5 Time-Tracking Apps to Boost Productivity and Build Invoices

by Taylor Slattery | January 17, 2020

One of the greatest joys of being a freelancer is getting to choose your own hours. As long as you put in the work, it doesn’t matter where or when it happens. You can wake up at 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning, you are your own boss, which also means you’re responsible for getting paid. When you’re working on a project, regardless of whether your rate is hourly or project-based, it helps to keep track of your hours. Not only can this help you to stay on task, but you also gain insight into your workflow that can help you to better optimize your process. If you do work on an hourly basis, it goes without saying that keeping track of your hours is an absolute must. In either case, here are 5 time-keeping apps that are worth checking out.

Rescue time is an app that does more than simply track your time spent working. It allows users to set goals and alerts and can also block distracting websites helping you to stay focused during work hours. It also includes tools for teams if you’re working with others. Another great feature is the so called Productivity Pulse, which tells gives you a visual of your overall time spent on task. This helps to further optimize your day. You can find Rescue Time here.

In addition to the standard features you would expect from a time-tracking app, Hubstaff offers some interesting GPS-related quirks that make it stand out in a crowded field. It allows users to create GPS boundaries to serve as a job site, automatically clocking in when the perimeter is entered, and out as you exit. If you work at a shared space or manage a team, this is a great tool for making the process easier. If you work from home, this may not be the one for you. You can check out Hubstaff here.

Everhour has some features that make it a great choice for those looking for extra transparency. It allows users to leave detailed notes for each task which can help to establish trust for those working with new clients. It can keep track of budgets over the course of a project which is helpful for ensuring you stay within your agreed upon limit. It can also be added as a chrome extension which makes it easy to access. You can find Everhour here.

If you’re not particularly keen on the business side of things, Harvest is a great choice. It automatically creates invoices based on your timesheets and also keeps track of your annual revenue. Harvest also features a sister app called Forecast, which can be used to schedule goals and deadlines to keep you on track. You can find Harvest here.

If you’re forgetful and worry about remembering to use your time tracker, Timely might be for you. It tracks everything you work on, so you’ll never forget to add something to an invoice. It also uses AI to group similar tasks, which can be fine-tuned over time until the entire timesheet process becomes fully-automatic. Timely is great for individuals or teams. You can find it here.

The majority of these apps have both free and paid versions. Try them out and see which one works best for you.

Taylor is the Managing Editor of Notes on Design. Taylor is a graphic designer, illustrator, and Design Lead at Weirdsleep.

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