Staying on top of your time and tasks is critical for any employee, but remote employees have to be particularly careful. Because you’re not in the office and can’t be monitored, your productivity may be watched very closely. Additionally, as a remote worker, you may notice something that takes more time than you expected and could improve it with more training or a software improvement.
Hello Bonsai
Whether you’re freelancing and working for yourself or working remotely for someone else, Hello Bonsai can help you organize your projects and track your time via an hourly rate. The introductory period is two weeks and the software is free if you choose to decline it. Even better, the free trial period doesn’t require you to give them a credit card number.
Harvest
The Harvest Tracker lets you.
- Track multiple projects by time and rate
- Assign projects to another team member
This app also meshes well with creative sharing platforms, such as Basecamp or Milanote. Finally, Harvest doesn’t monitor application use or track URLs. If you’re a freelancer who does their best synthesizing while walking on a treadmill, you’ll appreciate not being babysat while you generate ideas.
RescueTime
If you’re a freelancer who really needs to do a better job of improving their hourly rate by capturing lost time or getting a handle on interruptions, RescueTime is a free app that reports only to you. One of the most wonderful things about freelance work and working remotely is that you can work from anywhere. One of the challenges to freelancing is that payment stops or slows down when you lose focus. Staying on top of your unfocused time can increase productivity and put more cash in your pocket.
Klok (Single User)
There’s a team Klok app as well, but it’s a bit more expensive. The single user Klok app not only tracks your current project and your hourly rate, but it helps you to plan for your next project and to price it effectively. If you forget to turn it on, you can add time after the fact. Finally, you can break projects down into
- Meeting time
- Phone time
- Productive time
Or whatever categories you prefer to set up. If you wonder about the valid use of the time you spend marketing yourself, Klok can help you figure it out and adjust your pitch time in the future.
Todo.vu
If you’re a one person shop that does it all, Todo.vu is your tracking tool. For example, if you build websites, write your own copy, and pull together your own graphics, Todo.vu lets you split out your time tracking down to individual processes, instead of just processes. For those who love to write copy, graphic work may be better farmed out to someone who loves that part. Todo.vu can help you determine the best way to feed your passion and use your time.
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