6 Benefits to downloading Free Time Tracking Software

Download free time tracking software and watch your focus and productivity increase. Have you ever got to the end of your day and wondered where your time has gone? Do you feel you could be more productive but don't know how?

If so, then time tracking software puts an end to this. As renowned time management author Alan Lakein states:

Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life.

How you spend your time is important to you, your family, and your employer. 

The most effective people in the world know how they spend their time and ensure that their time is spent on high impact activities! Given the importance of mastering time usage, I decided to road test Rescue Time, a free time tracking software that is available on the Internet.

You can download Rescue Time here.

I found the learning curve for Rescue Time was minimal. I was able to download and start tracking my time in less than 3 minutes. I particularly liked the background time tracking of Rescue Time. 

After a week of using Rescue Time software I noticed 6 things:

1. I was able to get objective data on my usage of time

Previously I have used a time management log to track my time. 

However, collecting data in a time management log is tedious. I downloaded the free Rescue Time software and it ran in the background and provided me graphs of my time usage.

In this screenshot data is gathered for google.com/analytics.

2. The free time tracking software improved my usage of time

Did you know that an analysis of over 500,000 PC user hours shows that the average worker accesses email over 50 times a day! This can make it hard to sustain focus and add value to knowledge.

When I used this free time tracking software I became aware at how often I checked my email and accessed social networking sites.

While email is important it can be a distraction from my top priorities! So with Rescue time I voluntarily blocked my email and social networking sites for 45 minutes.

I made a firm commitment to not access these sites for a short period of time so that I could focus on my top priority tasks and boost my skills to focus on the task at hand.

3. I was able to schedule my time better

Over the week that I used this free time tracking software I gained more knowledge how how long tasks took.

I found that both time tracking software programs made it easier for me to track my actual versus planned task completion rates. This helped in numerous ways. For example:

• I delegated more effectively as I knew how long tasks took.
• I was more accurate with my time management schedule.
• I was able to schedule my tasks in my personal time management system with greater accuracy.

4. Time tracking held me accountable

I found that the reporting requirements and the analysis of my time (especially Rescue Time) made me accountable for my time.

It was as though I was reporting my time usage to my boss - except my boss was me!

5. My distractions went down and focus went up

Since I knew my usage was being recorded I was much more aware of focusing on my priorities rather than the trivial many tasks that previously crowded out my day.

I felt more personally responsible for how I used my time! I also noticed the increased focus when I combined the time tracking with the Pomodoro technique.

The clarity of my purpose was magnified and I became more aware of time-wasters throughout the day.

Rescue Time software tracked specific website usage to documents that I worked on. I was able to get a clear idea on how often I used my email and for how long.

Also I was able to set goals around how much time I used certain sites (or email) on a daily basis. 

This dramatically increased my focus on those things that matters most to me.

6. I was able to track my time away from my computer and also across multiple computers

One of the great things about Rescue Time is that when I step away from the computer the program recognizes that I am not there and prompts me how I want to track this time (was I in a meeting or on a phone call - or do I even want to track this period that my computer was idle?)

I also have a number of computers - one that I work on in the lounge and another that I like to take to the park.

This was not a problem for Rescue Time which was able to pick up my usage and keep tracking my time on different projects.

Overall these software programs are one of those time management tools that really make a difference. This free time tracking software:

• increased my accountability,
  
• gave me objective data on my time usage, and
  
• informed me how long certain tasks take.

Download your Free Rescue Time Tracking Software here.

Related articles on time management software include:

Employee Time Management Software

Software to Get Things Done

Team Tracking Software