Over the past several months, I’ve been using Hours by Tapity to track how I spend my time each day. It’s one of the best iPhone apps available to help you figure out where your time is going, and where it should be going. I use Hours not only to track billable time, but as a measure of how productive I’m being each week. Both factors are incredibly important to anyone that bills by the hour or project.
Tracking time: Choose the best method for you
Time tracking in Hours is meant to be simple. Just tap anywhere in the timeline at the top to get started. Here you can choose an existing timer or add a new one. I chose to set up Hours in a way that gave me the most flexibility for what I manage. For example, I don’t need to bill for time I spend on The App Factor, so I don’t set clients for those projects. These timers are just for me to know where I spent my time that particular day.
When dealing with actual clients, Hours is great at bringing problems to my attention. For instance, I notice quickly if I’m paying too much attention to a particular project, and not enough on another. It can also help me figure out if I have problem clients that are costing me money. I think it’s safe to say that every consultant has been there. You have to make a decision — drop the project or charge more. Hours makes me aware of those kinds of situations before they get out of hand.
When setting up timers in Hours, you’ll have to consider a few things. Will your clients see the reports you generate? If so, you’ll want to make sure each client has their own timer for projects you’re working on, and that you’re tagging clients appropriately. This will especially be the case if you use the Freshbooks integration that Hours offers.
If you’re using Hours as a way to track billable hours, but you’re the only one that will see the reports generated, you have more options. For example, I do graphic design for quite a few people locally. In Hours, I only have one Graphic Design timer. When I start it, I simply input in the Notes field what I was working on and for who. Then at the end of each month or week, I export a copy of my Hours report and send it to myself. I now have a nice, neat summary that I can break out and insert into the invoices I send to each respective client.
This method was easier to set up and maintain for me. I haven’t had to add a new timer to Hours in over a month. If quick, efficient, and effortless time-tracking is your focus, I’d highly encourage you to set up Hours similar to how I have.
Generating reports
Hours is incredibly good for generating reports, whether it’s for your own personal use or to email to clients. You can generate reports for any time interval you’d like. You can also export data to Freshbooks, since Hours has built-in integration. If you already have a different accounting system in place, you can still generate a CSV and import it. If you don’t have a method of accounting yet, you can start a 30-day trial of Freshbooks right through Hours. I’ve used Freshbooks in the past and have nothing but good things to say, so I’ll leave that for you to decide.
Setting reminders
In the Settings section of Hours, you have the option to set up reminders. These serve strictly to let you know when you haven’t started or stopped a timer for a long period of time. It can also remind you by a certain time each day if you haven’t set a timer yet. I find this invaluable so I remember to track time each day. It’s simple to set up but will save you lots of time at the end of each day.
If you forget to input time by starting a timer, you can of course go back in Hours and add time manually. To do that, simply tap in the timeline where you’d like to add a block and adjust the time and project accordingly.
However, using the reminders feature will save you a lot of time playing catch-up later. For anyone wondering, the reminders options I currently use are reflected in the screenshot off to the right. I go with hourly reminders because that gives me enough time to run any errands and/or eat a meal. If I’m going more than an hour without doing any work, I should probably be doing something more productive. Right?
Starting timers, “A flick and a tap”
Hours offers a great Today view widget option that lets you start timers quickly and easily right in Notification Center. Just add the Hours widget to Notification Center and you’re good to go.
I typically access Hours this way straight from my Lock screen. Passcode or not, you can quickly start a timer. You can end it the same way. Just pull down Notification Center and tap the timer again to stop it. Part of my complaint about most time-tracking apps is that I have to unlock my iPhone, launch an app, start a timer, and then remember to stop it. With Hours, a timer is only two gestures away. It doesn’t disrupt my workflow, and that’s a game changer for me.
At the end of each day, all you have left to do is fill out any important details you may want to record. However, if you set up good timers from the start, you won’t even have to do that.
I use this Today view widget often. It’s how I set about 80% of my timers, the other 20%, I start right from my wrist…
Apple Watch integration
Hours is a great example of how an app for Apple Watch should function. I love that I can quickly start and stop timers right on my wrist. Nothing less, nothing more. It’s all I need. I can then go back later and edit timers or add notes. I also appreciate that gentle tap letting me know I’ve forgotten to start a timer. Hours for Apple Watch also offers a glance that lets you view your current running timer.
Final thoughts
I’ve tried a lot of time-tracking apps in the past year or so and I always come back to Hours by Tapity. The problem I’ve had with many other time-tracking apps is that I either forget to use them, or they are too much work to set up and maintain, and that’s no good.
Hours has worked out incredibly well for me and I urge you to give it a try. If you have any specific questions about Hours, drop them in the comments and I’d be more than happy to answer them!
- Hours – Free – Download
