Keeping track of time as a freelancer can be a real pain! In the past, I had used my calendar and would constantly be adjusting it so I could refer to it when it came time to bill. This process was tedious, and it often caused me to delay billing clients as it would take so long to generate invoices.
I needed a better way.
That’s when I set off on a mission to find the best cloud-based time tracking software. I needed something that I could have open on my Mac, iPhone, or web, and it needed to have advanced reporting mechanisms (it also couldn’t cost an arm and a leg).
That’s how I found the time tracking tool I use today, Toggl.
Toggl is great as it’s a super simple time tracking app that lives on my Mac, iPhone, and online. I set up a keyboard shortcut on my computer so when a client calls, I can simply hit, option and space on my keyboard and Toggl appears so I can start tracking time.
Source: toggl.com
When I started truly tracking everything, I realized how much I let go unbilled in the past. Half hour phone calls of creative brainstorming would never be billed and hundreds thousands of dollars would be left on the table. That’s not right!
What makes Toggl the perfect solution for me is in its advanced reporting. Every 15 days, I get a notification in OmniFocus to bill clients, this becomes an easy task as I just choose the date range in Toggl, filter by client, and can literally copy and paste from Toggl to invoice. This sure beats using my calendar and sticky notes!
I also found that by having this data at my fingertips, I am able to anticipate billing trends in a way I could have never imagined. I can set individual hourly rates for clients in the system so I can most effectively spend my time on the projects that matter most.
Toggl makes my life easier, which is why I recommend it for the HighPoint Town Square lifestyle. #HighPointLifestyle
How do you track your time? Let me know in the comments below.
