend on each project  (Read 49,723 times)

NigelH

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Re: Best way to track the time you spend on each project
« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2008, 03:17 AM »

wraith808

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Re: Best way to track the time you spend on each project
« Reply #26 on: August 22, 2008, 10:57 PM »
I purchased TimeTraces on a BDJ discount, and it really helps me out.  I'll do a mini-review of it if I ever get time, but I really like it!

http://www.twologs.com/en/products/timetraces.asp

deinotes

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Re: Best way to track the time you spend on each project
« Reply #27 on: July 04, 2009, 04:29 PM »
Sorry to bump this old topic but i want to inform that we @ hesiod software just have developed a new kind of time tracking tool.
With the program you can fill in your hours at the end of day or week by looking back in the time.
It saves screenshots during the day.
So that you at the end of the day/week can easily see when and on what programs you have worked by the color coding of the different windows.
Sound somewhat cryptic but when your working with the program you will find out that it's not that complicated and instead will save you a lot of time. ;)
We have both a trial and a free version available.
You can look for info @ http://www.hesiodsoftware.com ;
« Last Edit: July 04, 2009, 04:36 PM by deinotes »

mouser

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Re: Best way to track the time you spend on each project
« Reply #28 on: April 27, 2010, 07:55 AM »
Just an update that i really like the tool that DC member Skwire made, Anuran:
http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=20965.0

iphigenie

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Re: Best way to track the time you spend on each project
« Reply #29 on: April 28, 2010, 04:00 PM »
I used to have to juggle a lot of different clients and projects in parallel in the web agency I owned, since i did sales, client partner, support, general development (no, it wasnt just me, we were 20, but the buck stopped with me so i dipped a toe in a lot).

I discovered that I get so into the moment that I do not stop to record the swap from task to task, the interruptions, phone calls, or the meetings

A tool that helped me was one that records the details of the title bar and open files of the apps I have open, how much focus time and %of CPU they had. It also pops up a little window if I am been inactive for 5 minutes asking "what did you do? break?meal?phone call? meeting? for which project?" in an easy to deal with dialogue (5 seconds max).

With that tool I can review at the end of the day and tell it which project each line was related to. I can make the assignment sticky (i.e. "file xy in word is project z" "site T in firefox is project R" "donationcoder.com is break" "email thread topic Q is .." etc) so after a week the daily review is quick.

It is the only way I ever found out to actually get an overview, all the systems that rely on doing it while it happens failed myserably. I am too much in all the things I juggle to have that meta "record task swap" moment

There's a utility here, is it called titlelog, that does a simple version of this, without all the mapping and reporting (which you could do in excel or...)

Armando

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Re: Best way to track the time you spend on each project
« Reply #30 on: July 24, 2010, 11:34 PM »
Reviving this old thread... I got to it "diagonally" by reading the newsletter...

Anyway, I've been using TitleLog for 2 years or something, and really like it. But Anuran is a great complement !

Anuran + ManicTime  or Anuran + TitleLog, and one is pretty much covered...


What I did for a while is review title log at the end of the day, and roughly write what I've done in my Outlook/IQ Calendar. But sometimes just looking at windows titles (+ inactivity custom messages ... Which title log cleverly features) notification isn't enough info.... And so Anuran should fill in the gap.


In another thread, Tom mentioned InstantBoss combined with TitleLog. Interesting combination too, I find.

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I'm trying ManicTime too, The interface is gorgeous and everything is well implemented. But... it might just be a bit overkill :  almost at 40mb just sitting in the system tray...  :( and the paid version is on the expensive side : 67 $ (this is, if you need the fancy stuff like

  • Password protection,
  • Categories (group applications into a category),
  • Advanced search (search through the whole database Learn more),
  • Stopwatch (time yourself while you are working on something),
  • Scheduled backup, Hide system tray icon,
  • Show notification after inactivity,
  • tag time immediately after you return to your computer.


Note that some of these could be provided by another App like Anuran.
"I suppose it can be said that I'm an absent-minded driver. It's true that I've driven through a number of red lights on occasion, but on the other hand, I've stopped at a lot of green ones but never gotten credit for it."
Glenn Gould
« Last Edit: July 24, 2010, 11:37 PM by Armando »

Original address: https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=10784.0