7 Ways Time Tracking Helps You Build a Better Business

Tiny Course Empire Podcast

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I know, I know.

You didn’t quit that soul-sucking day job just so you could punch a time clock every day in your own home office. Believe me, I get it.

I’ve said many times over the years that the best part of quitting my job was that I got to turn the alarm clock off* on a (more or less) permanent basis.

But here’s what else I know about you.

You want to be more efficient and productive, so you can work fewer hours. You want to earn more while working less. And you definitely want to hand off those projects and tasks that aren’t the best and highest use of your time.

Tracking your time can give you all of those benefits and more, so in this episode of the Tiny Course Empire Podcast, I’m challenging you to get out a timer and track your work hours, even if only for a week.

I’ll give you all my tips for tracking effectively including what tools to use and what exactly you should be tracking.

Prefer a transcript? Here you go!

What you’ll learn in this episode:

Why I recommend you track your own time, but not your team members
The number one benefit I personally see when I track where I spend my time
My favorite free tools to use for tracking time
Three time-tracking methods to try
What to track, and how to use the information to make better business decisions

Resources mentioned:

Rescue Time: This automated tracking system is great for people who forget they have a timer running, but it won’t track everything.
Toggl: Simple, free, and it features great reporting.
Timery: This iPhone app offers a really useful interface for Toggl.
Clockify: I love that this one integrates with my to-do list manager.
My favorite notebook: Manual time tracking in a beautiful notebook isn’t as painful as it might seem.
Pricing calculator and video: Play with some numbers here to see how time tracking impacts your business.

* Except I do still get up with an alarm clock, because I find I’m much more productive at 5 AM than I am in the afternoons. That’s something I discovered through tracking my time.

time tracking grid in a Rhodia notebook — My time tracking grid in a favorite notebook.

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Adrienne says:

I started time tracking (again) after listening to this podcast, and WOW am I excited. I have so much more time than I thought, and am better able to figure out the projects that matter. Thank you!

Cindy says:

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I agree Adrienne! It is exciting to find all those extra hours! Go you!