How do you log how many hours you've spent on a project?
Something more reliable (and accurate) than just watching the clock.
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191answers:
11
A:
I use SlimTimer. It's lightweight and easy to use. You can use tags, descriptions, and categories not only on each task, but on each time block you spend working on a task. And it's easy to share reporting data in case your client likes to see how you're spending your time.
Oh, and it's free.
StriplingWarrior
2010-10-26 19:44:40
+1
A:
I wrote myself a swing Java timeclock app... it has a punch in / punch out button, along with a notes field so I can record what I'm working on.
Sam Dufel
2010-10-26 19:44:51
+1
A:
In the past I've used applications like these, but I've always found that I had to adjust the values anyway; the time I spend on a given project isn't the same as the time I spend with the IDE open to that particular project. So nowadays I use a more relaxed approach based on figuring out the total amount of time I've been working and estimating how much of it was on each project. This only works well if I do it every day; by a few days later it's pretty hard to remember how I spent my time.
JacobM
2010-10-26 19:47:22
So there's nothing which doesn't record time after some "idle" period on the IDE. Something like some chat clients do, figure you are idle in spite of the client being open and signed in.
Ashish
2010-10-26 19:50:36
I don't just mean that I might be in the IDE but idle, I mean that I'm working on the project when I'm arguing over coffee about what architecture to use, or when I'm in a huddle room drawing on the whiteboard, or when I'm pacing up and down thinking, etc. Application usage doesn't capture that stuff.
JacobM
2010-10-26 20:15:29
@Ashish: The IDE is idle most of the time I'm working. I'm working with my head, not with my hands. (In fact, when my keyboard, mouse and phone are busy, you can be pretty sure that I'm not making much progress...)
nikie
2010-10-26 20:17:05
@nikie: Yes, agreed. But once you have thought things out (and we can use a different technique for logging the thinking time) you sit down to code. That's where IDE idea comes in.
Ashish
2010-10-26 21:09:49
A:
I use Project Recon, since it syncs with Basecamp (the project management tool we use at work) nicely.
Probably not worth it if you don't use Basecamp though.
What
2010-10-26 19:47:56
+1
A:
I use the Pomodoro Technique, which lets you track tasks with 25-minute periods.
I currently use an old-fashioned pen and paper approach to write down my tasks, but I'm actually working on a Web Application which lets you track everything (including history) online.
Edan Maor
2010-10-26 19:48:00
A:
I use Freshbooks to track the time that I bill to clients. It has a very cool stopwatch-like feature that I use to keep very accurate records of the amount time that I work on a particular work item.
Outstanding service for contractors and consultants.
Adam Crossland
2010-10-26 19:48:31
A:
If you want create something quick in say C#, two variables, startTime, endTime, two buttons btnStart, btnEnd, startTime = DateTime.Now.ToString("hh:mm:ss tt dd/MM/yyyy"); inside the btnStart.Click, and the same thing for endTime.
And if you want to you can go into more detail, and log everything in a txt/html file, etc.
Eros Nikolli
2010-10-26 19:50:15
+1
A:
I'm using Project Hamster: http://projecthamster.wordpress.com/screenshots/
Pēteris Caune
2010-10-26 19:51:40