Time management expert Laura Vanderkam tracks her time manually in 15-30 minute increments using a spreadsheet and her memory (she adds time entries only 2-3 times per day). Cal Newport, a computer science professor and productivity blogger, practices time-blocking, adjusting as needed and documenting those adjustments in a notebook, leaving him a consistently accurate record of how he uses his time. Neither uses time tracking software; both track their time effectively. Couldn’t everyone just use spreadsheets and notebooks to track their time? Consider something else Vanderkam and Newport share: a passion for productivity and fruitful time management practices, as evidenced by the many books they’ve each written on the subject.

Time tracking software exists for the rest of us, for people who want to make good use of their daily allotment of 24 hours but would prefer not to make a career out of the effort.

It also exists for groups—business, nonprofits, etc. Imagine managing payroll using an ad hoc collection of spreadsheets and handwritten notes, according to each individual staff member’s preferences.

In short, time tracking software are computer programs that allow us to record how we spend our time, ideally without having to think about it too hard, as well as standardize and streamline the collection of time data for organizational purposes.

Click on the topics below to learn more about time tracking software and how it might benefit you.

Photo by Morgan Housel