Not the creative area you normally see from me, but if you’re in marketing or a creative agency, you know that time is money. Your clients want precise reports on your hours, or perhaps you have freelancers that are billing you and you need those hours to be precise.
If you want to be successful, you need to be able to track your time—both billable and non-billable—so that you can see where your team’s strengths and weaknesses are.
As a leader, you can’t manage it, if you can’t measure it.
So, enter time-tracking that are apps available and can help you manage your, and your teams, time more effectively.
More on time management:
When you have a speech, a script, a video, a podcast, let’s start with easy time tracking: We have a free script-timer for you to time your scripts.
Ok, that said (and clicked!?) here are our favorite time-tracking apps to make sure you’re using your time efficiently:
Toggl is a great option for those who want a simple, no-frills time tracker. Just start the timer when you start working on a task and stop it when you’re done. You can also add clients, projects, and tags to keep everything organized. Best of all, Toggl has a free plan that includes all of the basic features most people need.
RescueTime is perfect for those who want to get an overview of how they’re spending their time. It runs in the background on your computer and tracks which applications and websites you use the most. It then gives you a detailed report of where your time is going. RescueTime also has a free plan, but it’s pretty basic—you’ll need to upgrade to the premium plan to get access to features like goals and alerts.
Harvest is another great option for those who want an easy-to-use time tracker. It has all of the basic features most people need, like the ability to start and stop timers, add clients and projects, and generate reports. It also has a few extra features that can come in handy, like invoicing and expense tracking. However, Harvest doesn’t have a free plan—you’ll need to sign up for one of their paid plans starting at $12/month.
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Clockify is one of the only truly free time tracking options out there. It has all of the features most people need, including client and project tracking, timer functionality, and reporting. However, Clockify doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles that other paid options do—like invoicing or expense tracking—so keep that in mind if you’re looking for something more robust.
TrackingTime is another great free option that includes all of the basic features most people need—client & project tracking, timer functionality, reporting, etc.—as well as some extras like invoicing & payments, team management tools, and integrations with popular project management software like Asana & Trello.
Freckle/Noko is perfect for those who want more than just time-tracking functionality. In addition to being is able to track your time, Freckle also lets you track your expenses, invoices & payments, projects & tasks, members & roles, etc.—basically everything you need to run your business in one place! However, all of those features come at a price—Freckle starts at $45/month for the solo plan (which includes 1 user), and goes up from there depending on how many users you need.
Learn to Tell Stories that make money
Timely offers more than just time tracking—it also has scheduling and project management features. It’s particularly great for teams, as it allows you to easily see where everyone is spending their time and assign tasks to team members. However, like Freckle, all of these extra features come at a cost—Timely starts at $7/user/month for the basic plan.
No matter which time-tracking app you choose, the important thing is to find one that works for you and your team. Happy tracking!
Conclusion:
Tracking your time is essential if you want to be successful in marketing or any creative agency. There are a lot of great time-tracking apps out there that can help you see where your team’s strengths and weaknesses are.
Time-tracking is a necessary part of being successful in the creative industry, so make sure to find an app that works best for you and your team.
OUR MISSION:
INSPIRE YOUR AUDIENCE
TO TAKE ACTION
