Toggl Your Time & Make More Money
Posted by Holly in Free Productivity Tools, Free Software, Resources
Best Productivity Software Tool to Manage Time
Toggl is a tool that allows you to monitor what you are doing throughout the day. To someone who works at home – it’s an eye-opening thing to see how much time you waste and how much is used productively. To understand where every minute and every hour is spent – will help you gauge where you need to stop wasting time and what projects are more profitable for you. If you’re a freelancer (in any field) this is also useful to track billable time, so you know how much to charge clients.
Toggl is another great tool that is totally free to use. I heard about it through a friend of mine who works at a big SEO firm. It’s a tool he and his co-workers use frequently when working throughout the day on client’s projects. When you start working on something new, you type in the name of your project or task and then click the timer button when you start – and turn it off when you’re done. It takes an extra couple of minutes out of your day to do this, but as a result you can see what you’re spending your time on daily.
Toggl also has downloadable widgets – so you can easily run the timer on your desktop on Windows, Linux and Mac computers.
18 Responses to “Toggl Your Time & Make More Money”
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Anna
23. Jul, 2009
Okay Holly, did you read my mind? I wrote a post about this a few months ago, but the tool I was using was the Freshbooks start/stop timer. After a while I had to stop using it because of my connection. I was searching for one of these timers which I could use offline.
I was using it for the exact same purpose – 1. to easily keep track spent on freelance projects, and 2. to keep track of what I spent my time on so that I could see “where all the hours were going.” It’s also a great analysis tool (at least how the Freshbooks timer is set up) which you can use even months later. As you can see the total number of hours you spent on each type of project over a long period of time.
If you are wondering why your income went down last month, for example, and you log on and find that you spent 60% of your time on Twitter and 10% of your time updating your blogs, and the rest watching cat videos on YouTube … then at least you know what you have to improve in your daily planning!
Okay, that’s an exaggeration but this was really an excellent tool for me! And I want to start using a timer function again so I will try Toggle!!! Thanks!
Holly
23. Jul, 2009
Anna of course I read your mind! We’re like sisters
lol. I really hope you like Toggl. My friend who works for the SEO firm I mentioned – I believe all his coworkers use it for their business projects and freelance work. I think it could be a great tool. I recently started using it and i look forward to seeing the stats a month from now! Let me know what you think of it ok!
Davin - Viral Marketing Sanctuary
23. Jul, 2009
Excellent Holly! Thanx, I’m definitely going to give that thing a try. I have another program that comes up every 30 minutes to remind me what I’m supposed to be working on..but, it doesn’t actually time my activities.
I think this thing might really help me, it’s so easy to waste time..it would be nice to know just how much time is getting wasted. Perhaps, it will help to give myself a good “kick in the butt” lol…..like I need one of those…
Thanx for sharing that Holly…
Dav
Anna
23. Jul, 2009
Aw, thanks Holly! I’m installing it now.
By the way another great feature of this kind of timer, that I noticed when I was using the Freshbooks version – it helps control multi-tasking.
When I am timing my various activities throughout the day, I have to switch it to another task if I go off and do something else. This alone sometimes prevents me from jumping around or diverting off on another task before I have finished the one I’m on.
Anna
23. Jul, 2009
Oh, and one more thing I should say … maybe some people will think this is crazy. But if you are really having a “where do all the hours go” problem, and you want to make sure certain things don’t get neglected, you can also time your offline activities. If you work at home, for example, you can create “tasks” for things like exercise, study, taking care of your cats, etc …
billvlasak
23. Jul, 2009
These tools are making it hard to remain a procrastinator by jumping from task to task.Timers are subtle reminders to stay on track.
At least I can say that reading certain blogs is part of improving my own blog and web site.
Irish Tom
24. Jul, 2009
Hi Holly
Another great tool and one I certainly need and will use. I currently use my “ToDo” list fairly well, but you can get distracted like I did for a while today.
I wonder would it be possible to set up some sort of a mild “electric shock” into the seat of our office chairs linked to this as an added reminder…any ideas Davin?..LOL..
Am I picking up from you Anna that you are a cat lover? Just for the record so am I and I have two 3yo’s, Lucy and Ricky. I am putting together an ebook on their lives and how we come about inheriting them. Will be humurous, but also informative.
Davin, I got the MAC through your site…awesome..you got to do an info article here for us..
By the way Holly, since you put up the WordPress info, please check out the following site (free download), on
http://www.expertwordpress.com and let us know what you think.
It seems very interesting but not sure if it is just a gimmick.
Talk soon
Cheers
Tom.
Holly
24. Jul, 2009
I’m glad you guys like this. I have found it really useful so far. It keeps me more on track and focused. When you time yourself it really puts more of an urgency on things and I get less distracted. I hope it helps you guys – let me know how you like it.
The5sisters
24. Jul, 2009
I.ve done some research on Expert Word Press since it first came out and conclude that it is well worth the low monthly membership as it stands on special upgrade [ from free] .
True enough,using Fantastico on your own hosting server makes installing Word press a 3 + minute simple chore but for less experienced users there are drawbacks.
1-which plugins to install without conflicts;use Holly’s recommendations;some conflicts have crashed my database and corrupted the css.
2-Word Press comes with feeds that post your posts to other sites.Great.Yet if a setting conflicts , the links in those feeds ,including Twitter sometimes bring the reader to a 403 page (no permission to ‘index.php)
3-Word Press uses bit-ly to send and receive data and can use that service along side Google and Intense Debate to display pages in the database.Also great.Again ,a conflicting php or javascript file may sometimes have your own backlinks give you a 403 page This is especially true when bit-ly shortens a long URL for reposting.
These 3 problems have plagued not only my own blog but I have seen the results on several other blogs and blog based sites.
Expert Word Press eliminates conflicts or resolves them.Twitter help desk and Word press forums have resulted in zero resolutions.It is only my ‘green’ personality [problem solving ] that makes me try to figure these annoyances out for myself and others.Getting traffic from unclickable links has become a time waster..
Now that I have posted as if I were ranting,excuse please.
I was only trying to shed some light on “Irish Tom’s ” query.
I am in no way associated with the product and my problems are real and aggravating.
Davin-The Viral Sanctuary
24. Jul, 2009
Haha, well I don’t know Tom, perhaps somebody can come up with a little “electric shock” therapy with software kicking in a certain time intervals, then it can send the electric current to our chairs through a USB port or something..LOL
Thanx for grabbing MAC Tom. At the start you will find it a little strange, but, just remember each time you use it…with every article where you use your own words, for synonyms etc. it gets easier and smarter. I’ve done a few articles with it now, and it’s getting a little easier each time.
I hope you figure out your WordPress problems Bill. Sometimes certain themes with certain plug-ins etc, can be a little unfriendly. Hope it gets worked out…
Thanx again for posting this awesome Toggl tool Holly!
Dav
Alari
24. Jul, 2009
Hi there, good to see you like Toggl. We’re hard at work to make it the most effortless way to capture worktime. In any case of questions or problems just let us know!
Alari, Toggl co-founder
Holly
24. Jul, 2009
Thank you Alari! I appreciate you commenting here and love the software.
Thanks again.
Irish Tom
24. Jul, 2009
Hi All,
Thanks Bill for your comments on the Expert WordPress. I will give it a try and see what happens.By the way, your blogs are quite interesting!
O.K. Davin, maybe we should put the “electric shock treatment” on hold for a while.
I am loking forward to using the MAC system. I can see its great value.
Well Holly, when you come up with your posts you sure can draw quite an interesting response in the replies and that is why I love this site.
I have loaded up the Toggl so it will be interesting to see how it helps me. At least if it aggravates me I can yell at it and/or switch it off. Now you could not do that with a private secretary..LOL..
It is also nice to see the Toggl co-founder, Alari coming on board with the back up comments. Very refreshing.
Have a great weekend All. Off at 5am in the morning to WA.
Cheers
Tom
Jared Little
25. Jul, 2009
I am going to have to try this out starting tonight. I have found the online stopwatch helps keep me focus but this looks alot better and will let me track where I am spending the time.
Thanks,
Jared
.-= Jared Little´s last blog ..Top Social Media Sites =-.
ACLS Provider Sacramento
25. Jul, 2009
I totally need something like this with all the projects I am juggling….I literally feel ripping my hair out I have so much going on. Its good though….I am not complaining. However, a tool like this to expose lost time is indeed an asset.
Thank you..
Internet marketing productivity | NEWRU
26. Jul, 2009
[...] at the beginning. My mentor Holly Mann wrote a great post on how to manage your time entitled “Toggl Your Time & Make More Money.” Odd that it was the same day, but grateful for her post which you can find here. Share and [...]
Holly
28. Jul, 2009
You’re welcome. I hope it helps.
Personality Marketing
30. Jul, 2009
Yesssssssssss I love it, except for me, I need something that will run in the background and see what programs I open and such.
How long my browser is open and on what sites lol…I know there are things like this for mac, but haven’t found a good one for windows yet.
It’s very interesting to see where your time goes.