Master Your Time: Insights on Time Tracking with Toggl Track
As solopreneurs and small business owners, our time is oh sooo precious!
We know that we need to make the most of every minute to reach our goals and grow our businesses, buttt sometimes the day just gets away from us and we're left wondering "wtf did I get caught up in today & why haven't I done what I said I was going to do?!" 🧐
Yeahhh…
That was me too. Until I learnt about time-tracking!
Enter Toggl Track, the perfect simple-yet-effective tool for time tracking.
With Toggl Track, you can easily monitor how much time you spend on each task and project, giving you the insights you need to optimise your workflow. In this blog post, we explore the benefits of using Toggl Track and I provide my top tips on how to master your time.
Why Time Tracking Matters
Feel like there isn't enough time in the day? Struggling to prioritise tasks and projects? And, you got no idea about how much time you're spending on each project? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then yep, it's time to start tracking your time!
While the concept of time tracking sounds kinda restrictive and controlling, it can actually have the opposite effect – empowering and liberating! This is because it gives you insights into your daily routine (minus the little white lies we tell ourselves!), helps us to become more intentional with our time and allows us to tweak our schedules so they are better suited to our natural peak productivity windows. By using a dedicated tool for time-tracking, you can easily see how much time you're spending on each project, which tasks are taking up the most time, and where you can improve your workflow.
Standalone Time-Tracking App vs Built-in Time Tracker
When it comes to tracking time, there are two options available: using a standalone time-tracking app like Toggl Track or using a built-in time tracker (eg. Dubsado, ClickUp, Asana etc). While both options have their advantages and disadvantages, here are some reasons why I'd recommend using a standalone time-tracking app:
Flexibility: A standalone time-tracking app offers more flexibility than a built-in time tracker. With a standalone app, you can track time across multiple devices and platforms, which is not possible with a built-in time tracker.
Customisation: A standalone time-tracking app allows you to customise your time-tracking experience according to your needs. You can create custom tags, projects, and reports that suit your workflow.
Reporting: A standalone time-tracking app can provide more accurate and detailed data than a built-in time tracker. It lets you filter through time reports with a fine-toothed comb which in turn provides greater insight to pinpoint exactly where time could be better managed.
Integration: A standalone time-tracking app usually integrates with other tools and apps that you use for work. For example, Toggl Track integrates with project management tools like Asana and Trello, which means once it’s integrated it will sync the time tracking data across the two different apps for you.
Privacy: A standalone time-tracking app offers better privacy than a built-in time tracker as you can control who has access to your time-tracking data and keep it secure.
In a nutshell, while a built-in time tracker may be convenient, a standalone time-tracking app like Toggl Track offers more flexibility, customisation, accuracy, integration, and privacy.
Filter through reporting data by using customised workspaces, projects & tags – in this example, I have filtered through reporting data for Business Development & Growth [workspace] & then ‘ClickUp Monthly Mastermind’ [tag] to review how much time I need to set aside for the mastermind each month.
How it works
Toggl Track is a simple yet powerful tool that helps you track your time and stay on top of your work. Here's how it works:
Create workspaces, projects and tags in your Toggl Track account dashboard
Install the desktop app & download the mobile app then simply click the ▶️ button to start the timer when beginning work.
Track time spent on each task and project by clicking 'stop' when you finish work on the task & then assign the time tracking to the relevant project. Create and assign tags as you go.
Manually enter any time entries if you forget to track the task in real-time
Integrate your Toggl Track account with your digital calendars and project management software for easy syncing of work activities.
Highlights & fave features
As a solopreneur myself, these are some of my fave features & benefits of using Toggl Track for time-tracking my work vs other time-tracking tools:
Clean, simple app that takes mere minutes to get started
Has both a desktop app and a mobile app that sync seamlessly together – this lets me quickly grab my phone out & jump into the mobile app to update project times if I’ve stepped out and forgotten to start/stop tracking.
The dashboard – such detailed insight presented in a colour-coded calendar view for high-level oversight, with the ability to delve into more detailed reports for any one project, workspace or tag if need be.
Top tips for Mastering Your Time with Toggl Track
Now that you know why time tracking matters and how Toggl Track works, it's time to dig into it & master your time! ⚡️ Here are some tips to keep you track:
🕣 Be consistent – Make sure you track your time consistently every day. Create the habit early on & after a while, it will come easily. Tracking every day helps you get an accurate picture of how much time you're spending on each task and project.
🕣 Use tags – Tags are a powerful way to organise your work and analyse your data. Use tags to categorise tasks by type, priority, or client.
🕣 Set goals – Use Toggl Track's goal-setting feature to set targets for each project or task. This will help you stay focused and motivated.
Getting started
Create a Toggl account on the Toggl Track website (free or paid options)
Download the Toggl Track apps on your computer and mobile so you can have easy access to use the tracker whenever you need it (available on Windows, Mac, iOS & Android)
Build your base workspaces & create a few project types to get you started (eg. a 'marketing' workspace may include project folders for 'social media scheduling', 'LinkedIn outreach', 'blog', etc)
Start tracking: Open the app and start tracking your time. You can create tasks and projects, assign them to clients, and add tags to help organise your work.
Review your reports: Use Toggl Track's reporting features to analyse your data and see where you can improve your workflow. You can view reports by day, week, or month, and filter them by project, client, or tag.
Pro tip: Toggl Track also integrates with other productivity and project management tools like Asana, ClickUp, Trello & Google Calendar
