This post has been submitted by Sharon Hurley Hall from Get Paid To Write Online.com.

One of the headaches with blogging and writing for others is keeping track of the time you spend on different projects. If you’re anything like me, you might start out working on project A, suddenly remember something urgent on project B and then move onto project C before getting back to where you started. Sorting out what you have done for whom for billing and tracking purposes can be a nightmare. That’s why OfficeTime is such a boon.

I discovered this software when doing a roundup of online and desktop time tracking applications. In fact, the makers invited me to try it out when I explained what functionality I was looking for, so I proceeded to download and install it, which didn’t take long.

Getting Started

What I immediately liked about it is that I could start using it immediately. There’s a little grayed out play button in the taskbar. When you press it, it begins to time your session. At the bottom of the timing window, you can type in a name for your project, or you can do what I did, which is go to the edit menu and add names for all your current projects. That makes it easy to switch between them from the top right of the project window - though you must remember to switch the timer off.

If you don’t then you have two options. If OfficeTime detects that your computer has been idle, it will flash a message asking you if you want to delete the idle time from your project count. You can also simply click on the time displayed and edit it.

Other Features

Those are just the basics. OfficeTime also has an impressive array of other features including:

• a reminder function
• ability to use it with multiple users
• notes function
• invoice templates - once created these go straight into Word
• categories for work - I used writing, blogging and bidding
• hourly rates for different categories
• track multiple projects simultaneously
• sync with Outlook and iCal
• works with Mac and PC
• reports

One thing I discovered when using the invoice templates is that project names matter. I tend to name projects with the client name and type of work, but that’s not necessarily what I want to appear on my invoice. I suspect that was my own fault, though, and it could be fixed by editing the project name.

Reporting Functions

I love the reports, though I haven’t really unleashed their potential yet. I can look at how my time is divided among the different projects I handle, or look at each individually. It is also possible to segment by category or by employee (which could be useful if you are running a blog network). You can also export reports to ddocuments or spreadsheets so you can include the data elsewhere.

Keeping My Blogging On Track

There are so many features that I am sure I haven’t tested them all, but so so far I am very impressed. Since I blog for several clients and write for many others, I have been able to keep track of what I am doing for each of them (and of which projects are most lucrative). In fact, OfficeTime is one of the few programs where I haven’t had any annoyances. I plan to keep testing it, though, so watch this space for updates.

Sharon Hurley Hall
Get Paid To Write Online.com

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