Friday, 4:45 p.m. Someone asks, “So what did you get done this week?” Easy question. Except your brain just stalled. You were busy, you’re sure of that. Emails, a call, that one weird bug. But the details? Gone.
Ever been there? I think almost everyone has. And it’s the best argument I know for work tracking. The name is boring, and the habit is even simpler than the name.I am going to explain what it is, how to get started for free, and how to choose software if you decide you need one someday. I will also indicate the official information from my opinion.
What work tracking is
Recording which work was done, when it was done, and how much time it took. It’s that simple.Sticky notes can be used as work tracking tools. As well as spreadsheets, apps on a smartphone, or even huge systems with fancy graphs. What matters is the habit, not the scale.
People do it for different purposes. A freelancer logs hours so a client gets billed right. A manager checks who’s buried. An employer needs records so staff get paid correctly. Same habit, three jobs.
Which kind of work tracking do you need?
In actuality, there are actually three types, but most people confuse them.
Time tracking is about “How long?” In other words, it is when you either punch in and out or simply set a timer. On the other hand, task tracking means “What is completed?” It is your checklist with unfinished tasks turning into completed ones. Finally, project tracking involves looking at the bigger picture.
Here’s my gripe. People buy a monster tool that does all three, then use one tenth of it. Figure out your actual question first. If you only need hours for invoices, you don’t need a project dashboard.
Why bother with work tracking?
Because memory is awful. We guess a chore took ten minutes when it took an hour. Writing it down ends the guessing.
It shows you where the week really went. It helps you bill fairly and price the next job better. It also shows who’s drowning, which is hard to spot otherwise, since overloaded people rarely raise a hand.I’d argue the quiet benefit is less stress. When you can see the week on paper, Friday stops feeling like a blur.If you employ people, there’s a legal side too. That’s next.
What the law says about tracking hours
Skip this part if you don’t employ anyone.
The Department of Labor’s recordkeeping fact sheet says employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must keep the hours worked each day and the total hours each workweek. Records used to compute pay should be kept for two years. Now the good news. The Act requires no particular form for the records. A time clock works. So does having workers record their own times, as long as the records are complete and accurate.
A second DOL page, on hours worked, covers a few more points. Work you didn’t ask for but let happen is still paid time. Short rest breaks, usually 20 minutes or less, are customarily paid and count as hours worked.
Both forms were updated in July 2008, and they are general information. Laws may vary by state, so you should check for current guidelines.
How to start without any fancy tools
Go small. Really small.Pick one spot for your notes. A notes app is fine. A spreadsheet is better if you want totals later. When you begin a job, write the time and the task. When you stop, write that too. Before you close the laptop, spend two minutes reading the page.
Done. That’s the system. For more ways to stay organized, see our related guide.Try work tracking this way for a week before you spend a cent. By next Friday, you’ll know what you need, and shopping gets much easier.
How to choose work tracking software
This is where people overspend. Everything has an endless list of features, and eventually everything ends up sounding the same. I’m not naming any of them, because I can’t verify price or plans at the moment. Try asking these questions.
Who will be using it? The needs of a single freelancer and a team of fifty differ. Will it work on a mobile device? Many people track their time away from the desk. Can you export the report to Excel? You’ll definitely need it come tax time or payday.
Don’t forget to see what kind of data it tracks. Certain software can track location data and even take screenshots. Is it something you really need? If not, then say no.Finally, try out a trial version, if there is one. Use the program for a week of actual tracking, not demo data. If your team groans when they fire it up, then you have the wrong product.
Keep work tracking fair.
This is my opinion, and I am quite passionate about it. Monitor the work, not the individual.Tell your team what you will be tracking and for what purpose. It feels like an invasion of privacy to be surprised, and such actions will make the employee distrust the entire system. Allow employees to see the statistics generated about them by the system. And if you have a tool that monitors their location or takes screenshots, use it wisely.
Done well, work tracking says, “Here’s how the week went.” Done badly, it says, “I don’t trust you.” People always know which message they got.
Mistakes that sink work tracking
- Logging too much. If writing it down takes longer than the work, people quit.
- Logging too late. Guesses made on Friday are shaky, so write as you go.
- Buying first and testing later. A fancy dashboard is useless if nobody feeds it.
- Using the numbers as a stick. Once data gets used to punish, people fudge it. Then it’s worthless.
- Never reading the log. A record nobody checks is just a diary.
Your next step
Try one week of work tracking. Write down the name of each task along with the time when you started and finished working on it in a notes or spreadsheet application. Review your list on Friday to see where all the hours have gone. Were there any surprises? Do you record hours spent by someone else? Be sure to ask their permission.
When you’re ready for more, browse our tech guides. Start small, stay honest, and let work tracking earn its place.
FAQ
What is work tracking?
Time tracking simply involves maintaining a record of the tasks you undertake and the time required for each of them. This could be done manually using a journal, or via specialized software.
What is the difference between time tracking and task tracking?
Task tracking involves recording the tasks that need to be completed and those that have been completed, while time tracking entails recording the duration taken in completing the work.
Do employers have to track hours?
Yes, if the FLSA covers them. They need daily and weekly hour totals. The DOL says no set format is needed, so a time clock or self-reported times both work if they’re accurate.
How long should time records be kept?
Two years for the records behind pay calculations, according to the DOL fact sheet. Check your state’s rules too.
Is work tracking the same as spying?
It doesn’t have to be. Telling people what you track and why, and sharing the results with them, keeps it fair.