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Ask HN: Personal timesheet?

4 points by alltakendamned ↗ HN
Is anyone using personal timesheets to track eg how much time they spend on learning a new topic or time spent on a (side) project ?

What are your experiences and what tools do you use for this ?

4 comments

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system2
I have a four monitor setup, I tried to dedicate one of them to use Asana and tried multiple tracking software to be organized. Didn't stick.

Then I purchased a big vertical whiteboard and bunch of colored markers, writing down my to-dos and to-learns/ideas. Usually I try to do it monthly, but some tasks remain for longer than a month. I make many grids on it, and distribute client requests, my personal stuff, some random notes once in a while.

I tried to use some iOS paid apps but I realized I don't want to look at my phone more than I already do.

In the past I tried to use regular notepads, bought many kinds but I couldn't follow my notes anymore. So far my whiteboard was my best friend because it is huge, whenever I turn my head I see it. But for time tracking, I have no clue. Get a whiteboard, no matter what you do, you will use it.

DataWraith
If you don't need minute-by-minute accounting, you might like TagTime [1]. It will pop up a window at random times and ask what you're doing. Over the course of several weeks it can build a good picture of where your time is going in aggregate without the hassle of having to manually punch in and out of a timesheet or the potential privacy problems associated with completely automatic tracking.

[1]: http://tagti.me/