How to Use TrackingTime: A Step-By-Step Guideline in 2025

You start working, and suddenly, it’s evening, and you’re not sure what you actually did.

It’s like time just slips through your fingers.

This is a common problem, but there’s a solution: TrackingTime. It’s a tool that helps you see exactly where your time goes.

Think of it like a time diary for your work.

This guide will show you how to use TrackingTime to boost productivity, manage projects better, and even ensure you’re billing clients accurately. 

Getting Started with TrackingTime

Okay, so you’re ready to start tracking time and get a handle on where your day goes. Here’s how to get set up with TrackingTime:

1. Signing Up

First things first, you need an account. Go to the TrackingTime website.

You’ll see a big button to sign up—usually, it says something like “Sign Up Free” or “Get Started.” Click it!

You’ll probably be able to sign up with your email address or, maybe, your Google or other accounts.

Just follow the instructions. They might offer a free trial, which is a great way to test things before committing.

2. Setting Up Your Workspace

Once you’re in, you’ll see something called a “workspace.” Think of a workspace like your own personal office in TrackingTime.

It’s where all your time-tracking data lives. If you’re working solo, you’ll probably just have one workspace.

But if you’re working with a team, you might have different workspaces for different projects or clients.

Setting up a workspace is usually pretty simple—TrackingTime will guide you through it.

You’ll probably give it a name. If you have teammates, you can invite them to your workspace later.

3. Exploring the Interface:

Now, let’s take a look around! This is your TrackingTime dashboard—your control center for tracking time. You’ll see a few main sections:

• Timer: This is where the magic happens! You start and stop the timer to track time spent on tasks.
• Projects: This is where you organize your work. You can create different projects (like “Website Redesign” or “Client A Work”) to keep track of your time for each one.
• Reports: This section lets you see all the data you’ve collected. You can generate reports to see your time on different projects, tasks, or specific clients.
• Tasks: You can break down big projects into smaller tasks. For example, if your project is “Website Redesign,” your tasks might be “Design Homepage,” “Write Content,” and “Test Website.

Take a few minutes to click around and familiarize yourself with the different sections. Don’t worry—you can’t break anything!

4. Connecting Integrations (Optional):

TrackingTime can sometimes talk to other apps you might use, like project management software.

These are called “integrations.” If you use other tools for work, it might be helpful to connect them to TrackingTime.

This can make your workflow smoother. Check TrackingTime’s settings to see what integrations are available.

This step isn’t required to start tracking time, but it can be useful later.

Core Functionalities: Tracking Your Time

Now that you’re all set up let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: actually tracking time. This is the heart of TrackingTime, and it’s super easy to use.

Starting and Stopping the Timer

The most basic thing you’ll do is start and stop the timer.

Think of it like a stopwatch for your work. When you start working on a task, click the “Start” button.

When you’re finished (or taking a break), click “Stop.” Seriously, it’s that simple. TrackingTime will record the time you spend working.

There are usually a couple of ways to start the timer:

• Manual: You click the “Start” and “Stop” buttons yourself. This is good for when you’re working on one task at a time.
• Automatic: Some tracking software lets you set the timer to start automatically when you open a specific program or website. This can be handy if you work on the same things every day.

Creating Projects and Tasks

Before you start tracking time, creating projects and tasks is a good idea.

This helps you organize your work. Let’s say you’re a freelancer building websites.

Your projects might be “Client A Website” or “Client B Website.”

Then, for each project, you can break it down into smaller tasks like “Design Homepage,” “Write Content,” or “Test Website.”

This makes it easy to see where your time is actually going.

Assigning Time Entries to Projects and Tasks

After you’ve started and stopped the timer, you need to tell TrackingTime what you were working on.

This is where you assign your time entry to a specific project and task.

So, if you just finished working on the “Design Homepage” for “Client A Website,” you’d select those from the drop-down menus. 

This is important because it keeps your timesheets organized.

D. Adding Descriptions and Tags

You can add descriptions and tags to your time entries to make your timesheets even more useful.

A description is just a short note about what you did. For example, “Worked on the hero section of the homepage.”

Tags are like keywords that you can use to categorize your time entries.

For example, you could use tags like “design,” “coding,” or “meeting.” This makes it easier to find specific time entries later on.

E. Editing Time Entries

Everyone makes mistakes! If you accidentally forget to stop the timer or assign a time entry to the wrong project, don’t worry.

You can easily edit your time entries. Just find the entry you want to change and adjust the start and stop times, project, task, description, or tags.

F. Using the Pomodoro Timer 

Some tracking software, like TrackingTime, have a built-in Pomodoro timer.

This is a technique where you work in focused bursts (usually 25 minutes) followed by short breaks.

It can help you stay focused and avoid burnout. If TrackingTime has this feature, give it a try! It might really boost your productivity.

Accurately tracking time and assigning it to the right projects and tasks will help you clearly understand how you spend your work hours.

This information is incredibly valuable. It can help you:

• Bill Clients Accurately: If you’re a freelancer, accurate timesheets are essential for creating invoices and getting paid.
• Manage Projects Effectively: Knowing how much time you spend on different tasks helps you plan and manage projects better.
• Improve Your Productivity: By analyzing your time-tracking data, you can identify time-wasting activities and find ways to work more efficiently.
• Calculate Payroll: For businesses, accurate time tracking is essential for calculating payroll for team members.

Mastering Projects and Team Management

So, you’re getting the hang of tracking time for yourself.

Now, let’s talk about managing projects and teams within TrackingTime. This is where things get really powerful, especially when working with others.

A. Project Overview

TrackingTime gives you a bird’s-eye view of all your projects.

You can see the overall progress of each project, the amount of time spent so far, and who’s working on what.

This is great for keeping projects on track and ensuring everyone does their part.

You can often filter and sort projects to see which ones are most important or which ones are behind schedule.

B. Setting Budgets and Estimates

For each project, you can usually set a budget.

This is the total amount of time (or money) you expect the project to take.

You can also estimate the time required for individual tasks.

Setting budgets and estimates helps you plan your projects better and avoid overspending time or resources.

It also makes it easier to track your progress and see if you’re on track.

C. Managing Team Members

If you’re using TrackingTime with a team, you can add and manage team members within your workspace.

You can invite people to join your workspace, assign them to projects, and give them different roles and permissions.

For example, some users might be able to track their own time but not edit project budgets, while others might have full access.

D. Collaboration Features

TrackingTime often has features that help team members work together.

For example, you might be able to leave comments on time entries or share reports with each other.

This makes it easier to communicate about projects and stay on the same page.

It also helps with accountability—everyone can see who’s working on what and how much time they spend.

By mastering project and team member management in TrackingTime, you can:

• Improve Teamwork: Everyone knows what they’re supposed to be working on and how their work contributes to the overall project.
• Keep Projects on Schedule: Tracking progress and setting budgets can help you identify potential problems early on and take steps to fix them.
• Increase Efficiency: By streamlining communication and making it easy to share information, you can reduce wasted time and get more done.
• Simplify Timesheet Management: TrackingTime makes it easy for managers to review and approve timesheets from all team members. This simplifies payroll and client billing.

Reporting and Analysis

Okay, you’re tracking time like a pro and have all this great data.

Now, what do you do with it? That’s where the Reporting and Analysis section of TrackingTime comes in.

This is where you turn all those numbers into useful information.

A. Generating Reports

TrackingTime lets you create different types of reports. Think of a report as a summary of your time-tracking data. You can generate reports to see:

• How much time have you spent on different projects?
• How much time each team member has spent on different tasks?
• A breakdown of your work hours for a specific period (like a week or a month).
• And much more!

B. Customizing Reports

Usually, you can customize your reports. This means you can choose what information you want to see.

For example, you might want to see a report that only shows the time spent on a specific project or by a certain team member.

You can often filter and sort the data in your reports to get exactly what you need.

C. Exporting Reports

Once you’ve generated a report, you can usually export it.

This means you can save it to your computer in different formats, like a spreadsheet (CSV) or a PDF document.

This is useful for sharing reports with clients, managers, or anyone else who needs to see the data.

D. Analyzing Time Data

The real power of time tracking comes from analyzing the data.

By looking at your reports, you can get insights into how you’re spending your time.

For example, you might notice that you’re spending too much time on certain tasks or being more productive at certain times of the day.

This information can help you:

• Identify time-wasting activities. Are you spending too much time on social media or checking email?
• Find ways to work more efficiently. Can you automate certain tasks or delegate them to someone else?
• Improve your work hours and schedule. Are you working at your most productive times?

E. Visualizing Data

Some tracking software includes charts and graphs to visualize your time-tracking data.

This can make it easier to see trends and patterns.

For example, you might see a bar graph showing how much time you’ve spent on different projects or a pie chart showing the breakdown of your work hours by task category.

Visualizing data can help you understand your time-tracking information at a glance.

By using the reporting and analysis features in TrackingTime.

You can go from simply tracking time to using that information to improve your productivity, manage projects more effectively, and make better decisions about your work hours.

Advanced Tips and Tricks

You’re a TrackingTime pro now, mastering the basics of time tracking, project management, and reporting.

But like any good tool, TrackingTime has some hidden gems and tricks that can make you even more efficient. Let’s explore some advanced tips:

A. Keyboard Shortcuts

Many tracking software programs offer keyboard shortcuts.

These are like secret codes that let you do things faster. Instead of clicking buttons with your mouse, you can press a combination of keys on your keyboard.

For example, there might be a shortcut to start the timer, create a new task, or switch between projects.

Check TrackingTime’s help documents or settings to find a list of available shortcuts. Learning a few key shortcuts can save you a lot of time in the long run.

B. Mobile App

TrackingTime probably has a mobile app. This is super useful for tracking time when you’re not at your computer.

Imagine you’re in a meeting or working on a project away from your desk.

You can just pull out your phone and start the timer.

The mobile app usually has all the core features of the desktop version, so you can track your time, manage projects, and even view reports on the go.

C. Browser Extensions

Some tracking software also offers browser extensions.

These are small programs that you install in your web browser.

They can make time tracking even easier by letting you start and stop the timer directly from your browser without opening the TrackingTime website.

Some extensions even integrate with other websites to track your time while working with other online tools.

D. Setting Reminders and Notifications

TrackingTime might let you set reminders and notifications.

This can be helpful for remembering to start the timer when you begin a task or for reminding you to take breaks.

You can usually customize the reminders to fit your workflow.

E. Best Practices for Effective Time Tracking

Here are a few extra tips for getting the most out of your time tracking:

• Be Consistent: The key to accurate time tracking is consistency. Make it a habit to start and stop the timer every time you start and finish a task.
• Be Specific. The more specific your descriptions and tags are, the more useful your time-tracking data will be.
• Review Your Data Regularly: Don’t just track your time and forget about it. Make time to review your reports and analyze your data. This is how you’ll identify areas for improvement.
• Don’t Overthink It: Time tracking should be a tool to help you, not a burden. Don’t get too stressed about tracking every single minute. Just do your best to be accurate and consistent.

By using these advanced tips and tricks, you can take your time tracking to the next level and become a true time management master.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! You now know how to use TrackingTime.

We covered everything from signing up to generating reports.

You’ve learned how to track time, manage projects, and analyze your data. TrackingTime can really help you get organized.

It helps you see where your time goes. This makes you more productive.

You can manage projects better. And if you bill clients, it makes that easier too.

Ready to take control of your time? Give TrackingTime a try.

See how it can change your work life. Effective time tracking is a game changer. It can make a big difference in how much you get done.

It can even reduce stress. So go out there and make the most of your time!

Frequently Asked Questions