Things You'll Need:
- PC
- Watch
- Pen
- Pencil
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Step 1
Whether you choose a hand-written time tracking sheet, Excel spread or even a sophisticated piece of time tracking software, remember that any system is only as good as its user. This is particularly important if you're self-employed or freelancing as you will need to rely on you to remind you to keep things updated.
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Step 2
To keep time tracking and billing precise - a project labelling strategy can help. This can also help speed up the time it takes raising invoices as all of the time spent on any given job can be found quickly attached to one job name or number.
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Step 3
Set time tracking deadlines - and keep to them. Your deadlines depend on your working style and - more importantly - your company's invoicing needs. Effective time tracking boils down to one thing: you. If the types of work you're doing wrap up neatly at the close of a day, why not set aside 5 minutes to ensure that you're time sheet adds up to the time you've spent working today? As soon as you're satisfied that this is so, email it across, print it out or save it within a folder waiting for invoice-raising day.
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Step 4
Many companies and freelancers understand that billing to the minute can create problems when invoicing. As a company - or individually - decide how best to record your time. Personally, I prefer to track time in 15 minute chunks, but I have worked for businesses that prefered hours split into 10-minute and even 6-minute intervals. Decimalization helps but often requires having a calculator about at all times.
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Step 5
Choose a method and stick to it. If you're a paper person, stick to what you know best. Just make sure you have a clock nearby or wear a watch at all times when you're working and ensure that you're always have your timesheet and pen nearby.
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Step 6
If you're job is more technology-based, you might find an Iphone app or a piece of time tracking software written specifically for your industry. But - most importantly - do your research to find the package which suits you, your business and your projects best.
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Step 7
If you're on the go or prefer nice (and free) web apps, check out Toggl. It's cute and effective time tracking for freelancers or small companies. There's a downloadable version available for those times you might be offline. It's an ideal tool for any company where people are telecommuting or constantly on the road.
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Step 8
Harvest might be a bit on the expensive side, but it delivers excellent value with expense tracking, budget monitoring and reporting. What's more, it exports quickly to Quick Books.
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Step 9
Intervals adds the dimension of project task management to time tracking software. It's on the pricy side, but poor time management can certainly cost you much more than the $50 a month they charge for their most popular 'not so basic' package. That allows you to run 30 projects, store up to 2 Gb and have unlimited users, clients, milestones and tasks.
