I hate time tracking applications. Well, at least I did before I ran across SaveMyTime for Android.
The problem with time tracking applications is they are usually more trouble than they are worth. I’ve tried a couple dozen different time tracking systems and they inevitably end up reducing my productivity because they require me to make changes to my workflow to accommodate them. After a day or two, I generally give up on whatever the latest app I’m using to track time (and give up on the entire time tracking effort).
SaveMyTime has an ingenious method that I haven’t seen in a time tracking app before. When you unlock your phone, which I do numerous times a day, it will pop up a screen telling you how long it’s been since you last logged your time and asking you to select what you’ve been doing the last X minutes.
The interval can be set in the application–I have it ask me no more than once every 30 minutes. So if I unlock my phone a dozen times in a half hour, I’ll only see the time tracking prompt once.
There’s also an option, not depicted in the screenshot below, that lets the user allocate the elapsed time between multiple activities. For example, if I was working on my computer and then went for a run, when I unlock my phone I can allocate 15 minutes to the computer work and 45 minutes to the run.
The categories are completely customizable. I deleted most of the stock categories and created my own to fit what I do during the day and what I want to track.
There are a couple downsides to the app:
- At the moment there is no way to export the data you are collecting. There are some neat reports in the app, but this sort of system really needs an export to CSV option.I sent an email to the devs about this, and they indicated that an export/backup feature is planned for a future release.
- Cost. The app works on a fremium model. You can download and use it to test whether it is really right for you, but if you want to unlock things like custom categories, etc., you’re going to have to pay a yearly subscription fee of $19.99.Whether that’s a reasonable fee for a time tracking up will vary depending on how important time tracking is to you. For me, it’s worth it to pay a premium for an app that actually fits into my daily workflow.