10. Conclusion

Depending on the degree of detail you want and what you want to track, there are several really solid time tracking tool choices available. In this review, we focused mostly on the specifics of the time tracking itself and how to manage the time element from a tracking and productivity point of view (as opposed to billing). With data export, though, it’s easy enough to use the time tracking information to build timesheets and perform billing tasks as well. It is also import to note that there are timesheet specific applications out there that we didn’t cover in this review.

If all you’re concerned about is browser usage (and you’re running Firefox 2.x), MeeTimer is a great little application that does the trick. For a basic free online stopwatch with a little bit of reporting, Time Tracker v2 is all you need.

To find a tool that will accurately measure the applications you use and then make sense of what all that time means is no easy task. Across the applications in this review there are two standouts in the full-analysis category: TimeSnapper and Rescue Time.

TimeSnapper records your whole day. If that’s something that makes you uncomfortable or you’re super paranoid about security, then it’s not for you. It is, however, a powerful and feature-rich application that will appeal to many people.

Rescue Time can literally change your life. Instead of merely tracking time for basic measurement purposes, you can dissect your use of time and realize serious improvements in productivity.