How to Track Time Spent on Tasks

Most people have no idea where their time actually goes. You finish the day feeling busy but can’t point to what you accomplished. You undercharge clients because you didn’t track how long projects really took.

The solution is tracking time spent on tasks – but only if you use a method that actually fits your life. Pick the wrong approach and tracking becomes another abandoned productivity experiment.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through every major time tracking method – from automated time tracking software to simple spreadsheet timesheets.

How a software house tracks time against estimations to improve accuracy

“The CodeFlügel team is now in the habit of tracking all of their time. Thanks to EARLY it’s much easier, much more fun and much more convenient.” – Claus Degendorfer, CEO of CodeFlügel

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Why tracking time spent on tasks actually matters

The cost of invisible time is staggering. According to Global News Wire, the US economy loses 50 million hours in productivity daily due to unrecorded work tasks – equivalent to $7.4 billion per workday.

💡 PS: If you’re interested, I’ve expanded on more staggering stats like these in the time management statistics article.

But this isn’t just a business problem. When you don’t track time spent on tasks, you lose control over your most finite resource. You can’t identify what’s actually draining your hours, you can’t plan accurately, and you can’t prove your value.

The table below breaks down why tracking time on tasks matters for both businesses trying to protect profitability and individuals trying to protect their time, income, and well-being.

The stakes are different for individuals (time and well-being) versus businesses (profit and efficiency), yet both rely on the same foundation: you can’t control what you can’t see.

How to track time spent on tasks

Time tracking is the practice of recording how long you spend on tasks and projects throughout your workday.

You can track tasks with:

• automated time-tracking apps
• time tracking modules within project management software
• manually with spreadsheets, notebooks, planners, or physical timers.

What are the best practices to build a sustainable tracking habit?

1. Stay consistent: Time tracking is like any other habit – you only see results if you stick with it. Pick one tracking method that feels right for you and commit to it for at least a month. It might feel difficult at first, but give yourself time to adjust before switching approaches.

2. Start small: Begin with your main projects or most important tasks. Once you’re comfortable with that baseline, gradually expand to track more detailed activities. This prevents overwhelm and builds momentum.

3. Track as you go: Record time during or immediately after completing tasks rather than trying to reconstruct your day later. Your memory of how long things took becomes less accurate as the day goes on.

4. Be honest with yourself: Record your actual time spent on everything, including coffee breaks and quick chats with colleagues. The more accurate your data, the better insights you’ll get about your work patterns.

5. Use reminders: Until time tracking becomes second nature, set up prompts that work for you. Whether it’s a phone notification, a sticky note on your monitor, or a calendar alert, create triggers that keep you on track.

6. Review and adjust: Look back at your time data regularly, perhaps during your Friday wind-down. What patterns do you notice? When are you most productive? Which tasks always take longer than expected? Use these insights to make your workday smoother and your planning more realistic.

7. Keep it relevant: Focus on tracking what actually matters for your goals. If you’re tracking time for client work, focus on billable hours. If you’re aiming to boost productivity, pay attention to your key projects and major time drains. Don’t get caught up in tracking every minute—focus on what moves the needle.

Ways to track how much time you spend on tasks

Now let’s explore the different time tracking methods one by one, starting with the most effortless approach.

1. Time-tracking software

If you want to track your time without actually thinking about tracking your time, time tracking software is your best friend.

How it works: These apps run quietly in the background while you work, automatically figuring out which applications, websites, or projects you’re spending time on. Based on the saved information, they generate detailed time reports.

Best for: Anyone who works primarily on a computer, needs detailed analytics, bills clients by the hour, or manages a team.

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How to get started with automatic time tracking app

1. Pick the software based on your needs.
2. Try before you buy. Set up a free account to test your chosen tool individually or with your team.
3. Set up your workspace. Create your task categories or projects before you start tracking. Use labels and tags that make sense to you and keep them consistent.
4. Connect the app to your other tools. Link your time tracker to your calendar, project management system, and whatever else you use daily. The more seamless, the better.
5. Switch on automatic tracking to start tracking your time consistently, without the need to log time manually.
6. Schedule a 15-minute review every Friday to track progress, analyze the weekly report, and adjust priorities for the following week.
7. Generate one-click custom reports (optional): Export reports for client billing, project updates, or personal time management analysis, with a single click.

💡 Keep in mind: Even with automatic tracking, it would still make sense to spend 3-5 minutes each day making sure activities are categorized correctly and reviewing what got logged.

Learn about: How to track time spent on apps

2. Project management tools with simple time tracker features

Many project management platforms like Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp, Jira, and Trello include built-in time tracking capabilities. These allow you to log time directly within the same tool where you manage tasks and projects.

How it works: You manually start and stop timers on individual tasks, or add time entries after completing work. Time data appears alongside your project tasks, making it easy to see how long specific deliverables took.

Best for: Teams already using project management software who want to keep everything in one place, or those who prefer manual time entry over automatic tracking.

How to get started:

1. Check if your current project management tool has time tracking built in, or explore it as a deciding factor when choosing new software
2. Set up time estimates for tasks to establish baseline expectations
3. Create a team habit of logging time when marking tasks complete
4. For more robust tracking, integrate a dedicated time tracking app like EARLY with your project management platform—this gives you automatic tracking while keeping data synced to your tasks
5. Review time vs. estimates during retrospectives to improve future planning

💡 Keep in mind: Built-in time trackers work well for simple tracking needs, but if you need detailed analytics, automatic tracking, or insights into how you spend time across all applications, a dedicated time tracking tool will serve you better.

3. Manual spreadsheets

Excel, Google Sheets, or dedicated timesheet templates offer a middle ground between manual and automated approaches.

Timesheet templates in tools like Google Sheets and Excel are a solid starting point, but you need to know that these come with limitations, too.

How it works: You create or download a template with columns for date, task, start time, end time, and duration. You manually enter data throughout the day or at day’s end.

Best for: People who work in environments where software can’t be installed, have simple tracking needs, or want a free solution.

How to track tasks with manual spreadsheets

1. Download a ready template

💡 If you don’t want to waste time on building your template from scratch, check out the ready templates and edit them as you need:

• 24-hour daily timesheet template
• Daily employee timesheet template
• Weekly timesheet template
• Monthly timesheet template
• Freelancer timesheet template
• Project timesheet template
• Free billable hours templates
• Multiple employee timesheets

2. Or build your own timesheet

In case you prefer to build your own timesheet i.e. in Google Sheets, take the following steps:

Create your column structure:

• Date | Project/Client | Task Description | Start Time | End Time | Duration | Billable? | Notes

Add the duration formula:

• In the Duration column, use: =E2-D2 (assuming E is End Time, D is Start Time)
• Format the cell as duration (Format → Number → Duration)

Set up dropdowns for consistency:

Similar to time-tracking apps, organize your work in specific categories or add codes for different types of tasks. For instance, you might use codes like “ADM” for administrative work, “DEV” for development tasks, or “MTG” for meetings. This makes it easier to analyze your time allocation later.

• Select your Project/Client column
• Go to Data → Data validation
• Create a list of your regular projects/clients
• Repeat for “Billable?” column with Yes/No options

Add automatic totals:

Timesheets can be tedious, so leverage their functionality with automatic calculations for total hours per task, overtime calculations, and, if possible, built-in error-checking formulas to flag inconsistencies.

• At the bottom, use =SUM(F:F) to total all duration entries
• Create separate totals for billable vs non-billable hours

💡 Reality check: Spreadsheets work well for simple needs or small teams, but they become unwieldy as complexity grows. If you’re managing more than 5 projects or 10 team members, consider upgrading to dedicated software.

💡 Pro tip: Keeping timesheets filled out on time is a struggle for most managers and not only. You might need to send timesheet reminders or timesheet memes to brighten the atmosphere around timesheets.

💡 Please note: If you need more details, here is a separate article that dives deeper into the topic: How to fill out timesheets.

4. Physical time tracker

Physical time trackers combine the tactile experience of a hands-on tool with the analytical power of digital software.

How it works: You use a physical device – like a dice-shaped time tracking cube – to log time by simply flipping it to different sides ach representing a different task or project.

The device syncs with an app that records your time and generates detailed reports. This gives you the satisfaction of a physical action while maintaining all the benefits of automated tracking.

Best for: People who want a tangible reminder to track time but still need digital reports, those who forget to click timers on their computer, or anyone who finds physical objects more intuitive than software interfaces.

💡 Reality check: Physical trackers bridge the gap between manual and automatic tracking. They’re more engaging than clicking a button on screen, but they still require you to remember to flip or press when switching tasks.

5. Pen and paper tracking

How it works: You manually record your time using notebooks, planners, or physical timers, noting start times, end times, and task descriptions throughout your day.

Best for: People who work better with pen and paper, want to disconnect from screens, or are tracking just a few key tasks per day.ou have both options within one software).

If you want truly hands-free tracking that captures everything automatically, automated time-tracking software remains the most comprehensive option (unless yIf you prefer a tangible, tech-free approach to time tracking, manual methods can work – though they require more discipline and don’t offer the analytical power of digital tools.

Manual time tracking with pen and paper is the least reliable and most time-consuming method available. While some people prefer a tech-free approach, I don’t recommend this method for anyone serious about understanding their time usage or improving productivity.

Why I don’t recommend it

The fundamental problems with pen and paper tracking are hard to overcome:

• Time-intensive – The irony of spending significant time tracking time defeats the purpose

• No automated calculations – You manually calculate durations and totals, which is tedious and error-prone

• No data analysis – You can’t identify patterns, generate reports, or visualize trends without hours of extra work

• Easy to forget – Without digital reminders, you’ll frequently forget to log tasks, making your time tracking data incomplete

• No backup – Lose your notebook, and you’ve lost everything

• Can’t share or integrate – No way to share your time tracking data with teams or sync with other tools

If you insist on trying it anyway

Some people genuinely prefer the tactile experience or want to limit screen time. If that’s you, here’s how to make it slightly less painful:

• Set up columns for Date | Task | Start Time | End Time | Duration | Notes.
• Create daily task lists with time blocks, add checkboxes for completed tasks.
• Keep your notebook visible on your desk as a constant reminder.

💡 My honest advice: If you’re considering pen and paper because you want something tangible, try a physical tracking device instead – it gives you the hands-on experience while still providing digital analytics. If you want to avoid screens, set up automated time-tracking software that runs in the background without requiring your attention. Either option will give you infinitely more value for your effort.

What to look for in a task tracker

Choosing the right task tracker impacts your workflow and decides whether you have effective time management or not. Here are the key factors to take into account when choosing your go-to task tracker that’ll be your productivity sidekick:

• Alignment with your goals: First things first, make sure the tool you choose is on the same page as you! Whether you’re looking to streamline client billing, boost your personal productivity, or keep your team in sync, your task tracker should have features that directly support your objectives.
• Ease of use: You’re more likely to stick with a user-friendly tool that doesn’t require a PhD to figure it out! Go for a task tracker with a clean, intuitive interface that won’t leave you scratching your head. If you prefer to write everything down, choose a notebook if you prefer to automate all your processes, go for an automatic time tracker.
• Integrations: To avoid extra manual work, it’s best to choose a task tracker that plays well with your existing tools and workflows. Seamless syncing with your calendar and meeting tools or your project management software will reduce the amount of time spent transferring data from one tool to another.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Assuming that you’re tracking time spent on tasks in order to bill clients or understand productivity patterns, which most of us do, you need a tool that has detailed reporting capabilities. Prioritize tools that make reporting easy for you and don’t consume too much time creating pivot tables and others.

My personal experience

Over the past two years, I’ve experimented extensively with various tracking methods for different purposes. For client work, I use automated software because accuracy matters for billing and I can’t afford to miss time. For personal projects, I often use calendar blocking because I find the visual layout helps me plan better.

I’ve also learned when not to track. During deep creative work like writing or strategy development, I turn off detailed tracking because I find it disruptive. Instead, I block calendar time for those activities and trust that the scheduled time reflects reality closely enough.

The most valuable insight from consistent tracking has been discovering my energy patterns. I’m most productive between 9 AM and 12 PM, so I now jealously guard those hours for high-value work and schedule meetings in the afternoon when my focus naturally wanes.

Teams like yours save countless hours with EARLY

“We are much better at accurately tracking our time, which improves client billing” – Michele C. Founder @ Clementine Health

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