Toggl – Time tracking that works

Salam. I was browsing the web to see how freelance designers are charging for a website design project. So I found that some designers give package price and some applies hourly basis.

So, I wonder how does a designer track their time, I mean how long do their work? Finally I’ve landed into a design blog that share list of free web applications for designer. One of them is Toggl which attracts me to try it.

Its hard for me to describe about how it works. So, I will just share with you how I use Toggl.

1. Create an account
Its where your data is stored, including client, project, task and duration.

2. Download PC version
This apps will open the time tracking tool which is connected to internet.

3. Create a task and the time starts ticking!
As simple as that. That’s why I enjoy using Toggl. You can always press the button to start or stop the time.

This is the screenshot of my report for the March 2010.

What I can say from the graph is that I’m only work during my weekend and if the project is urgent, then I’ll have to work on weeknights as well. The picture below shows the duration for each task that I’ve done. It feels good to know how long does it takes for me to finish certain task such as converting from PSD to CSS or designing a mockup.

What are the benefit of using time tracking tools?

1. Be honest in doing your work. (Amanah)
2. Makes you more focus on your job.
3. You can estimate how long it takes for certain type of task and projects.
4. Understand and appreciate the value of time.

For the time being, I’m considering of using hourly basis for some jobs. Thanks to Toggl. Now I know how some freelancers charge for their jobs. Toggl is not just for freelance designers, you also can try it if you want to know how long have you spent on certain jobs.