How To Make Tracking Your Time A Daily Habit

Many of us start tracking time with the best intentions. However, many of us also find themselves in the middle of the day asking “Wait, did I track my time today?”.

Too many things happen during the day, unexpected problems and requests rain on us, and frankly, tracking time is a bit of a pain.

But fear not! There are many ways you can make time tracking productive habits – starting with some useful Timeneye features.

But why should you use a time tracking tool in the first place?

With all the apps and tools used in the workplace, adding another to the mix might not seem the best solution. And yet time tracking software is also your best ally when you have to keep track of your time.

Although there are apparently simpler alternatives like spreadsheets, time tracking software is better for registering time because:

• Unlike spreadsheets, which are multi-purpose, time tracking tools are specifically built for tracking time;
• They usually come with mobile apps and browser extensions, allowing to register time everywhere the work goes;
• They are light and easy to use;
• Usually, include reporting features that allow for better analysis compared to, let’s say, a list of rows in Excel.

Timeneye checks all the boxes as a simple time tracking tool you can use in your daily work.

How to make time tracking part of your routine

• • Block time in your calendar;
  • Install the Timeneye Browser Widget;
  • Set email reminders;
  • Prefer real-time timers;
  • Auto save your timers.

Block time in your calendar

In order to remember to track your time, you can start by blocking your schedule for the most important tasks. If you remember to track time for those, then you’ll halfway through building your habit.

I’d suggest creating an event in your Google Calendar to block out some time. After that, syncing Timeneye to Google Calendar will allow the system to automatically retrieve the event in your dashboard so you can track time for it.

You can easily start a timer from the suggestion created from Google Calendar.

You don’t have to cram every single minute of your day, just start with the most important tasks. Cramming your schedule is bad for your productivity anyway.

(Are you using another calendar like Outlook Calendar? We’ve got an integration for that, too!)

Install the Timeneye Browser Widget

If you, like me, work with many tabs open while searching, monitoring, and creating content, you’ll find the Timeneye Browser Widget really helpful.

The Timeneye Widget will allow you to start and stop timer wherever you are on the web. You won’t have to worry about opening the web app every time – nothing is more annoying than having to switch apps back and forth.

The widget also comes with a lot of integrations with other services, too.

Also, the little Timeneye icon will serve as a gentle reminder that you have to track your time.

Set email reminders

The problem with time tracking is… forgetting about it.

When you get on with your day and are immersed in the countless things to do, it’s easy to get caught and starting a timer is the last thing on your mind.

Timeneye lets you set up a daily reminder email: when the system detects you’ve not been tracking time, it sends you an email gently nudging you into doing it.

Prefer real-time timers

You might have noticed that until now I’ve talked about starting timers to track time.

Although Timeneye offers the possibility to manually enter the time you spent, I personally think it’s better to work with timers because:

• It’s more accurate than estimating time;
• Timers compel you to stay focused on the task at hand;
• If you track as you go, you’ll avoid the bad habit of filling the timesheets in bulk at the end of the day, or worse, the month.

Autosave your timers

Forgetting to start a timer is one problem. Then there’s another: forgetting to stop it.

To avoid ending up with a 17 hours long timer, set up the Autosave option and Timeneye will automatically store your timers for you.

When software fits your routine perfectly, it’s much easier to focus on your work and go have a productive day!

What are you waiting for? Sign up for a free 30-day Timeneye trial!