{"id":590,"date":"2007-03-05T04:30:07","date_gmt":"2007-03-05T09:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/example.org\/how_much_techno_1"},"modified":"2007-03-05T04:30:07","modified_gmt":"2007-03-05T09:30:07","slug":"how_much_techno_1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/?p=590","title":{"rendered":"How much technology do we need to keep track of what we do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the past week I have been using a software timer product<\/a> to keep track of what I spend my time on when I am working. <\/p>\n

For the most part, it has been a big improvement over anything I have ever used before.<\/p>\n

I can switch from task to task with very little overhead and the cumulative time spent on any task is instantly visible. At any moment, I can see what my billable hours are and can see whether I am spending enough time on promotional activities.<\/p>\n

The product I am currently using, the Secs timer by Sinner Computing, although not perfect, has enabled me to improve my efficiency without costing me more than a few minutes to set it up and use it each day. I purchased a license for it after three days of use because it actually gets the job done. Now, I want something better.<\/p>\n

In the process of using this software, I have become an experienced user with a
\nwell-defined need and I am really aware of the shortcomings of existing
\nofferings. I can now write out a list of the essential functions this product should have. I know
\nthat I am willing to pay at least $25 for a product that meets my
\nneeds and what is more important, I am ready to recommend any product that
\nactually does the job.<\/p>\n

Thanks to my readers, I have been investigating other software products which claim to provide similar solutions. All of these recommended products were lacking one or more important characteristics.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:<\/strong><\/span> I now have a better solution<\/a> that incorporates what I describe in this article. <\/p>\n

I am not looking for complexity. I am looking for flexibility and simplicity. Here is a list of the must-have features I’m looking for:<\/p>\n

\n

– A separate counter can be set up for each task being monitored with a clearly visible  task name.
– Counters will be counting up.
– Counters must have scalable display sizes and colors visible at 6 ft if required.
– Tasks can be reset, started, and stopped with one click.
– More than one task will be active at any time.
– Switching from one active task to another should take only one click.
– Task status of all counters can be captured and saved with a few keystrokes.
– The application should save and remember the last settings of every counter on shutdown.
– The application should be small and stable and no require an Internet connection
– It should not require external documentation.
– A simple readme file should contain all instructions needed to operate the software.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you have encountered any timer applications which meet these criteria, please let me know where I can find them.<\/p>\n

Here is my evaluation of other product offerings so far:<\/p>\n

\n

SlimTimer is closest to what I’m looking for, but it’s web based. I need a desktop app. <\/p>\n

Egg by Sinner Computing – not flexible enough – no visible task name capability<\/p>\n

TimeSprite by timesprite.com – Limited functions – non-intuitive user interface – tracks only Windows apps.<\/p>\n

Tracker by Allnetic.com – small and confusing display – app was unstable and crashed after several hours of use.<\/p>\n

TimeSnapper – captures and stores screenshots – not useful for cognitive activity.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If anyone has any suggestions, please comment. Thanks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the past week I have been using a software timer product to keep track of what I spend my time on when I am working. For the most part, it has been a big improvement over anything I have … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1804],"tags":[1701,1697,1699,1698,1694,1696,1693,1702,1700,1695],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3R4iK-9w","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/makingripples.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}