Time Tracking: Freckle

In the working world, there are several ways to make money. Many of us trade our time in order to get paid. In the service industry, billable time comes at a premium price. During our billable time, we get our work done for our clients and try to keep them happy. The rest of the time, we are either finding work or trying to get paid for that work.

Getting paid for work may involve tracking your time per client and per project; generating invoices; and sending them via email. This process is a huge improvement over paper time sheets and invoices – but you can save yourself even more time with time-tracking software tools. I’ve used several such systems, some of which were part of an “enterprise project management and billing solution” and others of which were software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions (like BaseCampHQ and FreshBooks).
Freckle is by far the best time-tracker I’ve used. Here’s why I like it:

1. One entry spot for all time.
2. Easy reporting of tags and projects
3. Great mobile interface. Almost as easy as the web interface.
4. Easy to use timer.
5. Has an API for external integration. 😉
6. So fun to use, I want to use it.

You should take the tour if you aren’t convinced.

I didn’t think time tracking could get better, but it certainly has through Freckle. The company’s “manifesto” states well what “good software” should do.
Good software, it says, should:

• respect your time. Long-lasting login sessions. Mouse-free time entry forms. Quick-loading, simple screens. The power to log time – or run reports – from every page.
• make no demands. Good software exists to serve, not make requests. We got rid of everything (and every configuration screen) between you and your work. Log time immediately: no setup required.
• understand your job. You’ve got a job to do, and we’re guessing that your title is not Chief Executive Time Tracker. Freckle has baked-in support for consultants’ minimum billing increments and other goodies that other software just doesn’t understand.
• anticipate your needs. We’re freelancers, consultants and rogue agents, too. We saw where other software let us down and we built freckle in exactly the opposite way. There are little touches everywhere to help you do what you have to do in order to get back to what you want to do.
• surprise you – in a nice way. Good software is better than you expect it to be.

In the future, more and more people will work for themselves; software like Freckle will make it easy for them to do so. As we build Appleseed, I would like to see a module for Freckle because it makes working just that much easier.