Help my ADHD self track my billable hours...
September 2, 2021 6:29 AM Subscribe
I am looking for something that will pop up on my PC every 15 minutes and NOT LET ME CONTINUE until I tell it what I'm doing.
But seriously, I need to track my hours and I cannot remember to do it for the life of me. My day ends and I'm left trying to piece my day together and recreate my billing timesheet. There has to be something out there like this ... but I really do need to track in 15 minute increments. HALP.
But seriously, I need to track my hours and I cannot remember to do it for the life of me. My day ends and I'm left trying to piece my day together and recreate my billing timesheet. There has to be something out there like this ... but I really do need to track in 15 minute increments. HALP.
I hope this isn't off topic, but what I do is I have a running Google doc open that I add to throughout the day. I open it when I sit down to start work, with the day of the week and the day's date underlined; under that I have my target start-and-end times for work, list of meetings/Top 3 to-dos for the day, and then I just start a list. "8:30 am-9:30 am Drafting [case name] brief"; "9:30 am-9:45 am Reviewing discovery for [case name]". At the end of the day, I make a list of all the cases I worked on, and tally up the entries for my total time spent on each case that day.
It's useful for me, because I often have to interrupt my planned work to put out a fire on a given case, respond to an emergency motion, get stuck on the phone with a pro se Plaintiff, etc. So I have made a habit of getting that tab in front of my face as soon as an interruption hits.
I don't put confidential information in the doc, just enough to know what matter I'm referring to when I later go to record in our internal system. NB, this is all because we have basically zero case management tools, some of which I am told can be used to track time, but none I have ever worked with really worked for me, because it's too many steps/clicks/waiting for things to load if I want to stop and start a timer. I really don't have the luxury of waiting 30 seconds to switch between tasks.
posted by Schielisque at 6:44 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's useful for me, because I often have to interrupt my planned work to put out a fire on a given case, respond to an emergency motion, get stuck on the phone with a pro se Plaintiff, etc. So I have made a habit of getting that tab in front of my face as soon as an interruption hits.
I don't put confidential information in the doc, just enough to know what matter I'm referring to when I later go to record in our internal system. NB, this is all because we have basically zero case management tools, some of which I am told can be used to track time, but none I have ever worked with really worked for me, because it's too many steps/clicks/waiting for things to load if I want to stop and start a timer. I really don't have the luxury of waiting 30 seconds to switch between tasks.
posted by Schielisque at 6:44 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
You could just set calendar reminders? Does the "reminding" part need to be the same software you're using to record time?
I find using a piece of paper with the day laid out in (for me) 6 minute increment boxes is much easier to remember to mark. I just put arrows from where I start working to where I stop, and manage to scribble something about what I am doing even if I can't get myself to put an entire time entry in the billing program. That way I don't have to click away from whatever I'm doing.
posted by bluesky78987 at 6:55 AM on September 2, 2021
I find using a piece of paper with the day laid out in (for me) 6 minute increment boxes is much easier to remember to mark. I just put arrows from where I start working to where I stop, and manage to scribble something about what I am doing even if I can't get myself to put an entire time entry in the billing program. That way I don't have to click away from whatever I'm doing.
posted by bluesky78987 at 6:55 AM on September 2, 2021
Seconding Schielisque - I have an Excel doc that I track my time with, just putting in start/stop and the project I am billing to. I always have it open. So if you're not doing something like that, I'd start doing it with like... an phone timer set just out of reach???
posted by DoubleLune at 7:06 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by DoubleLune at 7:06 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have Toggl bookmarked
Toggl Tracker lets you set periodic reminders, but doesn't have the
posted by zamboni at 7:09 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
Toggl Tracker lets you set periodic reminders, but doesn't have the
NOT LET ME CONTINUE until I tell it what I'm doingfeature checkitnice wants. Depending on the kind of work they do, the Autotracker feature might be helpful.
posted by zamboni at 7:09 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I use Harvest and have also used Toggl. I feel like Harvest is better but it’s been a long time since I actively used Toggl. It’s really easy. I think you can do a free version and track up to four projects. It’s has a browser widget that will alert you if you haven’t started tracking your time by a certain time that you set. I’m not sure about periodic reminders.
When I sit down to work, I start a “non-billable” timer to get me in the mode. I make a note in the free form window every time I turn a timer on or off. This helps immensely. I have a paid version as I have many different clients and need to track billable time to several a day and to different listed tasks.
Depending on how many projects you need to track, you might find it worth it to go with the paid version. The exports are very nice and its reporting feature is helpful too if you are working to a budget.
posted by amanda at 7:17 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
When I sit down to work, I start a “non-billable” timer to get me in the mode. I make a note in the free form window every time I turn a timer on or off. This helps immensely. I have a paid version as I have many different clients and need to track billable time to several a day and to different listed tasks.
Depending on how many projects you need to track, you might find it worth it to go with the paid version. The exports are very nice and its reporting feature is helpful too if you are working to a budget.
posted by amanda at 7:17 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I feel this question. You’ll go insane if you actually have your input blocked by this. If on a Mac try Vitamin-R with 15 minute work session intervals. It’ll dim the screen and its menu bar app will prompt you to write what you did and what you’ll do next, and make a daily log. You can also quickly enter notes in the log to remind yourself to enter time for small interruptions.
Toggl/Harvest/Timery/RescueTime can all prompt you in some way, too, as others have said.
Telling yourself you are getting paid to enter time, not just do the work, helps. I have days where I’m getting asked one five minute question after another and I’m at peace with spending another five minutes entering time and billing 15 for each one. Getting more sleep helps. Also it’s okay to presumptively enter time and correct it later for big work chunks (I like amanda’s initial non-billing task along those lines.)
posted by michaelh at 7:22 AM on September 2, 2021 [6 favorites]
Toggl/Harvest/Timery/RescueTime can all prompt you in some way, too, as others have said.
Telling yourself you are getting paid to enter time, not just do the work, helps. I have days where I’m getting asked one five minute question after another and I’m at peace with spending another five minutes entering time and billing 15 for each one. Getting more sleep helps. Also it’s okay to presumptively enter time and correct it later for big work chunks (I like amanda’s initial non-billing task along those lines.)
posted by michaelh at 7:22 AM on September 2, 2021 [6 favorites]
Can you use a pomodoro program? Those things will beep at you every 20 minutes, so you would at least have to take the action of acknowledging it to get on with your life without an alarm going off. And then it auto-resets. I think on some of them you can customize the length of the period and the number of times it repeats before going into a rest period. If you have an Apple watch, having one tapping on your wrist is pretty hard to ignore.
I feel very old-fashioned in that I kept a literal written diary. If they wanted me to track my work in six-minute increments they just had to accept that timekeeping took time in itself.
posted by praemunire at 7:39 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I feel very old-fashioned in that I kept a literal written diary. If they wanted me to track my work in six-minute increments they just had to accept that timekeeping took time in itself.
posted by praemunire at 7:39 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
Be wary of what you ask for. I have the good/bad luck of 'eh, meh' porting SelfControl from Mac to Linux. It was a "let me turn off Internet to certain sites for a period of time and *not* be able to undo it". Bad idea, there's always a way. OMG the emails about "oops accidentally blocking Facebook for 200 hours, *HALP*" and it's oppression by obscurity, If I tell you how to fix it, the whole idea of keep me from wasting time goes poof". Never again.
The "NOT LET ME CONTINUE" can be hard and problematic. The opportunistic "What are you doing now?" pop-up might be OK. Nagware. I would tackle this on "my box, annoying thing" but wouldn't want to meat that "NOT LET ME CONTINUE" breakage.
Sigh, now I'd hack the screensaver to go off every "X minutes" and require a drop-down or free-form 'password' and tie it in to back-end logging of "why are you here now?" PITFA.
I hope you get something that works for you (from another neuroatypical).
Simple solution is a one-at-a-time scheduled via OS mechanism that pops up a dialog asking "what are you doing" and logs the answer. Nagware (with logging).
Fracking web-apps... what'cha gonna do when your Internet is down and you can't use your computer because you can't use some web-service to look at your pictures. Never rely on the Internet working.
(and never even think about writing something that does "NOT LET ME CONTINUE").
posted by zengargoyle at 7:42 AM on September 2, 2021
The "NOT LET ME CONTINUE" can be hard and problematic. The opportunistic "What are you doing now?" pop-up might be OK. Nagware. I would tackle this on "my box, annoying thing" but wouldn't want to meat that "NOT LET ME CONTINUE" breakage.
Sigh, now I'd hack the screensaver to go off every "X minutes" and require a drop-down or free-form 'password' and tie it in to back-end logging of "why are you here now?" PITFA.
I hope you get something that works for you (from another neuroatypical).
Simple solution is a one-at-a-time scheduled via OS mechanism that pops up a dialog asking "what are you doing" and logs the answer. Nagware (with logging).
Fracking web-apps... what'cha gonna do when your Internet is down and you can't use your computer because you can't use some web-service to look at your pictures. Never rely on the Internet working.
(and never even think about writing something that does "NOT LET ME CONTINUE").
posted by zengargoyle at 7:42 AM on September 2, 2021
There are Time Tracking Cubes available that might be less intrusive than what you're looking for.
posted by jabes at 8:10 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by jabes at 8:10 AM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I use the Tracking Time app on my computer (desktop Mac). The notifications pop up every 30 minutes, to either tell you which job you're logged in to, or to tell you you're not logged in. On a Mac, you can choose what type of notification you receive (banner vs alert). I believe the 'alert' type of notification won't go away until you acknowledge it. (I use banners that go away after 5 or 10 seconds). I don't see a way to change the notification increment from 30 minutes to 15 minutes though. And you have to have the program open for the notifications to come through.
I just use the free version of the app, and have been for about 4-5 years now. It's a bit more complicated than I need, but I just use a few of the features, and it's fine for me.
I think pairing this app with another app that might give you an alert every 30 minutes would give you the reminding that you need.
posted by hydra77 at 9:22 AM on September 2, 2021
I just use the free version of the app, and have been for about 4-5 years now. It's a bit more complicated than I need, but I just use a few of the features, and it's fine for me.
I think pairing this app with another app that might give you an alert every 30 minutes would give you the reminding that you need.
posted by hydra77 at 9:22 AM on September 2, 2021
I sympathize with you, as I am a grown-ass adult who is regularly yelled at for my time entry. I have not tried these yet, but I have bookmarked Big Stretch Reminder and Enso Retreat which are both meant to force you to take breaks, but fairly intrusively, which I think could be repurposed.
I have for now ended up bundling my time entry with breaks. If I go to the bathroom or go get a drink or snack or let the dog out, I enter time when I sit back down. Do I manage to do it every time? No. Do I manage to enter time 2-4 times a day? Yes, usually, and that's frequently enough that I know what I've been doing the past 2-4 hours.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:24 AM on September 2, 2021
I have for now ended up bundling my time entry with breaks. If I go to the bathroom or go get a drink or snack or let the dog out, I enter time when I sit back down. Do I manage to do it every time? No. Do I manage to enter time 2-4 times a day? Yes, usually, and that's frequently enough that I know what I've been doing the past 2-4 hours.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:24 AM on September 2, 2021
You might find the Daily useful. It's not so much a timer as a window just pops up and asks you what you are doing and you fill it in and carry on. You don't mention which tech you use, but it only works on Mac and the data is locally stored for privacy but that means you can't really switch machines easily. It does have a free 7 day trial
posted by wwax at 9:24 AM on September 2, 2021
posted by wwax at 9:24 AM on September 2, 2021
It's not a perfect match to your request, but Task Ticker may suit you.
posted by krisjohn at 4:58 PM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by krisjohn at 4:58 PM on September 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
In your position, I'd try to make the process as automatic as possible, not having something interrupt me all the time. Every 15 minutes throughout 8 hours or so, that's 32 popups per day, 5 days a week... that's A LOT of popups and interruptions.
Instead of being constantly interrupted, I'd try using some sort of time tracker that can take screenshots or make note of what you were working on. There seem to be several screenshot-taking or automated timetracker applications nowadays. In the old days when I had to track billable hours, I used TimeSnapper for the screenshots or ManicTime when a log of applications and documents used was enough.
posted by gakiko at 3:27 PM on September 3, 2021
Instead of being constantly interrupted, I'd try using some sort of time tracker that can take screenshots or make note of what you were working on. There seem to be several screenshot-taking or automated timetracker applications nowadays. In the old days when I had to track billable hours, I used TimeSnapper for the screenshots or ManicTime when a log of applications and documents used was enough.
posted by gakiko at 3:27 PM on September 3, 2021
I use the app Timing on my Mac. It runs in the background and takes note of everything I’m doing. I’m only using it to hold myself accountable, not for billing purposes, so I don’t use the Rules very much. But they have very granular rules for automatically categorizing your time entries. Seems like it would work pretty well for your needs. (As a fellow ADHD’er, the idea of something interrupting my work every 15 minutes is… awful. )
posted by bluloo at 4:07 PM on September 3, 2021
posted by bluloo at 4:07 PM on September 3, 2021
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posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:40 AM on September 2, 2021 [3 favorites]