We get it, it’s no wonder MS Excel is your go-to choice, as you’ve probably been exposed to it for countless functions already. And it’s been effective, we’re not debating its benefits or functionality.

But rather challenging you to see that Excel time tracking can take your business/processes only to a point, whereas an application designed specifically for this purpose, frees up time for decision-making and helps scale faster.

Looking for an automated and effective time tracking alternative to Excel?

Try Timeular for free

Still, in this article, you will find a step-by-step guide on tracking time in Excel and its downsides, a free Excel timesheet template created by us, and an automated time-tracking tool loved by 10,000 teams: Timeular.

Time tracking in a spreadsheet

Regardless of the purpose of time tracking in Excel, you’d first need to understand the process and learn how to create templates. Here’s a step-by-step process of how it is typically done:

1. Create a time tracking template 

• Open a new Excel spreadsheet & start labeling columns; 
• Label with Date, Employee Name, Project/Client Name, Task Description, Start Time, End Time, Total Hours, and any other relevant details (like Billable or Non-Billable hours)

2. Set up data validation

• Use Excel’s data validation feature to create dropdown lists for common entries, such as project names or tasks, to ensure consistency.
• Apply data validation rules to prevent incorrect data entry (e.g., the end time cannot be earlier than the start time).

3. Incorporate formulas

• Insert formulas to calculate total hours worked. This can be done by subtracting the Start Time from the End Time.
• If the template tracks billable hours, include a formula to multiply the hours by the hourly rate.

4. Distribute the template

• Share your time-tracking template with your team. This can be done via email, a shared network drive, or cloud storage platforms like OneDrive or SharePoint.

5. Track time daily or weekly

• Ideally, the team fills in their time entries daily or weekly, inputting the necessary information in the respective columns.

Read also: How to measure team productivity.

6. Compile the data: 

• At regular intervals (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly), collect the filled templates from all employees.
• Compile the data into a master sheet for overall analysis and record-keeping.

7. Analyze the data and create reports:

• Use Excel’s features such as PivotTables, charts, and filters to analyze the compiled data for insights into workload distribution, project costs, or productivity.
• Generate reports as needed for better management, billing, payroll purposes, or process optimization.

8. Regular updates and maintenance

• Regularly update the template to add new projects or tasks and remove completed ones.
• Modify the template as necessary to adapt to changes in workflow or reporting requirements.

9. Review and validation

• Periodically review the time entries for accuracy and completeness.
• Follow up with team members for any discrepancies or missing entries.

Read also: Ways for keeping track of employee hours

Using Excel pre-defined templates

If you’re looking for a simpler way of tracking time in Excel, to speed up your process, you can use one of the time tracking templates we created for you:

6 Excel’s time-tracking limitations

As presented above, the steps to create your time tracking sheet in Excel involve a lot of time, firstly to create the system, and then maintaining it, while keeping everyone accountable for filling it in. While Excel can be versatile, it is prone to human error and requires significant manual effort, particularly for larger teams. Even if you use a predefined template, you’ll stumble upon challenges such as:

1. Lack of scalability – as your business or team expands, you may find that Excel is outgrown too, and most probably will struggle to keep up. Once you get past several employees or a volume of data, it gets difficult to make sense of it;
2. Error-prone due to manual input – manual data entry from many stakeholders using it, comes with a likelihood of errors. Inputting hours, client or project names can lead to inaccurate time records;
3. Limited reporting capabilities – Excel lacks sophisticated reporting capabilities, and makes it difficult to gain insights into productivity or efficiency at a glance;
4. Lack of automation – Excel lacks features such as automatic stop-start timers, or tracking work for its users in the background automatically, while they perform their tasks.
5. No real-time data – As Excel isn’t inherently a collaboration tool, timesheets are filled in and collected from teams at specific times, which does not offer a bird eye view of the current state of a project or task. 
6. Security and data integrity: The Excel files can be prone to corruption, loss, or even unauthorized access. 

Timeular: Effortless time-tracking alternative to Excel

Timeular is a versatile time-recording app that offers users flexible ways of tracking and managing their time.

From tracking time physically, to manually and automatically, Timeular makes it easy to stay on top of your projects and improve your productivity.

But what exactly makes Timeular the best alternative to time-tracking in a spreadsheet?

Track time in your preferred way

Choose the time tracking method that suits you best – automated time tracking, using a physical time Tracker or keyboard shortcuts – you’re able to use all this array with Timeular.

This way you’re able to speed up your tracking process, while actually enjoying it, and on top, benefit of a clean, calendar-like interface.

• Note: In the above image, you’re seeing how automatic time tracking works in Timeular – it essentially captures all the activities you and your team performed. So that no time goes untracked!

Physical time tracker

The task timer cube transforms your time-tracking experience into an intuitive and interactive experience. All you’ll need to do is to rotate the tracker to switch between tasks, while the physical rotation will be immediately reflected on your time tracking software.

As the physical rotation mimics the workflow, it can be mastered in no time, so that you and your team cultivate a consistent and accurate time-tracking routine.

Note: Using the Tracker is not mandatory to use the Timeular app successfully.

Build a time tracking habit with a physical time tracking device

Track time seamlessly, using Timeular which works with or without the physical Tracker

Learn how it works

Done for you reports and insights

In contrast to Excel, Timeular provides detailed reports and insights into how time is spent across different activities. This removes any manual interference, or handling Pivot tables, which can be cumbersome.

The data is generated visually, it’s intuitive to run through it, and empowers teams and managers to make quick, informed decisions to optimize workflows or enhance productivity.

Real-time data from your team

While in Excel you’d have to share a template with your team, remind them to fill it in, and wait for it to be completed even for weeks, in Timeular, you’re able to see the progress on a project in 24 hours, as a manager.

The entire team has their account, and through the employee timesheet software, their timesheets are completed as they perform their tasks.

This way, you’ll benefit from real-time data, you’ll save time and have the capacity to be proactive in preventing efficiency issues or roadblocks.

Find out more about the productivity time tracker.

Tracking billable hours

Unlike Excel, Timeular works as a billable hour tracker too, to ensure that you bill clients accurately, as well as fair compensation for every hour of work for the team. This way, you won’t need a formula to calculate hours worked.

Having the option to capture both billable and non-billable hours can help you re-think your pricing and increase your business profitability.

Manage work hours, time off and overtime

Timeular works as an employee hours tracker, and automatically logs those additional hours for your project or team, based on its overtime tracker. The system calculates automatically both overtime and shortfall hours, as per the pre-set regular hours and recorded leaves.

You’re also allowed to monitor and handle all types of leaves, with Timeular’s leave tracking system.

Integrations

Timeular effortlessly integrates with the most popular tools from project management to collaboration platforms, and your go-to calendars.

These integrations allow all your time logs to be captured and synced automatically in the tools you utilize.

Integrations:

• Google Calendar time tracking integration
• Slack time tracking integration
• Time tracking in Notion

Conclusions

If this article made you contemplate at the omnipresent Excel templates, and you’ve come to the conclusion that they’re not satisfying your time-tracking needs, as they’re manually intensive, prone to human error, and time-consuming, the best alternative is to use a comprehensive time-tracking solution, such as Timeular.

Timeular is a multifaceted time-tracking platform, allowing you to track time both automatically and manually, generate visual reports without manual interference, have access to real-time data, and track billable or non-billable hours.

Such a tool will, in the end, empower you to improve productivity, track employee performance at a glance, and increase profitability, as it automates and speeds up your processes.

Create a free Timeular account

Ditch chasing Excel timesheets and turn time tracking into a task so easy that your team will even enjoy it

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You might be interested in:

• Strategies to improve team performance
• What is project tracking?
• Xero time tracking integration
• How do consultants track their time?
• Zendesk time tracking

The post Excel Time Tracking: How to Do It, and Its Shortcomings appeared first on Timeular.

Consultants often track time as a practice that extends beyond mere clock-punching or scribbling notes during tasks. It involves effective time management, resource optimization and leveraging time for maximum efficiency.

For that reason, professionals in this industry, often find themselves on the lookout for time tracking software for consultants, that can help them from monitoring project costs, to speed up completion of their consultant timesheets, to accurately bill clients.

Looking for the best time tracking tool for consultants?

Thousands of consulting businesses track their time with Timeular!

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So, whether you’re looking for the best time tracking software, or to understand the concept of time tracking for consultants, in this article we’ve expanded on its necessity, and the key features such a tool should include for the best results.

What is consultant time tracking?

Time tracking is the process of recording the number of hours worked, over a certain period, on a task or client project.

Using time tracking as a work tool allows for monitoring and logging work hours.

Time tracking can be performed manually (for example, Excel time tracking by using Excel sheets – by using predefined timesheet templates) or automatically via time tracking software.

Ultimately, the time tracking process will perform as a time doctor for the consultant’s progress and performance.

Read also: What is project management tracking?

Why is time tracking necessary for consultants?

A consultant’s time might go beyond the traditional employee time clock or standard workday; it involves a meticulous logging of each task and activity.

By diligently recording work hours, a consultant timesheet can provide transparency and accountability in their projects.

Utilizing a consultant time tracking software, whether in a digital or physical format, allows for a detailed and organized approach to tracking billable hours.

This not only aids in fair invoicing, and keeping project costs on track, but also in evaluating the efficiency of time spent on client work.

As consultants usually work by the hour, they are paid based on hourly rates. So, keeping an accurate record of the hours spent working for clients is vital because they will be paid for those registered hours – the billable hours.

These are the main benefits of time tracking for consultants:

1. More transparency

As a consultant, you might generally be required to provide detailed reports on clients projects, which include the overall time spent on the project or even for certain activities.

In order to offer a comprehensive report, you need to track hours, be intentional with time entries on your consultant timesheet, and bill clients accurately.

In turn, you’re able to offer transparency regarding hours spent vs. billing which increases customer retention and improves consultant-client relationships, while informing your pricing for future client projects.

Learn how to calculate your billable hourly rate. 

2. Accuracy and better communication

By adding a time tracking process to your routine, you’ll be 100% aware of how much time and effort is spent on a particular project or client.

The data collected contributes to better time estimation for future projects and accurate billing, or even help you make informed decisions for custom billing rates, if need be.

In order to start collecting time tracking data, to help with the above, you can start using a time tracking software, as it removes any human error, and can automatically record all your billable hours on your behalf.

If you need help with billing, you might be interested in this guide about client billing.

Looking for the best time tracking tool for consultants?

Thousands of consulting businesses track their time with Timeular!

Try 30 days for free

We can easily forget important details that, down the line, may have a crucial role when presenting the results or billing a client.

Accurate time records provide real insights into consulting businesses different tasks, and allow for more efficient resource planning.

If data from a previous project shows that, for example, creating a communication plan takes three days, the consultant can consider that when doing the project management plan for a new client.

Shortly, better time estimations increase client satisfaction since you’ll meet expectations, and you’ll be able to better communicate both internally and externally, as you’re backed by data.

All the above will impact customer retention rates positively, too.

Read also: Ways to get consulting clients.

3. Higher profitability

Keeping track of work hours is also essential and required in identifying and increasing project profitability.

As a consulting business usually charges by the hour, all the time input must be accounted for as billable and non billable hours, since there isn’t the usual 9 to 5 to go from.

The hours tracked are precious time that is worth money. If billable hours are not tracked, the professionals and firms will do work for free and lose profit.

Tribes.ai

So, every activity noted on your project management tool, from the research time, meetings with clients, until the execution of the tasks, is billable. There’s no best time than the beginning of a new project to start diligently tracking every task.

Remember, this process is not about employee monitoring, or controlling employee schedules, but rather optimizing for productivity, and ultimately, profitability.

Besides profitability and productivity, you will learn to create a more accurate time map for yourself, as well as enhancing your task management skills.

4. Increased efficiency

Time tracking provides data on how time is spent with accuracy, and doesn’t leave space for error. With data at hand, you’re equipped to check the project progress, assign tasks differently based on employee performance or capacity, and thus, better optimize your project management.

Hence, the tight deadlines become more manageable, and overtime hours decrease, which can only lead to higher efficiency.

Besides using project management tools, having access to time tracking software for consultants, already adds a competitive edge to consulting teams.

The consultant time tracking software automates a considerable amount of the work, which means your consultant time can be dedicated to focus on what matters the most – being productive and project profitability.

Track time with Timeular to identify time-wasting tasks

Spend less time on unnecessary tasks and work on what matters the most

Learn how

Some tools are even more helpful than others because they allow consultants to export reports anytime. Automated time reports are essential for consultants to deliver and update clients on progress, while not consuming time on filling a consultant timesheet at the end of the week.

As a result, you’ll see a boost in employee efficiency and project managers, as well as for freelancers and the company.

You might be interested in our guide to improving business efficiency.

5. Improved focus

Time tracking improves employee productivity levels as it will help you focus on one task at a time, avoiding multitasking and cognitive overload.

According to a study, multitasking can decrease productivity by up to 45%, and multitasking without time tracking decreases productivity by nearly half. Employees who multitask are way less likely to be focused and not send client projects on time.

Hence, time tracking adds healthy pressure and helps professionals stay invested in one task at a time until they finish it.

Get to know the best tips to improve focus and concentration.

6. Better work/life balance

According to data gathered by Zippia, 67.2% of workers report that some aspect of their work, colleagues, or corporate culture is the biggest culprit behind poor work-life balance.

Time tracking can improve this statistic as it can be the basis for completing the work on time. As we explored above, efficiency is highly improved by using a time tracking app.

Billable and non billable hours become clearer; reports are issued faster. By helping with automation, deadlines are met in time, and workers avoid wasting time they can spend on personal life.

Mention: The best time tracking tools come up with the option of adding storing data on the user’s computer, locally, and we suggest for it not be assimilated to an employee monitoring or surveillance tool.

7. Visibility over every detail

If your scenario implies managing a team of consultants on multiple projects, then you probably need to handle an array of things such as: project costs, project budgets, chasing weekly timesheets and maybe generate invoices sometimes.

At the same time, every team member comes with individual development needs, work hours and particularities.

It sounds like a lot, and it’s understandable. This is why a time tracking tool is once again valuable.

It’ll speed up employee time tracking, by giving you timesheet templates already included in the timesheet app, and this way, you won’t need to be the time doctor of the team, but the software will take this role instead of you.

At the same time, individual reports generated with the time tracking apps will clarify quicker every consultant’s strength or improvement areas.

In essence, by tracking time with your team, you’ll be provided with all the data to proactively address roadblocks, and impact a project’s and your team’s success.

How to track time as a consultant? 

If you’re a consultant and have never time tracked before or are willing to improve your current process, this is the best time to dive into this guide!

First, you need to know that you can track your time using a timesheet, a calendar, an email, or a time-tracking tool.

As mentioned, a time-tracking app is the most accurate and easy to use because it’s automatic, and frees up the time spent in googling timesheet templates!

This activity goes beyond choosing the best time to work and pressing play on a tracker. It includes planning ahead. So, ensure you are clear on what tasks you need to track. Let’s see an example.

Example

If you tell a client you will work 6 hours on a project, those hours must be accounted for in detail. 

For example, from these 6 hours, you plan on spending 2 doing some research on the project’s needs and doing benchmark research on the competition.

After this, you’ll need another 2 hours to gather and analyze your findings. After that, you have 2 hours to work on a presentation and report.

For these three separate blocks of time, when will you track the time spent on each of them? How much time did you spend on each task? Consultant time tracking is essential for transparency and resource optimization (when needed).

Time tracking software for consultants

Having in mind the reasons for which consultant time tracking is necessary, and dare we say, even a standard for consulting services, the tool used in this pursuit has a big impact.

And there’s a lot of options for tracking time:

from an email or timesheet that requires a lot of manual work to an automated platform that brings extra benefits such as reporting, billing, and scheduling of breaks.

The choice depends on your needs and preferences, however it must include some key features. We’re listing here all the features that should be part or the best time tracking software for you.

Priority should be given to a tool that:

• It’s versatile: It’s able to track time across clients, projects, and tasks;
• Offers customizable consultant timesheets that can be edited seamlessly and efficiently;
• Offers automated visual reports that allows consultants to keep clients and stakeholders up to date on the progress;
• Offers flexible time logs, with the choice to track both automatically and manually;
• Offers security and privacy for your data – in this case, data could be stored locally only;
• Offers the option to track both billable and non billable hours, which help you to bill clients accurately;
• Allows seamless integration with the finance system used by the consultant, or other apps (calendars, e-mails, Asana, Gitlab, Slack, etc);
• Has dashboards that can be customized to your needs, with features like budget tracking to control project costs, work hours or leave tracking;
• Has a friendly user interface so no time is wasted in the process.

Success Story: discover how consultants improved their productivity with time tracking

Read more

What time-tracking software to use as a consultant? 

Timeular

Timeular is a versatile time-recording app that offers consultants flexible ways of tracking and managing their time, while freeing up more time to scale consulting services. From tracking time physically, to manually and automatically, Timeular makes it easy to stay on top of projects, and improve productivity. It helps consultants to capture both billable and non-billable hours, while keeping track of budgets accurately.

Timeular offers transparent, sharable, and automated reporting, making it easier for consultants, so they can be on top of things.

Other features that can be relevant for consultants within Timeular are: overtime, leave and work hours tracking.

Conclusion

As “time is money” weights differently for a consultant, time tracking comes up as a necessary evil, with countless benefits, as mentioned in this article.

In order to speed up the tracking process, you should consider using an automated time tracking tool that goes beyond a template’s limited features basic functionality. You’d need a tool that has a user friendly interface, generates automated reports for your clients and allows you to track fast, based on your preferred way.

Such features will free up your time to focus on what matters, while having better client relationships, better estimations, and ultimately increasing productivity and profitability.

FAQ

You might be interested in:

• How consultants are compensated
• Everything about business consultants’ fees
• How to sell consulting services
• The best time-tracking tools for freelancers
• How much should you charge for consulting services
• The best client billing tools

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The post Time Tracking for Consultants: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Timeular.

A time audit provides a comprehensive breakdown of your daily activities, tasks, and commitments, highlighting areas where time is lost and helping you prioritize tasks to craft a more balanced schedule.

Looking for the best tool for your time audit? Try the most effortless time tracking solution

Try Timeular for free

Dive into our detailed guide to learn how to run a time audit, boost productivity, and master time management methods.

What’s a time audit?

A time audit is a method used to assess how time is spent on work-related activities over a designated period, often a week or a month. This technique is especially beneficial for identifying tasks that either contribute significantly to business goals or are less efficient.

In this process, you record all your work tasks and the duration of each. This detailed tracking helps pinpoint high-value activities and time-consuming tasks that might not yield equivalent returns. By analyzing this data, you can adjust your focus and time allocation to enhance overall work efficiency and effectiveness.

Why perform a time audit? Top benefits

1. You discover where your time goes

Regularly performing a time audit for work-related projects enables you to pinpoint all the tasks and activities that occupy your time.

This insight helps you understand how your time is spent and guides you in managing it more productively.

2. Time wasters and inefficiencies get busted

If you are a developer, how much time do you spend writing code? If you are a sales rep, how long do you spend on client calls? Are you spending longer on productive tasks or time-wasting activities?

A time audit reveals an accurate picture of how much time is wasted on non-productive activities and helps you and each team member make informed decisions about how to structure their workday more effectively.

TIP: Read our post and find out why you’re feeling unproductive.

3. You can prioritize and work more productively

Say goodbye to constantly missing deadlines on your most profitable projects! A time audit reveals the high-value tasks and activities that are most crucial to achieving your business goals.

Start your day with high-priority tasks. Often, just a small adjustment in your to-do list or morning routine can significantly boost your productivity and revenue.

Read also: How to organize, plan, and prioritize your work.

4. Accurate planning gets easier

You’ll have the data that you need to plan your days, weeks, and months in a more effective manner so that you have time for the important tasks.

5. Better work-life balance? Yes, please

A time audit exercise leads to improved prioritization and task management, reducing the need for overtime by ensuring work hours are used efficiently.

This effective allocation of time not only supports professional responsibilities but also frees up space for personal life, interests, and hobbies, fostering a healthier work-life balance.

6. Stress levels go down

Time audits enhance time management skills, which in turn reduce work-related stress by ensuring deadlines are met, and important project elements are not overlooked.

By clearly understanding how time is spent, client and team communication becomes more effective, reducing misunderstandings and workload imbalances, especially during high-pressure periods like the holiday season.

Furthermore, time audits allow for adjustments based on personal preferences, helping each team member craft their ideal day, and balancing work demands with personal well-being. This leads to a more relaxed and productive work environment.

• Read: How to deal with the work stress

7. You are much closer to your goals

Conducting a time audit and identifying high-priority activities to adjust your time accordingly helps you effectively work on your quarterly KPIs and achieve your career milestones faster.

More importantly, you get more aware of how to break large projects into smaller tasks and consolidate tasks that are similar to improve efficiency.

TIP: Read our post if you want to know the difference between short-term and long-term goals.

8. Continuous improvement

An in-depth analysis of your time usage allows you to track your progress in adapting time management skills like time blocking, or task batching.

At the same time, it gives you a better idea of how much time you need for specific tasks and how it’s changed over a time period. Maybe your daily tasks that used to take up a significant amount of time now take just an hour or two?

9. Self-development

When you’re learning even more about the way you spend your time and how to be better at it, you become more aware of your own self, which allows for good introspection and personal growth.

You might be interested in: The best free online time management training courses

10. Satisfaction guaranteed

Time audits guide employees to focus on essential tasks, increasing job satisfaction by fostering productivity and a sense of purpose. They also boost motivation, as employees see tangible results from meeting goals efficiently, enhancing their sense of achievement.

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How to run a time audit: A step-by-step guide

Perform a time audit by following the steps described below.

Choose your time frame

Select a period or time interval, like a week or a month, that best represents your typical daily routine for the audit.

Define categories

Break down your activities into categories such as work-related tasks, urgent tasks, personal tasks, leisure, commuting, meals, and breaks. If you create categories, it will be easier to run a later analysis.

Record every activity

Keep a comprehensive log of all your daily activities. You can use a notebook, a spreadsheet, or time-tracking software for accuracy and convenience.

Mark start and end times

While pen and paper is one viable option, using a digital time tracker or a physical time management device can make the process of logging start and finish times for each task, activity, or project much more effortless and faster.

These tools offer precision and convenience, simplifying the task of tracking how much time is allocated to different parts of your day.

Detail your activities

For a thorough time audit, it’s crucial to record each activity with extensive details.

This includes tagging activities, noting project names, specifying if a task is billable, and recording relevant details like hourly rates.

Such specificity not only enhances the audit’s effectiveness but also provides valuable insights into your time allocation and productivity.

Summarize

After your chosen audit period, calculate and summarize the time spent in each category to identify where most of your time goes.

Analyze and reflect

After completing the time audit, review the time audit template and log to analyze patterns in your time management and identify areas for improvement. Examine the data for trends and areas of unnecessary time expenditure.

Spot time-wasters

Identify time wasting activities that consume your time without adding much value.

For instance, certain routine tasks might take longer than necessary, or you might find that you’re spending a disproportionate amount of time on low-priority projects.

Reallocate and prioritize

Based on your analysis, prioritize tasks that significantly impact your goals. Delegate or minimize less important tasks that you used to spend your time on.

Draft a new schedule

Using your insights, create a structured daily schedule and to do list that aligns with your priorities and goals, allocating specific times to tasks.

Implement and tweak

Test your new schedule, making adjustments as needed to maintain optimal efficiency.

Regular reviews

Conduct audits periodically to monitor and refine how you spend your time, ensuring alignment with your set goals.

Example of a time audit template

16 Tips for maximizing results from a time audit

To optimize a time audit process and get the most out of it, consider the following tips:

1. Record your activities honestly and precisely.
2. Employ time tracking software to make the process smoother.
3. Set realistic and clear goals before starting a time audit.
4. Choose an appropriate time frame for thorough analysis.
5. Categorize activities with precision.
6. Analyze patterns to differentiate between productive and unproductive tasks.
7. Prioritize tasks that significantly impact your project.
8. Regularly reevaluate and question your established routines.
9. When planning a new schedule, allocate realistic time for each task.
10. Include buffer time for unforeseen interruptions, tasks, or delays.
11. Implement time-blocking techniques to dedicate specific periods to certain tasks.
12. Reduce multitasking as it can lower productivity, efficiency, and focus.
13. Delegate tasks where possible.
14. Regularly reflect on your progress and make adjustments as necessary.
15. Celebrate every improvement to maintain motivation.
16. Remain flexible to accommodate unexpected events that may affect your project.

Read also: How to delegate tasks to team members

How a time tracking tool helps to do a time audit

Time tracking tools are essential for conducting a thorough time audit. They provide detailed data and insights crucial for enhancing time management and boosting productivity. Below are key ways in which these tools aid in the effective execution of a time audit:

• Firstly, time tracking tools offer a real-time and objective record of how time is spent. Unlike relying on memory or estimations, a time tracking tool provides precise data on when tasks are started, paused, and completed. This data serves as an unfiltered account of work patterns, enabling an accurate representation of daily activities.
• Secondly, the time tracking app allows for detailed analysis. By categorizing tasks, projects, and activities, you can break down your workday into segments. This segmentation offers a clear picture of where your time is being invested. It helps in identifying time-consuming tasks, frequent interruptions, and bottlenecks, thereby facilitating the identification of areas that need optimization.
• Time tracking helps in assessing productivity. With the data collected, you can measure the time spent on tasks against the output generated. This comparison provides insights into your efficiency and helps in prioritizing tasks that yield high-value results. Time tracking also reveals any time leaks, enabling you to take steps to eliminate distractions and enhance your overall focus.
• Lastly, time tracking data serves as a valuable baseline for future planning and goal-setting. By analyzing your time tracking records, you can identify trends, allocate time more effectively, and set realistic goals for better time utilization. It provides a factual foundation for setting priorities, allocating resources, and making informed decisions regarding workload distribution.

Read also: What is a workload analysis and how to do it

Timeular: The best tool to help you run a time audit

Timeular stands as the most accurate and effortless time tracking software for teams and individuals. As an easy, smart and secure time tracking tool it helps you understand how you spend your time and assists you to identify high-priority activities.

Let’s take a look at the top features of Timeular proving that tracking time spent at work can be simple:

• Effortless time tracking – To track time, you don’t need to use a time-consuming pen and paper method any more. With simple and smart time tracking methods provided by Timeular, capturing your work hours and pinpointing activities that you spend your time on, is fast and effortless.
• A physical time tracker – At Timeular you can use different methods for tracking time. One of them includes using a physical time tracker to add new time entries. The Tracker is an 8-sided dice that you can personalize with stickers and pens and assign different activities to each side. It’s optional though – you don’t need it to use the app.
• Leave tracker and overtime tracker will help you keep track of PTO and all other types of leaves, as well as over-hours.
• Automatic time tracking – By enabling automatic tracking, you ask Timeular to track your app usage, visited websites and scheduled calendar events so that you can later on turn it into time entries without guestimating what you did last Monday at 2pm.
• Automated reports – The best part of Timeular is that it’s doing your time audit automatically. Insights are ready each day, week and month – sent directly to your email or accessible in the app.
• Tags and notes for time entries – Tags and billable/non-billable labels will help you to categorize your time entries. Use notes to add more details to each time entry for clarity.

Track time with zero effort!

“Timeular is the system we rely on in order to get accurately paid, so we are meticulous with our tracking and include every task.” – Kaitlin Snow Seamons, Executive Creative Director at Harmon Brothers

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Conclusion

A time audit is more than just a “one-and-done process”; it’s a continuous journey towards efficient time management. This audit log is essential in understanding how you’re spending your time and identifying which similar tasks align with your personal preferences and goals.

The insights gained enable you to make informed decisions, prioritizing impactful activities while delegating time-consuming ones. Although it requires dedication and self-reflection, tools like Timeular simplify the process of running your own time audit, helping to structure your schedule for enhanced focus and productivity.

The human brain benefits from this strategic approach, leading to improved concentration and overall efficiency.

You might be interested in:

• How to save time: the best ways to do it
• Time management statistics
• Time management training programs
• Why is time management an important soft skill in the present times?

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We delve into the most effective strategies for tracking employee hours to boost employee productivity, pinpoint inefficiencies or time wasters, and reduce overtime. From manual methods to best time tracking apps, we cover a variety of time tracking techniques to fit your business needs.

Track your employee hours with Timeular – the tool loved by over 10,000 teams around the world

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This article is your key to integrating time tracking smoothly into your daily operations, fostering a more productive, balanced, and harmonious work environment.

Keep reading to discover the ideal time management solution for your team!

Reasons to track employee hours

If you’re wondering, ‘Should I be tracking employee hours too?’ the short answer is: Yes, particularly in the following scenarios:

• If your team includes hourly employees, it’s important for them to actively log their own time. This ensures accurate tracking of the time they spend on the job.
• When working with various clients and projects and billing by hours worked, accurate timesheets are necessary to invoice correctly and assess the profitability of each project. There are several compelling reasons for this. Let’s explore a few benefits of tracking employee hours.

Smooth payroll processing

First and foremost, without accurate employee timesheets, you won’t be able to process payroll accurately. You simply need to know many work hours your employees clocked in to pay them fairly. (What additionally streamlines a payroll process is a direct integration of your payroll software with your work time tracking app – more about that in the next chapter.)

The perfect way to increase your revenue

Secondly, tracking employee hours helps you optimize business operations and increase revenue. What does time tracking has to do with revenue, you’d ask. The keyword here is billable hours. If your team works for several different customers and projects, time tracking is essential for accurate client billing.

Additionally, by tracking the time of all team activities, you are able to identify the tasks and projects that generate the most significant income and substantially contribute to your business revenue.

Improved employee productivity

Tracking work hours is an excellent way to increase employee productivity. It helps you understand where your time goes and empowers you to make every minute of your employee time count.

Overtime and workload in check

Last but not least, tracking how many hours employees spend at work helps keep a healthy work-life balance. Workload management and overtime tracking suddenly become a breeze, aiding you in keeping team motivation and health in good condition.

Why is it so important to track time accurately?

Why is accurately tracking time so crucial? This is where the concept of the Time Monkey Effect comes into play. It illustrates how our emotions can warp our perception of time, leading to skewed estimations that can jeopardize project success.

When we’re engrossed in enjoyable tasks, time seems to speed up, whereas it slows down during less stimulating activities. This varying perception can result in significant inaccuracies in estimating how long tasks actually take, affecting project planning, budgeting, and productivity.

Accurate time tracking in project management helps correct these distortions, aligning our perceived time with reality and leading to more reliable project outcomes and effective time management.

How to track employee hours

1. Time tracking app

A time tracking app like Timeular is a digital solution that automates the process of recording how much time is spent on various tasks. Unlike traditional methods like manual time tracking or punch clocks, these apps often work in the background, quietly logging hours without requiring constant input from the user.

How they work:

This automated time tracking is what sets it apart — it’s an almost effort-free approach. Your employees are not constantly stopping to write down what they’re doing; the automated time tracking software handles it for them.

This leads to more accurate and less biased data on how time is actually spent, which is invaluable for improving productivity, less labor costs, managing projects more effectively, and streamlining client billing.

• Please note: Time tracking apps provide different methods to track time and not all of them offer automated time tracking.

Pros of using a time tracking app

• No need to chase timesheets ever again: Time is logged in an online platform, accessible around the clock by both employees and employers.
• Automated reporting: Using time tracking apps, you can easily access automated reports or create your own reports with just a few clicks.
• Streamlined payroll and billing: Time tracking software usually effortlessly integrates with your invoicing and payroll software, simplifying all financial processes.
• Quick and engaging time recording: It’s a breeze to record work hours — creating timesheets is quick, easy, and kinda fun, actually (especially with the personalized physical time tracker).
• Automated billable hour tracking: You can label each task as billable or not billable, add hourly rates, and let the employee time tracking app take care of tracking billable time for you.
• Effective leave and overtime management: Time tracking apps like Timeular provide leave tracker functionalities that let you track all types of absences and time off.
• Friendly reminders to track time: If the employee time tracking software spots that your employees don’t record their time during the day, it will send them automated reminders to help maintain consistent and precise time tracking.
• Mobile apps for on-the-go tracking: With mobile time tracking, your employees can track time wherever they are — it’s super handy for those always on the move.
• Great for remote teams: Time tracking apps are ideal for remote work setups, offering flexibility and ease of use regardless of location.

Track your employee hours with Timeular – the 100% effortless and secure time tracking app

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Cons of using an employee time tracking app

To enjoy all the benefits of a work time tracking app, you need to choose wisely. As time tracking software is sometimes perceived by employees as a monitoring tool, you need an employee-friendly solution that doesn’t allow for micromanagement.

Employees will only track time honestly if they don’t feel monitored in real-time. Therefore, Timeular has a 24-hour delay for time entries to appear on the managers’ side.

2. Pen and paper

Despite the digital age transforming most business practices, the traditional pen-and-paper method for tracking employee hours remains in use, particularly among some small businesses. This approach involves manually recording work hours, a process that harks back to simpler times.

While it might seem outdated in a world of apps and automation, for some companies, this method offers a straightforward, no-tech solution that aligns with their operational style. It’s a testament to the enduring value of simplicity in an increasingly complex business landscape.

How it works

Employees write down their arrival and departure times as well as specific tasks completed throughout the day. These details are captured on paper records, such as logbooks or timesheets, and later manually tallied to compute the total work hours.

Pros

• Cost-effective: It’s a completely free method for tracking employee time, requiring no investment in technology or software.
• Simplicity: The process is straightforward and easy to understand and implement.
• No technical skills needed: Anyone with basic writing and counting abilities can effectively use this method for tracking employee time.
• Flexibility: Easily adaptable to different formats and layouts based on specific needs. Immediate Implementation: Requires no setup time or learning curve, unlike digital tools.

Cons

This manual time tracking method for tracking employee hours, while straightforward, has several disadvantages:

• Time-intensive: This manual time tracking method requires significant time for writing, organizing, and calculating hours.
• Error-prone: The risk of human error in recording and calculating hours is higher compared to digital methods.
• Lack of security: Paper records can be easily lost, damaged, or accessed by unauthorized persons.
• No real-time tracking: This method doesn’t offer real-time tracking or instant updates, potentially leading to delays in data availability.
• Limited data analysis: Analyzing trends or generating productivity reports is more challenging and less efficient than with time tracking apps.

Don’t waste your team’s time on manual time tracking

Automate time tracking with Timeular and do it under 1 minute per day

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3. Online time tracking templates

Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are popular tools for tracking employee hours, offering a familiar solution in many business settings.

How they work:

Employees record the time spent on various tasks within these templates. With appropriate formulas, these sheets automatically calculate total work hours over daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly periods.

Pros:

• User-friendly for regular users: Intuitive for those who are familiar with Excel or Google Sheets.
• Highly customizable: Easily adaptable, allowing for specific modifications and additional formulas.
• Versatile data handling: Suitable for various tracking and analytical needs.

Cons:

• Time-intensive management: Requires significant effort in setup, data entry, and review.
• Increased complexity: Adding formulas for leaves, PTO, and other variables can make the system more intricate.
• Dependence on estimates: Often relies on approximations of time spent, which may not be completely accurate.
• Limited security and [rivacy: Data stored in spreadsheets can be less secure and more prone to privacy breaches.
• Difficulty in consolidating data: Aggregating information from multiple sheets for analysis or reporting can be challenging.

If you’re looking for a template, we’ve prepared several free time tracking templates ready for downloading.

Read also:

• Time tracking in a spreadsheet

Don’t waste your team’s time on manual time tracking

Automate time tracking with Timeular and do it under 1 minute per day

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3. Time clocks

Originating in the late 1800s, time clocks are a longstanding method for tracking employee hours. Time clock solutions come in various forms, including card swipes and biometric systems like retina or fingerprint scanners.

How they work

Employees clock in by swiping a card or undergo a biometric check upon arriving and leaving the job site. The time clock system then calculates employee work hours based on these check-ins and check-outs.

Pros of time clocks:

• Ease of use: Time clock requires minimal action from employees; just a swipe or scan at arrival and departure.
• Automated data recording: The time clock system automatically logs and calculates total time spent at work.
• Accurate time tracking: Time clock software provides precise records of employee attendance and hours worked.

Cons of time clocks:

• High implementation costs: Time clocks are especially costly if a company operates multiple job sites.
• Potential hygiene issues: Depending on the employee clocks system (card, fingerprint, retina), regular cleaning is necessary to maintain hygiene.
• Impractical for mobile workforces: Not suitable for employees who work at multiple locations or are frequently on the move.
• Not suitable for remote work: Limited tracking hours of employees physically present at the site, making it ineffective for remote work scenarios.

TIP: Did you know that you can use a time-keeping app as a time clock software?

5. GPS and location tracking

GPS and location tracking tools are widely used by companies with field services to accurately monitor the work hours of employees who are operating in various locations outside the office.

How it works:

Employees carry GPS-enabled devices that automatically record their location at different job sites. This data is then used to accurately calculate their work hours, streamlining timekeeping for field-based tasks.

Pros

• Efficient remote time tracking: These tools make it easy to track the time employees spend outside the office.
• Accurate location data: Provides precise information about where employees are during work hours, ensuring accountability.

Cons

• Necessitates manual time calculation: While GPS tracking provides location data, calculating the actual work hours still requires manual effort.
• Privacy and autonomy issues: The use of GPS tracking can raise concerns among employees about privacy and being monitored too closely.
• Reliance on GPS-enabled devices: The effectiveness of this method is dependent on employees having access to and using GPS-enabled devices.
• Vulnerability to technical errors: GPS tracking is susceptible to inaccuracies due to signal issues or device malfunctions.

Read: The best employee time tracking software

6. Monitoring tools

Employee monitoring tools, which companies use to oversee various work activities of their employees, can be quite contentious. These tools monitor app and website usage, scrutinize emails and messages, and may even record phone calls or track locations using GPS.

Although intended to boost efficiency and protect company data, their use is often discouraged. The downsides, like invading privacy, damaging trust, and creating a stressful atmosphere, usually outweigh the perceived benefits.

It’s important to prioritize respect for employee privacy and trust, and to adhere to legal standards, making the use of such monitoring tools generally not recommended.

Cons

This is a method that should be avoided at all costs by companies and, therefore has no pros. Let’s review the cons of employee monitoring:

1. Privacy concerns: They can infringe on employee privacy, creating an atmosphere where employees feel their personal space and autonomy are being invaded.
2. Trust issues: Excessive monitoring can signal a lack of trust from management, potentially damaging the trust-based relationship between employer and employee.
3. Stress and pressure: Being constantly monitored can lead to increased stress and pressure, which can, in turn, affect mental well-being and employee satisfaction.
4. Reduced morale and productivity: Instead of improving productivity, such monitoring can have the opposite effect, as employees might feel valued more for their output than their professional skills and contributions.
5. Potential for conflict: It can lead to workplace conflicts and a negative work environment, as employees may feel they are being treated unfairly or suspiciously.
6. Legal and ethical issues: If not implemented carefully, monitoring tools can lead to legal repercussions and ethical dilemmas, particularly if they are used in ways that violate employee privacy rights or labor laws.

Make sure you use transparent tracking methods to avoid workplace conflicts and respect employee privacy.

Timeular is NOT a monitoring tool

Employees will only track time spent honestly if they don’t feel monitored in realtime. Therefore Timeular has a 24h delay for time entries to appear on the manager’s side.

Learn more

What to look for in an employee hour tracking app

When choosing an employee hour tracking app, it’s essential to focus on top features that enhance usability and accuracy. Here are the top three factors to consider:

• User-friendly interface: The tool should have an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface. This ensures that employees can use it effortlessly, leading to better compliance and more accurate time tracking.
• Multiple time tracking methods: The app should offer various methods for tracking time, such as manual entry, timer-based tracking, or automated systems. This flexibility allows it to cater to different work styles and preferences.
• Automatic time tracking: Look for features that enable automatic tracking of time spent on tasks. This reduces the burden of manual entries and enhances the accuracy of the time recorded.

What is the best way to track employee hours?

The answer to this simple question is also simple: it depends.

Different solutions can work for different companies and businesses. 

When looking for an hour-tracking solution, you should make sure you choose the method that “steals” little to no time, is automated, easy to use, and, if possible and applicable, remote-friendly, as remote work is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. 

Choose what’s best for your company and for employees, and streamline your time tracking processes today!

FAQ about employee time tracking

You might be interested in:

• How to make your team track time?
• How to stay on top of things?
• How to create a time management plan?
• The best tools to manage remote employees
• How to increase billable hours

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While some time management tips and methods are a dime a dozen, there are effective techniques that can supercharge your productivity, and help you beat procrastination.

One of these, which is highly acclaimed among productivity aficionados, is the Pomodoro technique, interestingly deriving from the italian word for tomato.

Looking for the best time tracking tool to use the Pomodoro technique on?

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In this article you’ll find out what the Pomodoro technique is, how and why it works, as well as how to implement it into your daily routine to boost productivity.

And if you haven’t heard of the word “Pomodoro” in the business world, but only in the kitchen, as an italian word, you might be confused, we get it.

So, what is the Pomodoro technique?

The Pomodoro technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo, in the late 1980s. It gained popularity fairly quick, as it could be used on the run and implemented on the fly by everyone.

Having its origin in the Italian word for tomato, the Pomodoro technique is based on work bursts of 25 minutes followed by a five-minute break.

While at the beginning it was used only as tomato-shaped kitchen timer to organize the study schedule of the university student Francesco Cirillo, which is still used nowadays, the method has been later on integrated in time tracking apps, and even standalone applications created only based on the technique.

In essence, the Pomodoro technique is simple, yet effective due to it’s work-break pattern, which helps improve focus and with better concentration, while it fights cognitive boredom and enhances productivity.

Get to know the best ways to beat procrastination in our article.

How does the Pomodoro technique work?

The core process of the Pomodoro technique basically consists of:

• Picking one project or task you want to focus on
• Get a list of to dos and a timer
• Set your Pomodoro timer for 25 minutes and focus on a single task until the timer rings
• When your session ends, mark off one Pomodoro and record what you completed
• Then enjoy a well deserved pause, made of five minutes
• After four Pomodoros, take a longer break, like 15-30 minutes

The 25-minute Pomodoro time management method is a long enough session to stay focused, but not so long that you become easily distracted, while it’s easy to integrate it in the weekly routine.

Unlike trying to work without pausing for hours, it’s relatively easy to stack small sessions on top of each other with a structured method and less effort.

Four Pomodoro sessions can represent a super productive morning, making up your work intervals until lunch, or before your longer breaks. It’s surprising how much you can accomplish in short bursts of focused work.

Feeling overwhelmed? Discover how to get organized at work when overwhelmed with our guide.

Why is a Pomodoro 25 minutes?

When assessing closely, our attention spans have decreased over the last couple of years due to constant distractions. According to the researcher Jonathan Schooler, the average mind wanders for about 15-20% of the time.

While this percentage sounds worrying, a study concludes that short breaks are beneficial in keeping the attention span on track.

The psychology teacher leading the study mentioned that when faced with a large task, it’s best to impose a short break, as a brief mental pause actually helps in staying focused better.

So, when you use the Pomodoro, you’re able to focus on one task only for 25 minutes, followed by regular breaks, which helps you maintain focus throughout the day.

At the same time, you’re able to create an effective relationship between work and pauses, that doesn’t allow your mind to wander as much as it would when batching a one-hour task.

Concluding, twenty-five minutes is a short enough period for most people to feel encouraged to work on a task, while it can be integrated perfectly into daily work.

Check out the best tips to save time, we’ve included the Pomodoro technique, too.

Why does the Pomodoro technique work? 

If you’re still in doubt about whether this technique works or not, here are some of the reasons we believe it does:

• Knowing that you only have 25 minutes to work on a big project before taking a break installs a sense of urgency
• You’re more likely to focus completely in those 25 minutes because you know they’re followed by 5 minutes during which you can relax before your next session
• It will force you to add more structure to your workday, making everything easier and smoother, while
• Getting started on a big task can sometimes take some effort and feel daunting, which is why many people procrastinate. Deciding that you’ll work on it for only 25 minutes before having a shot pause makes it a lot easier and less scary.

Did you know that multitasking decreases productivity because it can easily lead to distraction and fatigue?

Who can benefit most from the Pomodoro technique? 

The Pomodoro technique can do great wonders if you struggle with procrastination and have a hard time focusing on your tasks for a long period of time.

Basically, we can say that Pomodoro is useful for everyone, whether you’re a: project manager, freelance writer, developer, web designer, team leader, and even in your personal life, when writing on your site a blog post.

How to follow the Pomodoro technique? 

Here are a few tips for using the Pomodoro technique:

1. Get a Timer

First and foremost, you’ll need a Pomodoro app or Pomodoro timer for the technique to work.

You’ll then need to select multiple tasks for the day, order them and set your timer to 25 minutes for the first task. Then, work till the timer alerts you. After that, enjoy your pause! Even if you have gotten into a state of flow, it’s time to get up and enjoy five minutes off.

Remember, working continuously without taking short breaks can lead to stress, poor concentration, fatigue, and burnout.

Use Timeular as your Pomodoro timer!

Thousands of businesses and individuals track their time with Timeular!

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2. Plan

Before you start working, take some time to plan your sessions or how many Pomodoros you need to complete multiple tasks. Prepare a to-do list, add tasks on it and record the number of Pomodoros every task will take.

Keep in mind that if a task takes more than five Pomodoros, it should be broken down into smaller tasks for you to stay on top of things.

3. Manage your Pomodoros

Some types of work will require you to add extra Pomodoros to get things done. Activities such as writing, coding, or composing will require you to be in the state of flow to get good results; therefore, 25 minutes can be too short.

Consequently, extending your sessions requires taking regular breaks, too. This can increase your level of effectiveness.

If you are feeling tired or experiencing mental resistance, you should consider reducing your sessions to fifteen or even ten minutes, for an ideal balance. You should adjust the intervals based on your energy level, the number of tasks needed, and the type of work.

4. Get a time-tracking app

For the Pomodoro technique to work effectively, you’ll need a time-tracking app to track your progress.

A great app you could use is Timeular – it allows you to time your sessions, adjust the length of the session, and access this data on different gadgets and the web, in the form or reports and insights.

Based on the analyzed data, you can plan your next work intervals and decide how to track time better.

What makes the Pomodoro technique not always work? 

Despite the number of Pomodoro lovers, the method leaves some users skeptical, still.

As mentioned before, one of the big problems with Pomodoro is that the timer is a constant interruption that inhibits your ability to get into a flow state.

While in a flow state, you’re highly focused and productive, and your ability to stay focused and productive is effortless. However, using the Pomodoro technique might be taking that flow state away from you.

So, let’s say you’ve achieved a flow state, you’re highly focused and productive, and then a timer goes off, letting you know that it’s time for you to take a break. If the distraction of the alarm alone doesn’t take you out of your flow state, the break most certainly will.

Therefore, it would be good to consider changing the work sessions for extended periods of time, as you don’t want to battle with low productivity, but rather achieve multiple goals.

Conclusion

If used correctly, the Pomodoro technique can be highly beneficial to its users, as it increases productivity, beats procrastination and reduces cognitive boredom throughout the day. It is recommended regardless of the tasks one handles, and it’s suitable for everyone, doing software design up to a university student with open ended work for their thesis.

Nonetheless, the process isn’t ideal for every person, but if you need a systematic way to tackle your daily to-do list, the Pomodoro technique may fit your needs. So, give it a go! And make sure you download the Timeular app to help you with this technique and be as efficient as possible.

FAQ 

Find the best tips to deal with adhd procrastination.
Read the ultimate guide for ADHD planning.

You might be interested in:

• What is time tracking?
• The best time tracking apps
• Alternatives to Pomodoro technique
• Top-rated focus and concentration apps

The post Pomodoro Technique: What is It and How it Works appeared first on Timeular.

“Timeular has really helped us identify areas of inefficiency and implement new processes. We have saved 25% of our time thanks to Timeular.”

Erin Enderle, Attorney at Levy & Associates

The challenge: finding a way to improve efficiency and stay profitable

When the two firms that now form Levy & Associates merged, Erin needed a way to understand how each team was using their time and what improvements they could make to ensure they were working in a similar fashion and unify the process. One firm was very technological and operated remotely, and the other firm was much more traditional with 80 people working in an office and so Erin needed a way to easily understand how she could ensure efficiency across both.

The solution: leveraging the data to identify where efficiency can be improved

At first, the attorneys were against using Timeular as they felt that introducing a time tracking tool was leading towards micromanagement. To move past this, Erin started using Timeular herself and presented her data to the team so that they would realize that time tracking was not a form of micromanagement but more a way of identifying trends and being able to understand where time is going.

Rather than looking at how long each individual activity lasted, what time she had started and finished work, or how many hours she had worked in total, Erin demonstrated how Timeular made it easy to quickly see how many hours she had spent on profitable activities rather than tasks such as emailing.

Quickly the attorneys began to see that Timeular was a helpful tool as they were able to look at their data and see where they had spent too much time on certain activities and which activities they needed to focus more time on.  Attorneys are expected to spend half of their time on profitable activities and then the other half on the activities that are not linked to profitability including answering emails and attending court hearings.

Erin meets with the attorneys every week and together they look through the insights provided by Timeular. They have seven activities that their work falls into: standard attorney drafting, production (assigning lawsuits and judgements, these are the things that drive the business), communications, hearing and trial attendance, hearing and trial preparation, meetings, other and non-attorney support work. The expectation is that 40% of an attorney’s time should be spent on production.

The result: 25% more time and improved processes

Erin explained that the attorneys have been surprised when looking through the data that Timeular generates. One attorney didn’t realize how much time they were spending on emails and have now made some changes to improve the balance.

When the team started using Timeular, Erin was able to identify that attorneys were spending a vast amount of time on preparation for hearings. As Levy & Associates is a national law firm, they have a lot of hearings covered by numerous attorneys in varying states. Often an attorney will work on the preparation for the hearing, but another attorney will attend and do the preparation for the hearing too. The hearing is being prepared for twice and both attorneys are paid.

The owner of Levy & Associates also uses Timeular to see an overview of how the team is spending their time, and so it’s helpful for the team to have everything in the same place that’s accessible to those who need it.

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The post How a law firm reclaims 25% of their time with Timeular appeared first on Timeular.

As part of this project, they have set up a small, community-driven chain of organic grocery stores that aims to build a system to show what the economy could look like if these problems were solved. There is no private ownership involved and all profits are donated towards fighting extreme poverty and climate change.

The store is run on a membership model: members can participate by spending three hours a month volunteering in the store to support the movement and receive a discount on their shopping.

“Now that we are growing, Timeular is crucial to our organization for being able to operate professionally.”

Mattis Steib, Co-founder of Robin Hood Store

The challenge: finding a way to maximise efficiency

The Robin Hood Store team consists of multiple volunteers and also 11 employees who work at least 15 hours a week. As the team began to grow the system that they are aiming to build, they realized that they needed an easy way to track their time to help them understand where it’s going and how they can maximize efficiency. They also needed a way to manage the HR organizational parts of a growing business, including recording paid leave, sick leave and staying on top of over and under hours.

The solution: harnessing the power of Timeular’s data

All employees who work at least 15 hours a week now use Timeular. They were drawn to Timeular’s Tracker and the QuickTrack shortcut to quickly create time entries for their activities and to create a record of their working hours and time off.

The team operates with a holacratic structure and is divided into different teams, which is represented by the folders within Timeular. Each team uses two activities: one for ‘recurring tasks’ and the other for capturing ‘improvement tasks.’ They also use hashtags to define the specific tasks they are working on.

Mattis uses the data to understand how they are spending their time across the recurring tasks and uses this to inform his decision about whether to invest time automating certain tasks going forward.

One recent decision Mattis made was informed by Timeular data: “as weekends are busier in the store, we have a separate stock ordering process to support this. Thanks to the data in Timeular, I was able to easily understand how much time this recurring activity was absorbing and made the decision to invest an hour into automating part of the process. This has saved us at least 30 minutes every week, which really adds up over time.”

Mattis exports the data from Timeular into a G-sheet that is set up to calculate the data according to the hours each team member is set to work and ensures that they do not owe any time. This sheet also helps them identify whether the team has used their holiday allowance or if any time off in lieu is owed. This also easily enables employees to adjust their hours over several days depending on if they have over or under hours.

Another part of Robin Hood Store’s mission is to grow the system that they are trying to build. There is no private profit involved but they instead reinvest the bigger part of the profit in order to grow. It’s important for them to be able to know how much they’re investing in terms of time and what they are doing with the time spent on a daily basis.

The outcome: supporting growth with Timeular

Thanks to Timeular, Mattis and the team are now able to accurately calculate over and under hours, which is important to them when operating as a professional organization.

Before introducing Timeular, Mattis describes the way that they were trying to keep on top of hours worked and leave taken as chaotic: “everything before was vague and operated on a trust base. We needed a proper solution to support us as we grew.”

Going forward, Mattis and the team will be using Timeular’s leave tracker which can replace everything they have been doing in the G-sheet with their exported data.

Start tracking with ease

Increase profitability and bill accurately with effortless time tracking. Never chase a timesheet again.

Try for free

No credit card required

The post How a not-for-profit uses Timeular’s insights to inform decisions appeared first on Timeular.

Notion provides various templates, allowing for workspace customization to match specific needs. This includes features for creating to-do lists, setting deadlines, tracking progress, and managing projects efficiently.

However, it’s important to note that Notion doesn’t provide time tracking features.

Fortunately, there is a great Notion time-tracking integration that delivers a smooth time-tracking experience. Let’s explore it!

Looking for a fast, simple and accurate way to track time in Notion?

Timeular integrates effortlessly with Notion, providing a more effective time-tracking solution than ClickUp’s native features

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Why is it important to track time in Notion?

Time tracking is a fundamental aspect of effective project management. By tracking time, you get to identify areas of improvement, optimize your workflow, and better allocate your resources. Time tracking also helps you set realistic goals and deadlines, ensuring that you stay on track and meet your project milestones.

Whether you are working solo or as part of a team, tracking time in Notion provides transparency and accountability, allowing everyone involved to monitor progress and make informed decisions.

Here are some key reasons why time tracking is essential in Notion:

• Enhanced productivity: Time tracking provides valuable insights into how time is allocated across different tasks and projects. By identifying time-consuming activities and unproductive patterns, users can make informed decisions to optimize their workflow, eliminate time wasters, and focus on high-priority tasks.
• Improved project management: Accurate time tracking enables effective project planning, budgeting, and resource allocation. It helps determine the actual time required for tasks, allowing managers to set realistic deadlines, prevent scope creep, and ensure projects are completed within budget.
• Identifying areas for improvement: Time-tracking data can reveal inefficiencies and bottlenecks in workflows. By analyzing time spent on specific tasks, users can identify areas for improvement, streamline processes, and eliminate unnecessary steps.
• Data-driven decision making: Time-tracking data provides a solid foundation for making informed decisions about workload management, task prioritization, and resource allocation. It helps avoid overburdening team members, ensuring that time is spent on the most impactful activities.
• Team collaboration and accountability: Time tracking fosters transparency and accountability within teams. It allows team members to visualize their contribution to projects, identify areas for collaboration, and ensure that everyone is pulling their weight.

Does Notion provide time-tracking features?

Notion does not have built-in time-tracking features. While it excels in many areas, it currently lacks native capabilities for tracking and logging time. However, this does not mean you are out of luck. You can incorporate time tracking into your Notion workspace seamlessly with a Timeular integration. 

Timeular: The best Notion time tracking integration

Timeular is a powerful and easy-to-use time-tracking tool that allows you to accurately track the time you spend on tasks without disrupting your workflow.

With an intuitive interface and a wide range of features, Timeular makes it very simple to stay on top of your time and boost your productivity. With Timeular, you no longer need to rely on manual time-tracking methods or juggle between multiple tools to manage your time effectively. 

One of Timeular’s key features is its seamless integration with Notion. By integrating Timeular with Notion, you can consolidate your project management time tracking efforts, streamline your workflow, and increase productivity.

Time tracking made easy

Timeular offers a selection of simple time tracking methods tailored to different workstyles, including using a physical time tracker, keyboard shortcuts, or automatic tracking, all designed for a seamless and quick experience.

As a result, tracking time in Notion typically requires less than a minute each day.

Notion’s time tracking integration with Timeular will effectively fill in gaps when team members overlook time tracking.

Optional physical time tracker

Timeular provides an extra feature for those who enjoy tracking time with a physical device. You can use the optional time management device, which works as a visual reminder and a tool to track time.

• Please note that this is an optional feature, and you can still track time in Timeular without the Physical Tracker.

Seamless integration with multiple apps

As we mentioned before, one of Timeular’s biggest advantages is that it easily integrates with the most popular productivity apps, such as Asana, JIRA, and Notion.

You will be able to automatically track time spent on tasks, emails, and calendar events, which eliminates the need to switch between apps and makes it easy to track your time without losing your focus. 

Timeular integrations:

• Google Calendar time tracking integration
• Microsoft Teams time tracking
• Zendesk time tracking integration

Tracking billable and non-billable hours is automated

Timeular is an ideal tool for freelancers and consultants, offering precise tracking of billable hours for fair and transparent compensation and client billing.

It allows you to categorize tasks as either billable or non-billable, helping you monitor the time dedicated to each project and client.

By assigning hourly rates to tasks or team members, the software automatically calculates costs, aiding in project cost management, ensuring precise billing, and offering insights into team efficiency.

Overtime tracker

The employee overtime tracker automatically logs any additional hours worked on your project or team. It calculates overtime hours and deficit hours based on pre-configured work schedules and recorded leave requests, ensuring accurate calculation of overtime hours.

Detailed reporting

Timeular provides in-depth reports that offer valuable insights into your time usage patterns. These reports break down time spent on projects, tasks, clients, and categories, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and optimize your workflow.

Productivity checker

As a productivity time tracker, Timeular helps you understand where your time goes, simplifies performance tracking, and empowers you to make every minute count.

Easy navigation

Timeular’s intuitive interface makes it easy to start, stop, and manage your time-tracking activities. Quickly access key features and navigate through reports with ease on both desktop and mobile.

How to track time in Notion with Timeular 

It is very easy to integrate Notion with Timeular. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Create a free Timeular account and log into Zapier (you don’t have to pay for a subscription, as you can use it for free for up to 100 integrations.)
2. Connect Timeular with Zapier: to do it you’ll need an API key and a secret API. You can find these in Timeular > Settings > My Account > API > Create a new API key.
3. Create a Zap to track your time on Notion with Timeular.
4. Set up a new Zap. The trigger might create a new item on the board and the action will need to be set to start tracking time on Timeular.

Create a free Timeular account

Try Timeular, which provides frictionless time tracking and seamlessly integrates with Notion

Try Timeular for free

When the integration is complete, you can start tracking time on your tasks and projects in Notion.

• Go to our Support article for more information about integrating Timeular with Zapier.

Check the video below for guided video instructions:

Conclusions

Time tracking in Notion is a crucial element for ensuring productivity and efficiency in your team.

By incorporating time tracking into your workflow, you can optimize your productivity, improve project management, and make informed decisions based on accurate data. You can also unlock valuable insights and achieve your goals more effectively in Notion.

Overall, Timeular is a great way to improve your productivity and get more out of Notion. If you’re looking for a time-tracking solution that is easy to use, versatile, and provides you with valuable insights, then Timeular is a great option. With its many features and benefits, Timeular can help you to be more productive and get more out of Notion.

You might be interested in:

• Top free digital planners
• Productivity 101
• Top team management software
• What is time management?

The post Time Tracking in Notion: How to Do It appeared first on Timeular.

Fortunately, we have several resources to fight it and learn new ways to be more effective. How, may you ask? Easy. Just listen to the experts. 

Here is a list of the 20 best productivity podcasts. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Free eBook: How to work smart, not hard

Get a free copy of the eBook and learn about top productivity tips for teams and their leaders

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1. Productivity Masterminds

Productivity. Time management. Self-improvement. The Productivity Masterminds is the perfect podcast to get tips and tricks from leading productivity experts and top professionals. 

In this podcast pros like David Allen, John Trabelsi, William Frazier, Nicolas Cole, and many others share their own recipes for success, productivity, time management, and self-improvement. 

You can also check a special episode featuring Timeular’s CEO Manuel Bruschi, the startup behind the podcast.

2. Getting Things Done

With over 2 million listeners, GTD is “a personal productivity methodology that redefines how you approach your life and work.” Hosted and created by David Allen, the GTD podcast will help you maximize productivity to achieve success.

Allen is also a New York Times bestselling author for his book “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” where he shares organizational and personal productivity hacks to help you improve your personal and professional life balance.

3. The Digital Project Manager

The third recommendation of the best productivity podcasts is “The Digital Project Manager”. 

The Digital Project Manager, founded by Ben Aston in 2011, helps you in many ways to find the best productivity hacks. In his podcast, he teaches you some of the best productivity tips on doing more in less time. 

Here, you can find training, community, podcasts, articles, how-to guides, tools, and more. The main goal? To help digital project managers to succeed, to deliver better. 

Maximize your productivity by tracking your time

Learn how

4. Beyond the To-Do List

Beyond the To-Do List features several interviews with people that have the best productivity hacks they learned through life to balance work with personal life. The host Erik Fisher explores, alongside his interviewees, all aspects of productivity, including its ultimate purpose: living a meaningful balanced life. 

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed about life, just listen to Erik and his expert guests as they share the top productivity strategies in their own lives.

5. Exile Lifestyle

The host Colin Wright has been traveling the world full-time since 2009 and documents his minimalist lifestyle along the way. 

Besides hosting his podcast, he also speaks to audiences worldwide at conferences, universities, and on periodic national or international tours. 

He spends most of his time learning to strive as a person, both physically and mentally. 

6. Marie Forleo

Marie Forleo is an entrepreneur, writer, philanthropist, and motivational speaker that wishes to help everyone become the person they want to be. Through her podcast and other outlets, Marie helps people to dream big and build meaningful actions to create results. 

She was named by Oprah as “a thought leader for the next generation and owner of one of Inc.’s 500 fastest-growing companies”. 

Her main goal is to allow people to become whoever they want and to find actionable strategies to become happier, successful, motivated, creative, and productive. If you’re ready for a whole new life, you must listen to Marie’s podcast!

7. The Productivityist

Writer, speaker, and productivity strategist Mike Vardy is the host and, as a productivity enthusiast, he examines the techniques used in tactical time management.

 With over 400 episodes, the podcast features interviews with a variety of experts from different fields to help listeners learn tips and tricks to boost their own personal productivity and how to lead a more balanced and fulfilling life. 

8. The 5 AM Miracle

The enthusiast host Jeff Sander will inspire you to develop the best version of yourself through good habits based on his own experience. 

The productivity junkie, plant-based marathon runner, and personal development fanatic host consistently shares new content about health habits and personal growth.

If you’re trying to get valuable advice on your personal development, maximizing your time, energy, and productivity, you must listen to The 5 AM Miracle!

Track your time with a physical Tracker

Build a habit using muscle memory and a powerful physical reminder. All new users get 2 months free subscription when connecting a new Tracker.

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9. The Productive Woman

This podcast aims to help busy women find all the tools they need to better manage their lives, time, and stress so they can achieve whatever their goals are. 

Hosted by Laura McClellan, a lawyer, writer, and productivity enthusiast, the crucial hacks she shares are essential for women to become better in different areas of their lives. 

There are over 200 episodes full of tips on how to better manage your time and achieve all your personal goals and ambitions.

10. The Tim Ferriss Show

It would be impossible to create a list of the best productivity podcasts without naming Tim Ferriss.

Tim Ferriss has won a 3-times annual “Best of” Apple podcasts, has over 700 million episodes downloaded, and over 10.000 5-star reviews. 

Tim Ferriss found the secret behind working a maximum of four hours a week and shares the best tips for leadership and personal productivity. 

In his podcast, he covers a wide range of topics, including how to be more productive and maximize your results using the least effort.

Tim Ferriss has also authored “The 4-Hour Week”, one of the best productivity books that you can read. He uses his book on his podcast to teach people how to minimize their workweek and maximize their fitness.

11. Supermanagers

The Supermanagers, a podcast by Fellows, interviews leaders from a big variety of fields where they share the best tips and hacks on productivity. 

With over 100 episodes, you can get advice from experts from companies such as Shopify, Microsoft, and Mastercard. 

If you’re a leader and wish to excel in the art of leading a team, this podcast has super interesting hacks for you. 

The CEO Aydin Mirzaee touches on many essential topics for our life, such as management, leadership, productivity, remote work, workplace culture, coaching, and much more!

Free eBook: How to work smart, not hard

Get a free copy of the eBook and learn about top productivity tips for teams and their leaders

Download now

12. Accidental Creative

With over 10 million downloads, this weekly podcast, which typically lasts no more than 30 minutes, shares strong tips and interviews with leaders and pros since 2015. 

The host Tod Henry, that has already written several books such as The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, and The Motivation Code speaks on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

13. Love Your Work

Hosted by best-selling author David Kadavy, Love Your Work is a podcast that shares many tricks on how to merge productivity and creativity. 

David shows you how to be productive when creativity matters and make big things happen in your career as a creator.

This biweekly podcast already hosted many experts such as David Allen, Seth Godin, James Altucher, and many more. 

14. The upgrade

Each week, Jordan Calhoun and Meghan Walbert of Lifehacker bring in special guests to speak on many important topics, such as how to be happy, how to better manage your finances, and much more. And that’s the beauty of it! 

One week they’ll give you advice on how to be happier, and the next they’ll tell you how to buy a TV. It’s just great! 

15. The Action Catalyst

The Action Catalyst podcast will help you find your true inspiration! In each episode, hosts Dan Moore and Dustin Hillis give you valuable insights so that you can overcome obstacles, defeat procrastination, and succeed in life. 

In each episode, they interview some of the top leaders and experts and share meaningful tips and practical advice to help you achieve your goals in any area of life. 

16. Eat Sleep Work Repeat

This is a podcast on happiness and work culture. The host and former vice president of Twitter and Youtube, Bruce Daisley interviewed many experts in different fields and they share many tips on how to turn the workplace into a less dreadful place. They also help listeners to improve their views on work.  

His guests range from psychologists, neuroscientists, and workplace experts who will help you to better understand how to improve your own jobs. 

Free eBook: How to work smart, not hard

Get a free copy of the eBook and learn about top productivity tips for teams and their leaders

Download now

17. The Startup Chat

With over 500 episodes, The Startup Chat brings you practical tips on how to grow your startup and excel in every area of business. 

Hosted by Steli Efti and Hiten Shah, you can check for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

18. The Paul Minors

Paul Minors, the true productivity and automation junkie, is a consultant that helps businesses optimize their systems so they can grow. In his podcast, he teaches people about productivity, business, and self-improvement.  

19. ProdPod

Get the best productivity hacks in less than 2 minutes! 

The mission of ProdPod is to produce approximately two-minute, fast-paced episodes covering instructional tutorials on productivity techniques, author and expert interviews, and many other topics.

20. Back to work

The last recommendation of the best productivity podcasts is “we Back to Work”. 

The funny hosters Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more. No matter the topic, the hosts and their guests mix in with real-life examples and humor. 

Conclusion

We surely hope that with this list of the best productivity podcasts, you can learn more about productivity, time management, work-life balance, and self-improvement. Leaning has never been easier or more convenient! 

This selection of the best productivity podcasts features industry leaders, experts, and other pros full of experience and knowledge to help you grow in many aspects of your life.  

You might be interested in:

• The best productivity blogs you need to follow
• 10 ways to increase productivity
• The best productivity apps for iPhone
• The best team productivity tools

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The post The 20 Best Productivity Podcasts in 2024 appeared first on Timeular.

Are you tracking time manually?

Exchange your manual timesheets with automated time tracking to save time on manual work and ensure 100% accurate time entries

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Today, you’ll discover powerful and practical tools to boost productivity, foster seamless communication, and facilitate project management.

Emphasizing practicality and tangible results, we cut through the clutter to provide clear and concise insights on each tool’s benefits. Keep reading if you want to know the top team productivity tools that will uplift your team performance.

Top benefits of team productivity tools

1. Improved team collaboration: Team productivity tools automatically enhance collaboration, streamlining project completion with minimal effort. This leads to higher quality outcomes and increased revenue with less manual coordination.
2. Effortless task management: These tools simplify task management, ensuring projects are completed on time with little manual oversight. This efficiency translates into greater customer satisfaction and retention, positively impacting revenue.
3. Automated insights: The tools provide automated analytics and reporting, offering valuable insights with minimal effort. Utilizing these can optimize operations and resource allocation, leading to cost efficiency and an uptick in profitability.
4. Workflow automation: Routine tasks are automated (i.e. time tracking process is automated with Timeular), allowing teams to focus on high-value activities with minimal intervention. This increases overall productivity and directly contributes to revenue growth, as the tool handles the repetitive processes.

The 17 best team productivity tools

1. Timeular

Timeular is one of the best team productivity tools since it’s a productivity tracker designed to help teams track and optimize their time effectively. As a team time tracker, it provides businesses a one-stop-shop to manage worktime, overtime, and leaves.

Its intuitive interface allows teams to effortlessly monitor their activities and gain valuable insights into their daily work routines. Timeular consolidates intelligent timekeeping methods into one platform, allowing time to be tracked in a few seconds per day.

Time tracking boosts the team’s productivity by providing insights into how time is allocated, identifying inefficiencies, and promoting better time management.

Top Timeular features for team productivity

• Effortless and intuitive time tracking prevents time wasting. Timeular has a modern and straightforward interface; teams learn to set up Timeular and start tracking time in just 5 minutes.
• Multiple timekeeping methods to track every activity – Timeular brings multiple super simple time tracking methods together in one tool (Tracker, Quicktrack, Automatic tracking, mobile app, 1-click start/stop, calendar integrations, drag and drop, copy/paste).
• Custom reminders to keep your team productive – Timeular sends custom notifications to team members, like a ”take a break” reminder, or start and stop the tracker.
• Automated reporting about team performance – Having a clear overview of how each team member spends their time will help you allocate the right resources to avoid excessive workloads and productivity dips. It’s a great way to measure team effectiveness.
• Automatic tracking to grasp every task and fill timesheet correctly – Every team member can see which apps, docs, and websites they’ve used at which time and what was in their calendar, and then add them to their time tracking overview in one click. Your team’s privacy is protected 100%: The data is stored solely on their local machine, so nobody else can access it, nor the Manager.
• Physical Tracker to build time tracking habit – The Timeular physical Tracker is an 8-sided die that records time for different tasks. Customize each side, then flip it to track a specific activity automatically. It seamlessly connects to your app through Bluetooth.

Discover the Timeular Tracker!

Simply flip the tracker to start timekeeping. Make time tracking fun and tactile!

Learn more about the Tracker

Accurate and actionable insights

By using Timeular timekeeping software, teams can access their time logs, view detailed reports, and analyze their productivity patterns. The visual representation of data helps users understand where their time is being spent, enabling them to identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions about time allocation. The app provides a precise breakdown of your activities to ensure that each little task is tracked and added to your invoice. You can export your reports to PDF, XLSX, or CSV.

We are much better at accurately tracking our time, which improves client billing

Michele C., Founder at Clementine Healthcare Marketing

Track billable and non-billable hours

Timeular is the greatest billable hour tracker because of its flexibility in tracking such hours. Individual team members can track the same activity as billable or not by simply switching a toggle.

The team gets custom reminders to be productive

The app provides notifications to keep users on track and ensure they maximize their valuable time.

3,000 integrations available

Timeular integrates with all popular project management tools. Teams can seamlessly build connections with their favorite tools via Zapier.

Popular integrations:

• Google Calendar time tracking integration
• Jira time tracking
• GitHub time tracking integration
• GitLab time tracking

Track time with the physical Tracker

Timeular Tracker is an 8-sided cube that works offline and connects via Bluetooth with the Timeular app. Teams can track up to 1000 activities with just 8 sides by leaving one or more sides of the Tracker empty that, when flipped, will open Quicktrack and let them choose what they want to track.

Track any leave and keep over-hours in check

Teams can add and track any leave in one click. This enables team leaders to monitor all leave requests from the whole team, avoiding frustration and mistakes by manually tracking leave requests in spreadsheets. In Timeular, it is also possible to track work hours for full- and part-time workers, including over- and minus hours.

Help your team achieve sky-high productivity with a smart time tracking solution

Track time together with your team to optimize your workflows and boost efficiency levels

Try Timeular for free

2. Asana

Asana is a popular project management and collaboration app that helps individuals and teams organize and manage work. It’s popular for a good reason, as reviews online mention great UX and this tool’s flexibility as helping streamline workflows.

Asana allows you to create tasks, assign them to team members, set due dates, and track progress. You can add descriptions, attachments, and subtasks to provide detailed information and context for each one, providing a timeline and calendar views.

Read also: best working from home apps

It also notifies you of any task updates, comments, and changes made by team members, ensuring you stay connected and aware of project progress.

Asana integrates with other apps such as Slack and Google Drive, streamlining workflows and ensuring information flows seamlessly between platforms.

Asana caters to teams of all sizes and industries. It is equally beneficial for small startups, large enterprises, marketing teams, development teams, or any other team that requires efficient task management.

Two disadvantages pointed out by those who use Asana are:

• Asana time tracking: the in-built time tracking features are not easy to use and accurate
• Pricing structure: can be considered too high for some user

3. Slack

Widely used as a team management software, Slack is a leading team collaboration platform that offers versatile communication among teams, helping streamline workflows. Slack caters to all industries and teams of all sizes.

It provides a centralized and real-time messaging system, enabling seamless interaction, file sharing, and integration with numerous tools to enhance productivity.

Slack, one of the best apps for team communication, is a favorite for many organizations with its intuitive interface and powerful integrations.

Slack provides a channel-based structure for teams to gather and collaborate on specific projects or topics.

It allows instant messaging, voice and video calls, and file sharing, which improves team communication making it easy for teams to stay connected and work together efficiently.

The app offers a wide range of integrations with popular productivity tools and services, from Google Calendar to Google Drive, to Hubspot, Jira, and Zoom, among others.

Slack’s robust search functionality ensures that important information and past conversations are easily retrievable. For this, it’s regarded by reviewers for its effectiveness in team communication.

Users like the fact that all conversations can be found in one place and highlight integrations and existent plugins.

Slack can be used for free, with limited integrations and message history. For some users, this is a negative point since the message’s history disappears after some time.

Read: Slack time tracking integration

4. Todoist

Todoist is a task management software that helps individuals and teams stay organized, track tasks, and manage projects efficiently. It offers a simple yet powerful platform to manage to-do lists and collaborate on tasks in real-time.

With Todoist, teams improve their productivity by effectively managing their workload by creating tasks, setting due dates, prioritizing activities, and organizing them into projects and sub-tasks. It’s also possible to organize tasks by priority or frequency.

Todoist’s synchronization abilities mean that users can access their tasks from any device, making it easy to stay on top of their responsibilities.

Todoist can be used by individuals, small teams, and larger organizations. Its customization options allow for this tool to suit professionals across different industries.

The intuitive design of this tool ensures that users can quickly adopt the platform without a steep learning curve, share tasks, collaborate with colleagues, and delegate responsibilities.

Even though Todoist integrates with various apps and platforms, its free plan integrations and features are limited.

Online reviewers appreciate Todoist’s ability to manage tasks effectively and prioritize them based on urgency, as well as the possibility of synchronizing them across devices.

A free Todoist plan allows for maintaining 5 active projects.

Read also: Boot your team performance by tracking time in Todoist.

5. Notion

Notion is a versatile all-in-one team productivity tool that allows users to organize their work, collaborate with teams, and manage projects.

Notion consists of a flexible workspace where users can create pages, databases, and boards to organize their information in a way that suits their workflow.

Notion is designed to cater to a broad audience, making it suitable for individuals, small teams, and large organizations across various industries.

It is commonly used by content creators, project managers, developers, marketers, and even students.

Notion includes features to manage tasks and projects, such as the creation of to-do lists, notes, tasks, and calendars, and it facilitates collaboration and the sharing of information. That’s why it’s one of the most used project management apps.

Team members can work on documents and projects simultaneously. Notion integrates with many other tools, such as Trello, Google Drive, and Slack.

Still, it’s important to make a note of the limited offline access that Notion offers, that is limited, and of its pricing structure, which may be considered relatively high for users requiring advanced features.

In platforms such as Capterra, Notion has received positive reviews for its versatility and adaptability. Users appreciate its capability to create personalized workflows and templates.

There is a free plan, perfect for an individual worker or freelancer.

TIP: Discover the best Notion time tracker

6. Trello

An excellent tool for managing remote employees, Trello uses Kanban boards, lists, and cards to help individuals and teams organize and track tasks and projects.

The structure is flexible, and users can create multiple boards for different projects, add lists within each board to represent workflow stages, and create cards to represent individual tasks or items.

It utilizes a flexible Kanban-style approach to task management, making it easy to manage workflows and stay on top of assignments. For this reason, it’s a pretty popular tool among developers, content creators, and social media managers.

Within each board, users can create lists representing different stages or phases of a project and drag and drop cards between lists to indicate progress.

Users highlight this feature and its user-friendly interface, making it easier to get started quickly without much training. This team productivity app integrates with various third-party applications and services, allowing users to connect with other tools they already use.

Some users also reported that Trello can be a great software for time blocking.

However, some reviewers note that Trello might not be the best choice for large and complex projects, as it lacks certain advanced functionalities.

Read also: Increase team productivity by adopting a Trello time tracking integration.

7. Clickup

ClickUp is a project management and productivity platform designed to centralize all aspects of project management within one application, making it a versatile solution for various industries and team sizes.

This platform supports customizable task views and task dependencies, enabling developers to organize and prioritize their work.

It’s one of the best developer productivity tools, and it’s also a favorite of sales and creative teams. Clickup supports Agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, with features like Sprint Boards, Burndown Charts, and Agile Dashboards.

To facilitate things further, this tool integrates with numerous popular third-party tools, around one thousand of them, such as GitHub, GitLab, Jira, or Slack.

With various features integrated into one platform, ClickUp reduces the need for using multiple tools, leading to improved efficiency and seamless collaboration.

The app supports automation features, enabling developers to create custom processes to save time on those repetitive tasks that always steal so much time. However, it’s important to note that while Clickup offers a vast group of features, it may be more suitable for complex projects and larger development teams. Clickup might be potentially overwhelming for smaller-scale projects, with some reviewers online reporting some performance issues.

TIP: Read our blog and find out what is the best ClickUp time-tracking integration

8. Monday.com

Monday.com is a cloud-based work software that streamlines collaboration and project management for teams of all sizes. It’s a tool that suits different industries, including marketing, software development, construction, creative agencies, event management, and more, serving organizations of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.

Users can tailor their boards and workflows to match specific project management needs and use real-time collaboration features, such as task assignments, comments, and notifications.

One downside: while Monday.com provides various pricing plans, some businesses may find it relatively more expensive than other project management tools, especially for larger teams with complex needs.

Read also: The best Monday.com time-tracking integration

9. Wrike

Wrike is a top resource planning software that provides project management features to a wide range of industries and teams of different sizes seeking efficient and effective project planning.

Wrike offers users a centralized workspace for teams to create, assign, and track tasks and projects. It offers a variety of views that suit different roles within a company, including Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and traditional task lists, allowing teams to work in the visual format that best suits their needs.

Wrike aims to enhance team communication, optimize task management, and provide transparency throughout the project lifecycle.

Reviewers consider Wrike one of the best team productivity software for remote teams in any industry due to its real-time document collaboration features.

It has a very data-driven approach, facilitated by reporting and analytical capabilities, and integrates with various third-party tools and platforms, including, for example, Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Wrike’s flexibility and automation capabilities appeal to users who choose this tool, but some also say that the software can be too complex for more straightforward projects.

Read also: Wrike time tracking integration

10. Grammarly

Grammarly is a must-have team productivity tool for almost any team and business. It’s an artificial intelligence writing assistant that helps to improve grammar, spelling, and writing style.

It can be used across various platforms, including web browsers, desktop applications, and mobile devices, making it accessible for individuals and teams from different industries.

Grammarly uses advanced algorithms to analyze written content and provide real-time feedback to users. It offers suggestions for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation, and more.

In its premium plan, it also provides insights into writing clarity, engagement, and tone, important features for someone who’s not an English native but is required to communicate in this language.

Additionally, Grammarly can be integrated into various platforms, including web browsers, Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and more.

Users generally praise Grammarly for its effectiveness in improving writing quality. The interface and real-time suggestions are often highlighted as the most significant advantages.

Users appreciate the personalized feedback and the ability to use Grammarly across different platforms.

However, on the downside, some reviewers mention the premium pricing as a drawback, especially considering that some grammar and spelling checkers are available for free.

Read also: Discover the best tips to successfully manage and lead a remote team.

11. Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365, formerly known as Office 365, is one of the best Windows productivity tools and collaboration apps offered by Microsoft.

This powerful productivity suite offers a comprehensive set of applications and services. Microsoft 365 includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Teams, and other apps used to create documents, analyze data, design presentations, manage emails, and capture notes, catering to a wide range of personal and professional needs.

Familiar Microsoft Office applications are combined with cloud services, and collaboration features, providing users with a comprehensive solution for various tasks in both professional and personal settings.

Microsoft 365 caters to individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises alike. It is suitable for all kinds of teams and industries, for students to professionals.

One of the main advantages of using this tool is the familiarity that so many users already have with the applications, making the transition to Microsoft 365 seamless.

With the suite for Windows, whether working from a desktop, laptop, or tablet, users can access their documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and emails everywhere, ensuring seamless productivity and collaboration across team members and multiple devices.

This fosters effective teamwork, eliminates version control issues, and ensures that everyone is working on the most up-to-date content.

Read also

• How to track time in Microsoft Outlook
• Excel time tracking

12. Google Workspace

A Google Workspace is a collaboration suite offered by Google. A favorite of many professionals across virtually every industry, for companies of every size, and for sure, one of the best small business tools.

It combines a range of applications and communication tools to facilitate seamless teamwork, file sharing, and productivity within organizations.

Inside Google Workspace, several valuable and well-known tools can be found: Google Sheets, Docs and Slides, Google Forms, Gmail, Google Meet, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and others.

Since it’s one of the most used systems in the business world, device compatibility is guaranteed. The main highlights of Google Workspace include its cloud-based nature, which enables easy access, collaboration, and synchronization across devices.

The suite ensures robust security measures, data encryption, and administrative control to ensure data protection and privacy.

While Google Workspace offers various pricing plans, some organizations may find the cost relatively high, especially for larger teams or those with specific requirements.

Read also: the best apps for Android

13. Google Drive

Google Drive is a versatile cloud storage and file synchronization service that offers an array of features designed to enhance productivity.

Even though it is part of Google Workspace, it deserves its spot on the list. It also can be used separately from the other apps for storing, sharing, and accessing files across devices.

From the start, Google Drive offers 15 GB of storage for free use. Being a part of the Google Workspace suite, along with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, users can create and edit files together, seeing changes made by collaborators in real time.

Its popularity and versatility show that Google Drive is suitable for users and teams of all sizes and industries. It is widely used by students and professionals alike, who highlight the reliability of this tool.

Files stored on Google Drive can be accessed from any device with internet access, promoting remote work and flexibility. It keeps track of version history, enabling users to access and revert to previous file versions if needed.

While it provides free storage, users may need to purchase additional storage for large amounts of data, and this may be seen as a disadvantage by some, as well as the fact that offline access to files is limited.

Read also: Remote work guide

14. JIRA

JIRA is an issue-tracking and project-management tool developed by Atlassian. It is widely used in software development to efficiently track and manage projects, tasks, and issues. Still, its flexibility and scalability make it suitable for teams in various industries seeking efficient project management.

This tool provides a platform for teams to create and manage tasks, bugs, features, and other project-related items. It’s known for providing customizable and real-time collaboration, making it a valuable tool for agile development and project management.

JIRA provides tools to set priorities and allocate resources effectively, ensuring teams work on the most critical tasks first while integrating with other collaboration tools.

It’s important to note that its software development orientation can be difficult for non-technical users, who may need additional training when using this tool.

Online reviewers generally praise JIRA for its customization options, integration with other tools, and agility in managing complex development workflows.

Pricing plans will always depend on the number of agents that’ll use the tool.

Read also: The most effective techniques to lead a project to success

15. SmartSheet

Smartsheet is a project management software that allows you to set deadlines, assign tasks, track progress, and collaborate with team members in real-time.

Smartsheet is suitable for teams of all sizes and industries, including marketing, software development, finance, human resources, and more. Its versatility makes it appealing to any team that requires effective project planning, task management, and collaboration.

Smarsheet enables the visualization of project timelines using Gantt charts or Kanban boards, two popular choices to do it. With Smartsheet, it’s possible to track resource availability, assign resources to tasks, and balance workloads to avoid major discrepancies between team members. (Read our article, if you want to learn how to do a workload analysis to avoid imbalanced workloads)

Smartsheet’s familiar spreadsheet-like interface makes it easy for users to adopt and start using the platform quickly. It’s important to note that adequate training and support may be required to maximize its potential and ensure smooth adoption. Some users feel that it may lack certain advanced functionalities found in other dedicated project management tools and that customization capabilities are limited.

TIP: Discover the best cost management software

16. Zapier

Zapier is one of the best web-based automation tools that connect various apps and services to automate repetitive tasks and workflows.

It allows users to create “zaps,” which are automated actions triggered by specific events. For example, receiving an email or doing a form submission. Zapier allows automatic data transfer and eliminates the need for manual intervention.

It works as a bridge between apps. It integrates with thousands of apps, around 3000, including Gmail, Slack, Trello, and Google Sheets.

It’s a widely popular tool that benefits marketers, developers, sales teams, project managers, and virtually anyone seeking to streamline repetitive tasks and improve productivity through automation.

Its popularity is proved by online reviews, with users highlighting the ability to automate tasks without the need for coding or technical expertise, as well as its user-friendly interface and real-time updates. However, they also mention that certain apps may have limitations in terms of available actions, which could be a limitation for some workflows.

Additionally, some users have mentioned that the pricing may be a concern for larger teams or those requiring more advanced automation scenarios.

17. Range

Range is a team communication tool for check-ins and meeting management. It focuses on improving team workflows by offering features such as daily stand-ups, check-ins, and goal tracking.

It helps teams stay connected, aligned, and accountable for their tasks and progress. Range is designed for teams of all sizes and industries, being especially useful for remote-first teams.

In this team productivity software users can manage tasks, have discussions, and conduct meetings and virtual retrospectives.

The platform’s daily stand-ups and check-ins facilitate regular updates and promote transparency among team members. Reviewers online highlight its user-friendly interface and meeting options but also mention its lack of more advanced features.

Range’s free plan includes up to 12 users. The Pro plan costs 8$ per team member with unlimited check-in history.

• Read also: virtual retrospective ideas

Conclusion

Increasing team productivity is crucial for achieving success in today’s fast-paced work environment.

Putting these tools to use is the first step for a more productive workflow. It is essential for teams to explore and select the tools that align best with their unique requirements and preferences.

Ultimately, Timeular emerges as a key productivity tool for accurate timekeeping. It allows teams to optimize their workflows, spot bottlenecks and time-consuming tasks. Timeular stands out as it simplifies time tracking with an intuitive interface and multiple tracking methods. It offers custom reminders and automated reporting for better time management and insights.

The Physical Tracker, an 8-sided die, enhances tracking. Users access accurate insights, billable hour tracking, and integration with 3,000+ project management tools via Zapier. It’s a powerful tool to optimize team productivity and make informed decisions about time allocation.

FAQ

You might be interested in:

• What to say to motivate your team
• Remote working and productivity
• How to motivate your team remotely
• The best employee leave management system
• Ways to improve team performance
• What makes a good team leader
• Performance review tips for employees

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The post The Best Team Productivity Tools in 2024 appeared first on Timeular.