Tracking time has to be the number one priority for a Virtual Assistant. When you’re billed by the hour, work flexible schedules AND deal with several clients, you NEED a tool in place to accurately track where your time is going.
There are several great time tracking tools available out there, so here is an overview of the top seven, in no particular order. At the bottom of this post, I have updated the blog to include a new tech gadget tool that seems to be hitting the VA industry with awesome results by those who are using it.
#1: MinuteDock
Online tracking made easy. You can track your time from any browser or mobile phone. MinuteDock has simple one-click time tracking, syncs effortlessly with Xero and you don’t have to install any software. MinuteDock pricing starts at $19 a month for one user and has options for small teams and larger businesses.
MinuteDock is what I used to in my own VA business and still use to track time now when working on larger projects, it was particularly great in the early days when I also needed something that produced a professional invoice in addition to detailed time reports.
#2: Paymo
Paymo allows you to easily track unlimited projects via an online timer, desktop and mobile app. The basic Paymo account is free and ideal for freelancers, then its affordably priced at $9.56 for a small office/team which includes a raft of benefits. Since I wrote this post originally back in 2015, the team behind Paymo have developed it a lot, it now includes a new desktop widget, for Mac, Windows, and Linux for time tracking.. It allows you to add time in bulk or intervals, detect idle time, as well as see a breakdown of your time for the whole day. It is worth checking out their pricing page to see the full list of what you can get. They cover some great topics on their blog too.
#3: FreshBooks
The cloud accounting program FreshBooks gives you an effortless way to track your time. You can log your hours from your mobile and desktop, as well as see a visual representation of your progress. You can then convert your worked hours into an invoice for your client. FreshBooks pricing starts at $9.95 a month.
#4: HourGuard
HourGuard is a time tracking software program for both PC and Mac. You can easily create invoices and timesheets with this simple to use program. HourGuard has free and paid versions you can check it out here.
#5: Ronin
Ronin can deal with multiple invoices, estimates and currencies – plus it handles client management too. In fact, Ronin is a complete set of tools for freelancers to use. Ronin has a free option, but you’re limited to only 2 clients. Ronin Solo option caters for up to 30 clients but, if you want payment integration, you will need the $29 a month team plan.
#6: My Hours
My Hours is a free time tracking service for your projects and tasks. It’s quite new to the marketplace (built in 2014) but is simple to use and easy to implement. My Hours gives you the ability to track unlimited clients, projects and tasks and also has a team option at only $2 a month for each team member.
#7: Time Doctor
Time Doctor is designed to increase productivity especially in a team. It tracks time worked and gives you a breakdown per project or account too. Time Doctor also has a great little distraction function ? it gives you a gentle nudge when you spend too much time on YouTube or Facebook! Time Doctor also integrates with most of the management platforms out there, including Asana and Trello. Time Doctor has a free and $5 a month solo plan (although they both have limited features). However its usual price of $9.99 a month per user fee is quite reasonable.
#BONUS: apploye
Apploye TimeTrack Software is ideal Virtual Assistant businesses with larger teams, you will have no worries about the missing time, unproductive time, sloppy or haphazard project management. Apploye has proven itself as a market leader in the time tracker apps industry, excelled in numerous capacities to win over the hearts of the company owners who believe in smooth workflow, flawless timesheets, and automated employee monitoring.
What software are you currently using to track your time? Do you even use software for this or were you glad of a few pointers to get you started? Why not share your personal favourites, as well as your experiences, in the comments box below?