Using your time efficiently is something many of us struggle with, especially if there are too many things to do. Sometimes, we put all our focus on a single task, and we end up neglecting other important engagements. That’s where productivity trackers come into play. These technologies assist us in more effective time management and productivity tracking. They also help us improve our project planning skills.
Below are our top 5 selections for the most effective trackers that will improve your time management skills and increase your productivity.
1. Asana
If you’re looking for a user-friendly program to help you juggle your everyday tasks, then look no further than Asana. It offers a clean user interface and intuitive design that you can easily understand and navigate within minutes. Another great thing about Asana is that you can quickly organize your tasks according to their importance. This program also allows you to collaborate with other people, alert you of any changes in real-time, and provide a space for comments on your tasks.
Additionally, you can integrate this productivity tool with other project management applications like Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and Slack — making it much easier to find your projects. On the downside, Asana does not have a time-tracking feature. The absence of this capability means you won’t know how long it takes to finish a project, making it difficult to lay out a plan for future tasks.
2. Clockify
This tool is the ideal program for teams working in a hybrid set-up. It has a calendar feature that allows each member to easily track their tasks, activities, and even current work location of their teammates. Clockify is also available for mobile devices, providing you with a hassle-free overview of your team’s dashboard even while on the go. Another advantage of this productivity software is its time tracking feature. It has a timer that you can start when you begin working on a task and stop when you finish. You can even set it up to automatically start when you open your browser or manually input the time you spent on the task.
Clockify also offers a report that provides an overview of how long employees worked, the tasks they did, and the revenue that each project brought. You can filter and export these reports to easily share with the team or the client. A drawback of this productivity tracker is that it doesn’t have scheduling software. Without this feature, it’s difficult to keep the team updated and delegate tasks accordingly.
3. Hubstaff
If you’re looking for a productivity tracker that allows you to directly pay or receive payments, then Hubstaff might be the one you need. It has a payroll management system that automates your payment process for hassle-free invoicing. Hubstaff uses time entries to create timesheets, which it then uses to determine the pay for the employee. As the team leader or manager, you can specify the pay rate and period for each employee and Hubstaff will handle the calculations for you. As an employee, you can receive the payment through PayPal, TransferWise, Payoneer, or Gusto — all of which are integrated into Hubstaff’s system.
This tool’s ability to track an employee’s attendance and the amount of time they spend working is another wonderful feature that gives it an edge against other productivity trackers. However, a major flaw of this tool is that it’s a team-focused program, so freelancers may not reap all its benefits. It may not be the ideal software to use if most of your task requires a lot of reading or time away from your computer. Because the Hubstaff system relies on online activities.
4. Toggl
Toggl is an excellent tool for tracking specific tasks and acquiring a clear overview of how you spend your time while working. This information allows you to pinpoint areas of inefficiencies and come up with solutions to increase your productivity. This tracker also has an easy-to-navigate interface that requires little training to learn. It also has a one-click timer that allows you to effortlessly set a timer when starting a new task. You can even run multiple timers at once and switch between them to smoothly track the time you spend on each project.
With a detailed breakdown of the time, you spend on a task, you can determine the fair rate for an assignment and bill clients more accurately. This knowledge also allows you to discern which project is worth your time. You can export this report into easy-to-read formats such as Excel, PDF, and CSV. While it has this incredible time-tracking software, Toggl falls behind in extensive features. It does not have an invoicing and scheduling system, which could make it difficult to manage your payroll and organize your tasks.
5. Trello
Trello has a similar interface to Asana, making it easy to understand and navigate even without prior experience. This tracker is also an ideal tool for organizing your projects, providing comments on tasks, and keeping track of all the things you need to do. What makes it different from Asana is that it follows the Kanban board system more accurately.
With Trello, you can create a board containing different lists that depict the area of progress for the project. Within those lists, you can create a task card that can be dragged and dropped on the lists. Thus, you can move the task from one area of progress to another. This system allows you to seamlessly schedule your tasks and see your progress as you work on them. It can also help you increase your focus, maximize efficiency, and prevent you from getting overloaded with work. Trello is a highly effective productivity tracker for individuals, but it may not be the ideal tool when working on a big project or with multiple teams. Instead of assigning tasks to a member, you can only tag them and be notified of the progress.
The Takeaway
At their core, productivity tools aim to do just one thing: help you quickly and efficiently finish your tasks. So, whether you are a freelancer, an employee, or a team leader, there is surely a software made for your needs. This list brings some of the best trackers out there to help you find the right one that will help boost your productivity and improve your time management skills.
