Time tracking: what gets measured gets managed

Time tracking is a work habit that helps you gain better insight into where your time goes: it increases the predictability of your productivity. Additionally, in some professions, it’s a necessity, as you work on a “billable hours” basis, and the administration needs to know how much time the client should be charged for.

Time tracking can be a hassle, but with a few smart strategies, you can turn it into a habit, just like getting coffee or wrapping up your workweek.

To make this an effective habit, technology is, of course, essential: an app or platform where you can easily find your way and quickly log the most important information. These choices are often made organization-wide, so you may need to adapt to the program and its usage.

However, there are plenty of things you can do to make time tracking easier.

1. Encourage planning and routine in your time tracking

Set reminders on your phone. Schedule fixed moments to reflect on the past hours. What patterns do you notice? Which hours can you already log?

Make it part of your daily rituals. Log your time when starting or ending your day, during your lunch break, or when restarting after lunch.

Keep the program open all day. This lowers the barrier to using it. Ensure that your time-tracking program is available on both your PC and mobile device.

2. Choose efficient working and focus in your time tracking

Don’t jump from task to task, but work in blocks. For example, use a timer to cluster tasks: “I will now work on task X for 30 minutes.”

Use a timestamp. In the program Notepad, you can note what you’re doing. When you save it with a timestamp, you’ll have more information about what you were doing at each moment of the day. You can learn how to do this in this video.

You can do something similar if you primarily work in the program Notion. If your tasks are there, you can link a time tracker to it, like this template. Such a time tracker measures how long you spent on the task.

Ask yourself a check question. For every task that comes up, ask yourself: “Will I be working on this for at least the minimum time (one unit of time)?” If the answer is no, consider what you can combine this task with.

3. Invest in analyzing and reflecting on your time tracking

Know what to log. Make sure you have a list of codes or client numbers easily accessible. Many systems already have a menu option that provides quick insight into codes and client information, but if not, it’s up to you to keep it handy.

Check your phone log. If you’re unsure about the duration of calls, check your phone log or bill.

Review your hours. Try to spot patterns. Which days or parts of the day are harder for entering your hours or less productive? Where do you go wrong, and what factors play a role?

Be honest about the duration. Even if something takes longer than planned or estimated, it’s wise to report the actual time spent. This prevents unrealistic expectations in the future—for yourself or others. You may decide not to charge for some of the time, for example, if a wrong estimate was made or a staff member is still learning, but it should always be clear what has been done.

Do you have doubts yourself? Then the free app Toggl is a great one to try. Toggl tracks what you’re doing, as long as you consistently press start and stop, and it sends you a summary of all your cumulative actions under one heading on Sunday night.

With these tips, time tracking becomes much easier and more effective. You’ll notice that you’ll have better control over your time, and with that, your work and productivity.

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