43 Folders

Back to Work

Merlin’s weekly podcast with Dan Benjamin. We talk about creativity, independence, and making things you love.

Join us via RSS, iTunes, or at 5by5.tv.

”What’s 43 Folders?”
43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

Activity and Time Capture

Hello Forumers

I'm new here and was directed here by Merlin after I asked him a doozy of a question that has be reproduced below :)

I currently face a small dilemma - basically I am
terrible at keeping track of my time spent on various projects that
my company assigns me to.

So, I was wondering if by any chance you know of a program that
utilises a very simple interface to capture activities as and when
they are entered.

Requirements:
1. Simple entry of activities.
2. Logging of time each activity is entered.
3. When new activity is entered the program displays this as the end
time for the previous activity.
4. These times should also be user editable.
5a. The last X number of tasks are showed.
5b. The tasks can be hidden and displayed by default or by user
selection.
6a. App should always be on top but not overly obtrusive to the
point the user would shut it down.
6b. Or the App has a configurable hotkey to quickly make it the
active window.
7. The program should have an automatic daily log of the activities
as well as perhaps allow for exporting to various formats.
8. Ideally small memory footprint.
9. Ideally it should be a no-install standalone app.
10. Visually it should fit in with windows themes.

How I would want the screens to be presented are:
Program starts up and displays a simple entry box with a tick and a
cross.
User types in activity and hits enter or clicks the tick.
Task gets added with the start time column showing the time task was
entered.
User keeps doing that task and gets a phone call.
User hits the hotkey enters "phone call".
Phone call is entered as next task.
Start time of Phone call is added as end time of the previous task.
And so on.
There is a logfile that is in csv format that is updated each time a
task is added and this file is stored in a user selected folder.

The idea is that it is only a keyboard shortcut or a click away and
entry is via a simple "type+enter" interface. The user doesnt have
to worry about time because the program does it for them. But they
can if they want to change and manipulate times.

does anything like this exist?

Cheers
Ben

Berko's picture

I know you're using this...

I know you're using this for documenting work, but this sounds entirely psychotic. If I had to work like this, I'd go bonkers. Would you have to enter when you went to the bathroom and ate lunch? Jeez...

If you weren't dealing with "real world" tasks, I would suggest Lifehacker) It tracks usage of programs. I think if you want a standalone app to do exactly what you're talking about, you're going to be looking at least at an Applescript solution. Which wouldn't be so bad, actually. You could invoke it with Quicksilver or create it as a Quicksilver action. But, that all assumes you are running on OS X.

Hope the second paragraph helps. I know the first one didn't...

 
EXPLORE 43Folders THE GOOD STUFF

Popular
Today

Popular
Classics

An Oblique Strategy:
Honor thy error as a hidden intention


STAY IN THE LOOP:

Subscribe with Google Reader

Subscribe on Netvibes

Add to Technorati Favorites

Subscribe on Pageflakes

Add RSS feed

The Podcast Feed

Cranking

Merlin used to crank. He’s not cranking any more.

This is an essay about family, priorities, and Shakey’s Pizza, and it’s probably the best thing he’s written. »

Scared Shitless

Merlin’s scared. You’re scared. Everybody is scared.

This is the video of Merlin’s keynote at Webstock 2011. The one where he cried. You should watch it. »