Tracking Hours and Sending Invoices: 4 Apps to Make Sure You Get Paid
Tracking working hours helps measure your productivity and allows you to create more accurate pricing. This gives you a better indicator of what a job will cost, so you can keep client quotes competitive. From an administrative point of view, tracking hours makes invoicing much easier.
Although you may think you can track working hours effectively using your watch, there are excellent apps for productivity and management resources for The Independent Worker.
Time tracking apps automatically monitor your output, allowing you to stay in your workflow. Many of them have useful features, like productivity blockers and invoice generators, streamlining your work.
Here are the best time tracking and invoice generating apps to help make sure you get paid.
1. Toggl
Toggl has a useful and easy-to-use free version that offers far more than just tracking how long you’ve been working. It is compatible with most operating systems and browser extensions, including Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Toggl is effective without being overly intrusive on your screen. It allows you to start the timer when you begin a task, with the option of filling out the project details at a later time. This is particularly useful if you’re dealing with time-sensitive work.
The timer can be integrated with most apps and is continuously visible without being distracting. It sends gentle reminders and notifications, and the timer options are highly customizable.
Perhaps the best features of Toggl are its idle detection and ease of retroactive adjustments. The app can detect if you’ve been away from your keyboard (AFK) and automatically records the time until you return. You can then adjust your working time to correct the clock. This is a welcome addition to anyone who gets frequent calls throughout the day.
The reports produced by Toggl provide enough data to generate invoices for freelancers and small businesses.
2. Everhour
Everhour is an excellent choice if you already use management software like Asana. It syncs with other apps, allowing Everhour to populate with projects that you’re working on. The Everhour timer even appears within the management app that you’re using.
Although individuals can use it, Everhour is geared mostly toward teams. It has a clear interface that allows users to communicate, plan, and perform other team-based tasks. You can also track user availability and log what hours you can commit to a project.
Unfortunately, the timer doesn’t work when you’re offline, meaning it may not suit your particular freelance niche. The invoicing function is basic but suitable for freelancers and small businesses. If you need a more comprehensive invoicing system, you can integrate the app with a dedicated invoicing service.
3. Indy Time Tracker
The Indy Time Tracker is an innovative tool that helps you concentrate on ongoing projects without having to waste time watching the clock. Once you start the timer, you can work through your task list with a singular focus. When you’ve completed a task, check your timer and log your hours.
Indy Time Tracker allows you to be accurate when it comes to generating invoices. There is no need for estimating or rounding to the hour for certain projects.
One of the most useful aspects of using Indy Time Tracker is that it can be paired with other Indy management tools. You can create forms and proposals, keep track of tasks and deadlines, then use a self employed invoice template to turn your hard work into pay.
The Indy Time Tracker app is intuitive. The user interface is clean, and the instructions are clear, unlike some of the more intimidating and accounting-heavy tools. This makes for a smooth and straightforward process for billing clients.
4. Rescue Time
Rescue Time is a tracking app that is geared toward eliminating distractions. It allows you to categorize various websites on a scale of productive to unproductive, giving you clear insight into where you might be losing time out of your day.
The free version of this app gives you plenty of great information. However, the paid version breaks your productivity into more minute detail. It allows you to set productivity goals and block certain websites to avoid distractions.
Increase Productivity and Get Paid on Time
Being paid on time isn’t always about having reliable clients. By increasing productivity and holding yourself accountable for your work, you can get more work done and bill customers more frequently.
Whether distractions or time spent generating invoices is holding you back, use technology to make sure you get paid on time.
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