But, it’s relatively easy to make a mistake in the estimated time to complete a project — mostly because people seem to be notoriously bad at guessing the time it takes them to finish projects. 

According to the Wellingtone report on the State of Project Management in 2020, only 29% out of 111 organizations surveyed completed projects on time. This means that estimation and delivering projects on time is not every team’s strong suit.   

This miscalculation can happen either out of:

• Optimism that they’ll finish faster, or 
• The urge to give themselves more time than they really need.

To avoid this and manage and estimate your time more efficiently, we have created this guide that will:

• Explain what time estimation is and why it is useful,
• Help you improve the precision of your work time estimations with great tips, as well as 
• Provide you with a free template for a useful time estimation calculator.

What is time estimation in project management?

Time estimation in project management or estimated time to complete (ETC) is a prediction of the amount of time required to complete a project. Its value can be expressed in hours, weeks, months, or years — depending on the project’s complexity and length. 

Project managers typically assess ETC at the beginning of project planning to determine what resources they need and how to schedule their tasks and employees. Accurate ETC can help with creating budgets and resource allocation.

Another process to consider is Estimate Activity Durations, which the PMBOK guide defines as: ”The process of approximating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources.”

In other words, Estimate Activity Durations is a term that represents the time required to complete a single task that is part of a larger project. This process is performed throughout the project life cycle.

Why should you estimate time in project management?

Precise time estimations are essential for successful project completion, and you can use various methods and tools to improve these estimations.

Other benefits of investing time, energy, and resources in making time estimations in project management include:

• Determining the number of employees, funding, and resources needed to complete the project,
• Scheduling team members, tasks, and activities,
• Setting realistic and manageable deadlines,
• Ensuring that employees have enough time to complete their tasks, 
• Delivering the project on time, and consequently
• Ensuring employer’s or client’s satisfaction. 

As we have previously mentioned, making an accurate ETC is not always easy, and errors occur for a number of reasons. Let’s look at the consequences of making inaccurate time estimates.

The consequences of making poor time estimates 

Poor time estimates can and will disrupt your schedule and even push back your realistic deadlines. 

Consequently, late project delivery may turn the client you’re working with away from becoming a recurring one. 

Some clients may even mark the outcome of your project as a failure if you breach the estimated deadline. 

Furthermore, if you have not accurately estimated the time required for your project, it will negatively impact your employees too. They will be pressured to complete more work than they can handle, which can result in stress, anxiety, and burnout. 

All this shows just how much setting precise time estimates is crucial in cultivating a successful business and creating a good company’s reputation.  

To avoid making poor time estimates and their consequences, you should get familiar with one of productivity’s cousins — microproductivity. Here’s why it is essential for making time estimates

The importance of microproductivity on making time estimates

If you want to make accurate time estimates for your project tasks, it is vital to break your tasks into smaller assignments. This activity is known as microproductivity and it consists of the following processes:

• Identifying the main task,
• Fragmenting said task into subtasks,
• Listing all the subtasks,
• Estimating the time required to complete each subtask, and 
• Estimating the time you might allocate to breaks between subtasks.

This is how microproductivity looks like in practice. 

For example, to “write a blog post” simply can’t be a single task, as it actually consists of several different tasks — such as:

• Conducting research,
• Looking for relevant references,
• Looking for relevant keywords,
• Writing an organized outline,
• Writing the actual content,
• Proofreading, spelling and grammar check,
• Writing effective headlines, 
• Writing meta descriptions, 
• Creating visuals, and
• Uploading posts to WordPress.

In the example above, microproductivity refers to breaking one main task into 10 smaller assignments and allocating a separate time slot to each. 

The psychological effect of this approach will:

• Help us be more goal-oriented,
• Boost our positive self-image,
• Lead to less procrastination, and 
• Help us make better time estimates. 

Speaking of which, in the following section, we’ll focus on some practical tips for making precise time estimates.

8 Ultimate tips for precise time estimates

To help you become an expert in time estimation, we’ve compiled the most important efficient estimation formulas, tips, and tricks.

Let’s dive right into the practical tips and explain the process of making precise work estimates in more detail.

Tip #1: Define activities and make a list of tasks you need to complete

You can’t go far without knowing what you need to do to get there.

Let’s say you are in charge of a rebranding project.

To know what exactly you should be focusing on at all times, you should define activities and break the project down into smaller tasks. 

According to the PMBOK guide, “defining activities is the process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project.”

So, before making time estimates, make sure you define a list of tasks you need to complete during a time period.

The best practice is to make a straightforward to-do list, one where you’ll lay out your tasks and assignments for the whole day.

Once you have your tasks laid out this way, it’ll be easier to make estimates for the time it takes to complete them.

That’s why setting clear goals is by default of the utmost importance — and also why personal timekeeping will help you stay on top of things.

So, let us provide an example of such estimates.

In the end, you can easily calculate your total estimated time for the day by adding up these estimated hours (e.g., 7 hours and 25 minutes).

Tip #2: Put extra effort into time estimates for your priorities

Another important aspect of proper time estimation are your priorities.

By the rule of thumb, you should always allocate most of your time to priority errands and assignments. 

And, to get that right and minimize time wasters, you’ll have to put extra effort into defining the time estimates for both your priority tasks and your miscellaneous assignments.

So, your priorities are your most important and most urgent tasks — these are tasks that have a precise deadline you need to fulfill or tasks that are crucial to the goal you want to accomplish for the day.

For example, you have to write a ~1,000-word Project Proposal for tomorrow.

The first thing you need to do is make an outline for your proposal and define the subheadings. They can serve as separate tasks, which you should then set separate time estimates for — in the following way:

• Estimate the number of words you’ll write for each subheading — e.g., “Overview: 100–150 words”, “Goals: 200–300 words”, and
• Estimate the time needed to write and edit each subheading in relation to the number of words —e.g., “100–150 words — 30 minutes”, “200–300 words — 1 hour”. 

Once you’re done estimating the time for the subheadings, add these numbers up — this is your total estimated time for the priority task.

For the best results, you ought to calculate your biological prime time — i.e., the time during the day when you are most likely to be productive, focused, and motivated to complete your tasks. This is the time you’ll be most likely to finish your tasks faster — so save these time slots for your priority tasks.

Furthermore, if you allocate the longest amount of time to your priority task — you’re essentially signaling to yourself that you should focus all your energy on this task.

Tip #3: Use the appropriate method to estimate time

There are several methods to estimate time in project management. Here, we’ll go through a couple of the most popular techniques.

Method #1: Top-down estimating

According to the Guide to project management, “a top-down estimate takes the whole project and applies an overall timescale and cost.”

You can use the top-down approach to examine the entire project, divide it into smaller components, and get a rough estimation of the project’s timeline. 

This method is used at the beginning of a project and does not go into detail because the project is still in its early stages and you do not have all of the information. Later on, when you acquire all the necessary information and details about the project, you can develop a more detailed estimation.

For example, you can roughly estimate the time needed to create a website and then distribute that time to individual steps such as:

• Researching,
• Planning,
• Designing,
• Developing,
• Testing, and
• Launching the website.

The advantages of the Top-down method:

• An easy and fast way of time estimation, and
• An inexpensive method.

The disadvantages of the top-down method:  

• It is easy to overlook important details with this method, and
• Actual resource requirements may differ from the initial estimate.

Method #2: Bottom-up estimating

In a bottom-up approach to estimating, according to the APM, “the project team breaks the client’s requirement down, identifying the lowest level appropriate to create a range of estimates, covering the project scope based on the task definition available.”

The bottom-up method requires calculating the time needed to complete each of the small individual tasks that make up a project. By adding these individual estimates, we can calculate the potential duration of the entire project. 

The advantages of the Bottom-up method:

• High accuracy due to calculating the time for each task individually, and
• Reduced project risks, and a more reliable method due to detailed estimation.

The disadvantages of the Bottom-up method:

• A time-consuming technique as it requires a detailed assessment of the time needed for each task, and
• A more complex method that requires expertise or software.

Method #3: Parametric estimating

As per PMBOK definition, parametric estimation is: “An estimating method in which an algorithm is used to calculate cost or duration based on historical data and project parameters.”

Historical data is information you gained while working on earlier tasks — such as the time needed for one meeting or creating an illustration for a post. 

For example, if you estimate that one meeting lasts half an hour based on your experience with similar meetings, and you have seven meetings scheduled this week, you can estimate that you will spend three and a half hours in meetings this week. 

The advantages of the Parametric method:

• Accurate estimation of time needed to complete a task, and
• Less time wasted on time estimation for repetitive tasks. 

The disadvantages of the Parametric method:

• Sophisticated data collection and analysis (software) is needed, and
• Possible inaccuracy due to differences that can occur in the current project compared to the previous projects. 

Method #4: Comparative or analogous estimating

The PMBOK guide defines analogous (comparative) estimating as the one that “relies on the actual duration of previous, similar projects as the basis for estimating the duration of the current project.” It compares the progress and results of previous projects with the project you are working on now. 

This method is excellent if you have a simple and smaller project and you have completed many similar projects in the past.

For instance, suppose you work as a project manager for a software company, and your new client needs a website for their new restaurant. You’ve worked on restaurant websites before, so based on those projects, you know what elements and pages it should have, as well as how long it will take to complete this project. 

The advantages of the Analogous method are:

• A cheaper, and
• Less time-consuming method.

The disadvantages of the Analogous method are:

• Less accurate if you don’t have enough historical data,
• Unreliable because projects should be identical, which is unlikely to happen in practice.

Method #5: Three-point estimation (PERT)

Three-point estimation method is based on The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (also known as PERT).

PERT is a method of calculating project time — it involves a time estimation formula that takes into account your:

• Optimistic time estimate (A) — the shortest possible amount of time you think will take you to finish a project.
• Most likely time estimate (B) — the realistic amount of time you think will take you to finish a project.
• Pessimistic time estimate (C) — the longest possible amount of time you think will take you to finish a project.

The advantages of the PERT method:

• Accurate and realistic estimations, and 
• Minimized risks of schedule and cost overruns.

The disadvantage of the PERT method:

• Time-consuming because it is a detail-oriented estimation, and
• A subjective method (especially if various people (team members) define “optimistic,” “most likely,” and “pessimistic” differently).

Tip #4: Use a project duration calculator

A project duration calculator is based on:

• Time Estimation, and 
• Standard Deviation formulas.

The standard deviation formula takes into account only the optimistic and pessimistic time estimates and tells you how accurate your total time estimate really is.

By going for a calculator instead of a formula, you’ll still get the roughly estimated number of days you need to finish the project — but, you’ll get it faster, because the calculation will be handled automatically.

Here’s how you can create a simple project duration calculator in Excel, by using:

• The Time Estimation Formula (E = (A+4B+C)/6), and
• The Standard Deviation Formula (SD = (C-A)/6).

For the “Time estimation formula” cell, write: =ROUNDUP((C4+C5*4+C6)/6).

For the “Standard Deviation” cell, write: =ROUNDUP((C6-C4)/6).

For the “Shortest estimated project duration” cell, write: =ROUNDUP(C8-C9).

For the “Longest estimated project duration” cell, write: =ROUNDUP(C8+C9).

Now, you need to enter your data into the following cells:

• Optimistic time estimate,
• Most likely time estimate, and 
• Pessimistic time estimate.

Once you’ve done so, the data will point out your estimated time and standard deviation.

Additionally, the shortest and longest estimated duration will be calculated automatically.

Download your Project Duration Calculator for free

Using the ROUNDUP function is optional — but highly recommended because you’ll round up the estimated number of days to a whole number.

To use the same formulas for additional projects, simply hold and drag your cursor at the edge of the cells containing the formulas, as shown below.

So, if you enter “145”, “234”, “345”, you’ll get that your estimated time to finish the project is 238 days, with a standard deviation of 34 days — meaning you’ll likely take between 204 and 272 days to finish this type of project.

Tip #5: Track your time

When estimating time for a project, you’ll also need a more precise estimate, as well as to create a schedule to follow while working on a project — this is where a time tracker becomes crucial.

A time tracker makes estimating time an exact science. It tells you how much time you’ve spent on previous projects in total — in hours, minutes, and seconds — and it lets you identify the tasks that took most of your time. 

It also tells you what type of work you’ve spent most of your time on — for example, “Illustrations ” or “Fixing bug #212” tasks, as shown in the screenshot below.

But, why does time tracking matter for project management?

Well, by keeping time tracking records, you’ll be able to make time estimates for a specific type of project that are actually based on your verifiable past experiences.

To gather your time tracking data, you can easily start a timer when you start working on a task.

Once you’re done working on this task, stop the timer. By doing so, you’ll be adding this time to your total time for that project.

You can also manually enter the time in your timesheet after the completion of a specific task.

By the end of the project, you’ll have the exact time you’ve spent on it now and are likely to spend on the same type of project in the future — so you’ll be able to give a precise estimate to your clients.

In addition, you’ll be able to distinguish between your billable and non-billable hours, as well as understand how much money you’ve earned working on the project. This will in turn help you improve your project cost management in the future.

How you can track time to define time estimates: example #1

You can even turn hours into days and see how accurate your time tracker really is.

Let’s take an example — you’ve spent 283 hours and 39 minutes on a project. 

Well, that easily translates to 35.5 days you have spent working on this project for 8 hours a day.

But, this isn’t the only way to manage and define time estimates within a time tracker.

How you can track time to define time estimates: example #2 

Clockify also offers an estimation system where you’ll be able to define estimates for tasks and the project overall, before comparing your real time tracking results with these estimates.

So, once you start tracking time, you’ll be able to compare your real-time progress with your estimates as you work.

You’ll also be able to see the percentage of completed work, compared to your estimates at all times.

This way, you’ll not only be able to see that your original time estimates were off, but you’ll also be able to see by how much. 

Therefore, you’ll be working on your skill of estimating and setting the right project timeline, while at the same time you’ll be avoiding the pressure caused by unrealistic deadlines.

Tip #6: Use forecasting software

Forecasting software can be an extremely useful tool for making precise time estimates. It analyzes a project’s historical and real-time data to provide the most accurate prediction of project completion time.

Forecasting software can also help you identify potential risks and opportunities, allowing you to: 

• Plan ahead of time, 
• Make better decisions, and 
• Better schedule your project’s tasks.

Clockify’s forecasting feature, for example, can simplify the whole process of calculating how much time you will need for a project by visually representing your project’s progress. 

As seen in the screenshot above, the solid blue line in the chart above represents completed tasks. The dotted blue line represents forecasted tasks, while the dotted gray line indicates scheduled tasks. 

The solid gray line represents the estimated time, and you can also see how much the project will take — longer or shorter than expected.

Project managers can greatly benefit from the forecasting feature as it can help them create better and more accurate forecasts. This option also enables them to have a clearer understanding and overview of the project timeline. 

Tip #7: Calculate the time you’ll waste

When making time estimates for a project, it’s easy to overlook the time you’re bound to waste — so, don’t forget to account for the following: 

• Interruptions, 
• Distractions, and 
• Idle procrastination.

First, list the activities you likely “waste time” on every day at work.

Then, assign them a time estimate:

• Going out for a smoke every 2 hours — 25 minutes,
• Going out to the nearby bakery to buy scones for an afternoon snack — 15 minutes,
• Going to fix a cup of coffee every 3 hours — 15 minutes, and
• Chatting with colleagues — 45 minutes.

You can even add the time you spend on meetings and sorting out your email inbox to this wasted time: 

• Meetings — 1 hour and 20 minutes, and
• Inbox management — 1 hour.

After all, these activities don’t contribute to finishing the project and only take you away from real priorities.

You can make time estimations at the top of your head for these activities, or you can do a weekly experiment and track the exact time it takes you to finish these activities per day.

Tracking wasted time to make precise time estimates

For example, you can track the following results for daily meetings:

• 40 minutes on Monday,
• 45 minutes on Tuesday,
• 30 minutes on Wednesday,
• 45 minutes on Thursday, and
• 40 minutes on Friday.

Then, you can take 40 minutes as your average time for a meeting in future estimates:

(40+45+30+45+40)/5=40

Tracking wasted time to estimate how much you spend focused on the project

In the end, to get the total wasted time per day, just add up the numbers — let’s say that all the listed time wasters, from coffee breaks to meetings, add up to 4 hours.

So, if you work 8 hours per day and waste 4 hours, you essentially spend only about 4 hours focused on the project. 

Properly calculating the total amount of your wasted time in a day will improve your precision in making work estimates. This step will help you make managing time easy.

After all, if you’re aware that you actually have only half the time you thought you had to complete your tasks, you’re more likely to set different and more realistic deadlines. Or even better, you’ll try to reduce your time-wasters and thereby improve your productivity levels.  

Tip #8: Schedule additional time, just in case

The data you get from your time tracker shows the exact time you’ve spent on similar projects before and how much you’re likely to spend on it next time.

So, in 9 out of 10 cases, if you’ve spent 71 days on a project (or 283 hours and 39 minutes hours for 4 hours/day), you’ll likely spend a nearly similar amount of time on it next time.

But, just in case, allocate some additional time to this project for unexpected problems and shortcomings that usually come with 10% of such projects. 

You never know when this percentage might increase and when you’ll need additional dxays and hours to round up the project to the complete satisfaction of your client.

If a client is being indecisive or they require additional changes or work, you have to be prepared to add this time to your estimates. Being flexible with your time is sometimes essential, so your employees won’t feel under pressure, and your client is satisfied. 

In addition, if everything goes according to the plan and you finish the project earlier than predicted, both your employees and your client will be thrilled.

Conclusion: Precise work estimates matter (and you will get better results over time)

We have shown you just how important precise time estimation is for your project success, 

and in the end, making precise time estimates isn’t that difficult.

You’ll just need to:

• Parse your work into daily tasks and make estimates for these separate tasks,
• Put extra energy into correctly estimating time for priority tasks,
• Make an effort to track the time you spend on projects and tasks,
• Account for the time you waste every day, 
• Use a forecasting tool, and
• Account for the additional time you may need to finish the project.

For extra flair, you can use one of the estimation techniques and rely on a simple Project Duration Calculator to calculate your daily estimates. 

As a result of following these tips, you’ll make your time estimates precise and accurate, as well as plan your schedules easier. 

Project management is all about dependencies, and these tips will help you have a deeper understanding of your workflow, which will be reflected in your upcoming projects. 

All this will ensure your clients view you as a reliable professional who keeps to their word.

Have you ever tried a technique for making your time estimates more precise? Do you have any recommendations for useful calculators that we haven’t mentioned yet? Feel free to share your 2 cents. Write to us at blogfeedback@clockify.me and we will consider featuring your opinion in this or one of our future pieces. And, if you liked this article, share it with someone else you know will find it useful.

A good payment software should make accepting payments easier. 

We’ve explored some of the most used payment processors in terms of:

• Payment processing time,
• Fees,
• Country availability,
• Currencies available,
• Payment methods,
• Transfer limits, and
• Notable features, including pros and cons for each app.

After researching dozens of apps in terms of all the aforementioned features, we picked out 17 popular payment processors for small businesses and freelancers. 

PayPal — best for small businesses and freelancers

PayPal is an online payment system with over 200 million users. This payment platform allows you to: 

• Create an account on the PayPal website, 
• Connect your credit card,
• Receive payment from clients, and
• Withdraw money from your PayPal balance.

PayPal payment processing time: 3–5 business days

PayPal fees:

• Sending international personal transactions depends on the following:
  • Where the money is being sent from, 
  • Where the money is being sent to, and 
  • The method of payment.

For example, if you’re sending money from Andorra to Canada, using your bank account — the fee will be € 1.99.

Country availability: Available in over 200 countries. However, not all countries can receive payments, some can only send them. So, before opening a PayPal account, make sure to check the eligibility of your country here. 

Currencies: Available in 25 currencies

Payment methods: 

• Bank transfer, 
• PayPal Debit Mastercard, 
• Requesting a check, 
• PayPal balance, and
• Paypal credit and reward balance.

Transfer limit: Up to $10,000 per transaction

Notable features:

• Barcode and QR scanner,
• Online invoicing,
• Virtual Terminal, and
• Trading with cryptocurrencies. 

Payoneer — best for people looking for PayPal alternatives

Payoneer is one of the more popular PayPal alternatives with more than 4 million users. This payment solution lets its users receive and make online payments in a couple of clicks, as well as track their account balance and entire transaction history. Payoneer is also one of the best choices if you’re looking for a way to receive payments online for free.

Payoneer payment processing time: 2–5 business days

Payoneer fees:

• $1.50 if you want to transfer funds from Payoneer to your local bank, up to 2% to transfer funds from a foreign currency, and
• 3% for credit card payments or 1% for ACH of the amount you receive for USD and EUR transfers (fees cannot exceed $10).

Country availability: Accepted payment method in 200+ countries.

Currencies: Available in 150+ currencies

Payment methods: 

• Bank Transfer, 
• MasterCard, 
• local eWallets, and
• International checks.

Transfer limit: Payoneer cardholders can withdraw up to $5,000 per day (up to 30 separate ATM withdrawals per day)

Notable features:

• Single and mass payout,
• Integrated payments, and
• No regular bank account needed — you get a virtual account in a US bank.

Cash App — best for US and UK transfers

Cash App (also known as Square Cash and Square Cash App) is a mobile payment platform that enables users to transfer money by using their mobile phones alone. This payment solution is compatible with both Apple Pay and Google Pay. 

Cash App payment processing time: Immediate transfer (0.5%–1.75% fee), or 1–3 business days

Cash App fees:

• 0.5%–1.75%, for instant deposits.

Country availability: United States and the United Kingdom. 

Currencies: The country of your account determines your currency, and cannot be altered (for a new currency, you’ll need to open a new account).

Payment methods: 

• Debit Visa card (also known as the Cash Card), and
• Bank Transfer.

Transfer limit:

• Unverified accounts can send up to $250/week and receive up to $1,000/month, and
• Verified accounts can send up to $7,500/week and $17,500/month, and there is no limit to how much you can receive.

Notable features:

• Bitcoin trading,
• Sending money using Siri (on iPhone), and
• An advanced fraud detection infrastructure.

QuickBooks — best for those who wish to also do their accounting

QuickBooks is essentially an accounting software, but it can also help you receive payments online. This tool lets you: 

• Send out invoices, 
• Schedule recurring payments, 
• Accept payments, and 
• Record all changes made to the software.

QuickBooks payment processing time:

• Credit card payments: 2–3 business days, and
• ACH transfers: 5–7 business days.

QuickBooks fees:

There are several monthly payment plans to choose from + transaction fees of 1% (but no more than $10) per ACH transfer, but there’s also:

• 2.4% + $0.25 per swiped card transaction,
• 2.9% + $0.25 per digital invoice card transaction, and
• 3.4% + $0.25 per keyed-in card transaction.

Country availability: Available globally. For a full list of countries check out this list.

Currencies: Available in 150+ currencies

Payment methods: 

• Credit Card, 
• Debit Card, 
• ACH Bank Transfer, 
• PayPal, and
• Venmo.

Transfer limit: Depends on your processing volume (i.e. the amount of money transferred within your account in the last 30 days)

Notable features:

• Online invoicing,
• Scheduled recurring payments, and
• The option to invite your accountant to partake in your transactions.

Google Pay — best for smartwatch owners

Whether you’re a small-business owner or a freelancer, Google Pay allows you to receive payments for free, from your mobile or desktop device. To be able to make the most out of this payment platform, your clients just need to enter your email address or phone number to send you the money. Once you create an account, you get a PIN number you’ll use to manage all transactions.

Google Pay payment processing time: 3–5 business days

Google Pay fees:

• A 2.9% fee for Credit cards.

Country availability: Available in 75 countries overall (currently banned in Russia). Also available on watches that support Google Pay for the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

If you want to send money to your friends and family, you can use Google Pay to send it in the US, India and Singapore. 

Currencies: Available in 100+ currencies

Payment methods: 

• Debit card,
• Credit Card, and
• PayPal.

Transfer limit:

• For a 7-day period:
  • Users with verified identity: $20,000,
  • Users with unverified identity: $700.
• For a single transaction:
  • Users with verified identity: $5,000,
  • Users with unverified identity: $700.
• In order to claim transactions that are over $2,500, you’ll need to have a bank account connected to your Google Pay account.

Notable features:

• Integration with other Google services,
• Analytics for traffic, affinity, and engagement related to your brand, and
• Claiming your money through SMS, by requesting a link.

Skrill — best for simple money-managing

Skrill is an online payment processor that allows you to make international money transfers at a low cost.

Skrill payment processing time: Up to 3 days for the Skrill review team to approve the transfer (depends on several factors, such as the payment method and the country you’re transferring money to). 

To have the payment transferred to your account, you’ll have to wait up to two working days. There are several factors that influence the waiting time:

• The sender’s country,
• The receiver’s country, and
• Payment methods available in the receiver’s country. 

An instant transfer is possible only with Skrill-to-Skrill transactions. 

Skrill fees:

• Skrill doesn’t charge anything when it comes to receiving the money — however, you might be charged a currency conversion fee of 3.99% for Skrill’s exchange rate.

Country availability: Skrill is globally available, except for a smaller number of countries you can find in this list.

Currencies: Available in 39+ currencies

Payment methods: 

• Bank transfer, 
• Credit card, 
• Debit card, and
• Digital eWallet.

Transfer limit: 

• Minimum: $10 (or the equivalent amount),
• Maximum: $10,000 (or the equivalent amount).

Notable features:

• Email transactions,
• Improved fraud management, and
• Over 100 local payment methods over the world.

Venmo — best for peer-to-peer transactions

Venmo is a digital wallet (owned by PayPal) that lets you transfer funds online or via a Venmo app. The platform also includes a feed that resembles regular social media feeds where you can comment on transactions for your friends to see.

Venmo payment processing time: Instant (includes a 1.75% fee, but no more than $25), or up to 3 business days

Venmo fees:

• 1.75% of the transferred amount for the Instant transfer option (the lowest fee is $0.25, and it cannot exceed $25) 
• 3% of the transaction every time you use a credit card, and
• Sending money via bank transfer, debit card or your Venmo balance is free of charge. 

Country availability: Only available in the US — international transfer is not supported.

Currencies: United States Dollar (USD)

Payment methods: 

• Credit Card, 
• Debit Card, 
• Bank account, and 
• Venmo balance.

Transfer limit:

• Up to $999.99 per week for unverified accounts, 
• Up to $19,999.99 per week for verified accounts, and
• $5,000 if you’d like to transfer a single largest amount. 

Notable features:

• Bill sharing (for projects with multiple clients who’ll need to share your bill), and
• Users can share how satisfied they are with your purchases on the Venmo feed and increase the distribution of your brand.

Dwolla — best for ACH transactions

Dwolla is a US-only online payment and mobile payment system that’s best at ensuring easier ACH payments.

Dwolla payment processing time: Typically 3–4 business days

Dwolla fees: Dwolla charges 0.5% fee per transaction

Country availability: US

Currencies: United States Dollar (USD)

Payment methods: No Credit or Debit Cards, Dwolla connects directly to your Bank account in order to reduce costs.

Transfer limit: Generally speaking, there are no limits when it comes to the amount you can receive. However, there are limitations that apply to the amount you’re allowed to send. 

Here are sending limits based on the customer type:

• Business verified — $10,000/transfer,
• Personal verified — $5,000/transfer, and
• Unverified customer — $5,000/week. 

Companies can perform ACH transactions as high as $1 million ACH transactions per day, with the feature Same Day ACH.

Notable features: 

• Mass payments,
• A dashboard meant to help you manage customers, as well as analyze transactions and insights, and
• On-demand bank transfers that allow you to collect your payments from the clients’ bank accounts (as long as you give the client permission to do so).

Authorize.net — best for small businesses with merchant accounts

Authorize.net is a payment processing and management platform that allows you to easily accept payments via checks and credit cards online.

Authorize.net payment processing time: Usually within 24 hours 

Authorize.net fees:

• Within the All-in-one plan — $25 per month for gateway fees, plus a 2.9% + $0.30 fee per transaction, and
• Within the Payment gateway-only plan — $25 per month for the gateway, plus a $0.10 per transaction + $0.10 fee for daily batch.

Country availability: Available in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada

Currencies: Available in 12 currencies

Payment methods: 

• Visa, 
• MasterCard, 
• PayPal, 
• Visa Checkout, 
• E-checks, 
• Apple Pay, etc. 

Transfer limit:

• A $5,000 limit for the monthly volume, and
• A $100 for the maximum size per transaction.

Notable features:

• An Authorize.net verified seal for merchants,
• Accept mail and telephone order payments, and
• Advanced filters for fraud detection.

Xero — best for PayPal and Stripe users

Xero is essentially an accounting software, but it also allows you to accept payments indirectly, by connecting the software with popular payment processors such as PayPal and Stripe.

Xero payment processing time: Usually 2–10 business days

Xero fees: Between 2% and 4% of an invoice value

Country availability: Available globally

Currencies: Available in 150+ currencies

Payment methods: 

• Credit cards, 
• Debit cards, and
• Bank account.

Transfer limit: Depends on the Xero plan you’re using, but usually up to 2,000 transactions per month.

Notable features:

• Financial reporting and inventory reports,
• The option to attach files to financial data, and
• Bank reconciliation.

Wise — best for those who wish to avoid border-crossing fees

Wise, formerly known as TransferWise, is an international transfer service that lets you carry out transactions by matching your transfers and taking a small commission fee. There are no border-crossing fees for international transfers because the money doesn’t travel internationally — it just travels from one Transferwise account to another.

Wise payment processing time: Depends on the currencies, countries, amounts, and payment methods involved. It could take a few seconds to five business days. 

Wise fees: Also depends on the countries, currencies, and amounts involved. You can calculate your specific Wise fees here. Also, keep in mind that if you decide to order a card, you will be charged $9. 

Country availability: 40+ countries

Currencies: You can receive transactions in 55 currencies. However, there is a catch — you cannot send and receive the same currency (the currency exchange process is mandatory), and you can only receive the official currency of your country (for example, you can only receive Canadian Dollars in Canada).

Payment methods: Yet another aspect that depends on the countries, currencies, and amounts involved. Bank transfers, Direct debit, Visa cards, Mastercards, wire transfer, Apple pay and some Maestro cards are all an option.

Transfer limit: Limit depends on currencies, amounts, and payment methods. In general terms, the limitations are:

• ACH transactions — $15,000/day,
• Debit/credit card transactions — $2,000/day or $8,000/week,
• Local bank transaction — $1 million, and
• SWIFT transfer — $1,6 million. 

Notable features:

• Recurring transfers with recurring senders and recipients for multiple projects (and payment deadlines) for the same client,
• The option to send personal verification documents, and
• A personalized Wise card for payments.

Stripe — best for large transactions

Stripe is an online payment processing system specialized for handling payments within an internet business.

Stripe payment processing time: It takes a couple of days

Stripe fees:

• 2.9% + $0.30 per card-payment transaction, and
• 2.7% + $0.05 for transactions on Stripe terminal. 

Country availability: Available in 20+ countries

Currencies: Available in 135+ currencies

Payment methods: 

• Credit Card, 
• Debit Card, 
• Bank Transfer, and
• Digital wallet.

Transfer limit: You schedule your money transfer dates to process automatically, with no official limit to the amount that can be transferred (the technical limit within the app is 999,999.99, regardless of the currency)

Notable features:

• Authentication and advanced fraud protection, including dispute handling,
• Dashboard for analysis purposes, and
• Consolidated and Financial reports.

Western Union — best for international transactions

Western Union is a money transfer company that offers online payment and on-site payouts on over 500,000 worldwide locations.

Western Union payment processing time: Usually between 1–5 business days. You can always track your transfer, whether you’re the sender or the receiver. 

Western Union fees:

Depending on the countries involved, bank fees, the transaction amount, agent location, and the payment method used. Here is the fee calculator that you’ll find useful when determining a transaction fee. 

Country availability: Available in 200+ countries

Currencies: Available in 30+ currencies

Payment methods: 

• Cash pickup, 
• Bank transfer, 
• Credit card, 
• Debit card, 
• The Western Union website, 
• Over the phone, and
• In person at an agent’s station.

Transfer limit:

Depends on your transaction history, and whether you’re making a domestic or international transfer. If you conduct a payment at an agent station — there is no limit for how much you can send, but the amount you can receive is usually limited — and it depends on the agent’s station location. 

Notable features:

• Backup for recipients who haven’t disclosed their ID,
• Advanced encryption technology, and
• Special ways for students and the military to receive payments.

MoneyGram — best for those who prefer multiple delivery methods

MoneyGram is another money transfer company that offers both domestic and international transfer — it’s mostly geared towards international transactions with over 360,000 on-site agent locations (over 25,000 in Africa alone).

MoneyGram payment processing time: Up to 24 hours, but for payments via online bank accounts it can take a bit longer — 3–4 days

MoneyGram fees:

Depending on the countries involved, the transaction amount, and the payment method — bank transfer requires lower fees, and a credit card or debit card require higher fees. There is a fee calculator right on the homepage to help you figure out the fees. 

Country availability: Available in 200+ countries

Currencies: The sender can choose the currency

Payment methods: 

• Cash pickup, 
• Bank Transfer, 
• Mobile Wallet account, 
• Debit card, 
• Home Delivery, and
• FastSend.

Transfer limit:

• For most countries, the limit is up to $10,000 per transaction,
• For the United States the limit is up to $15,000.

Notable features:

• Track the money transfer from send off to delivery,
• No need for an official bank account, and
• Payments carried out online or through agent locations.

Xoom (a PayPal service) — best for quick transfers

Xoom is an online international money transfer system (from the PayPal service family) that lets you send and receive money online in minutes and from either your desktop or mobile devices.

Xoom payment processing time: Takes minutes or sometimes up to a few days

Xoom fees:

• Bank account transactions cost between $0 and $10 — it depends on the amount being transferred and the currency, and
• The Credit and Debit Card transaction fee is a minimum of $1.99, but may be much higher, depending on the amount sent and countries involved.

Just to be on the safe side, you can always consult the Xoom fee calculator. 

Country availability: Available in 30+ countries

Currencies: Available in USD, CAD, GBP, and EUR

Payment methods: 

• Credit card, 
• Debit card, 
• Bank account transactions, and
• PayPal balance.

Transfer limit: $2,999/day for users that have a basic profile, and $50,000/day for verified users

Notable features:

• An anti-fraud verification system,
• Pay bills in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Nicaragua, and
• Instant updates on the status of your transaction.

Meta Pay — best for making payments via social networks

Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram are just a few social media platforms that Meta Pay enables you to utilize to send and receive money. You need to link a valid payment method to get started.

Meta Pay payment processing time: It usually takes 1–3 business days. 

Meta Pay fees: In general terms, there are no fees, except for the transactions for personal fundraisers. 

Country availability: Meta Pay is available in 160+ countries worldwide. 

Currencies: Meta Pay is available in 55 currencies. 

Payment methods: 

• Credit and Debit cards, and
• PayPal.

Transfer limit: No transfer limit

Notable features: 

• Information about bank accounts and credit cards is encrypted.
• For added security, you can set up a PIN or use the fingerprint or face identification feature on your mobile device.

FreshBooks — best for invoice-sending and expense-tracking

FreshBooks is a cloud-based accounting tool. You can easily create and track invoices using FreshBooks Payments.

FreshBooks fees:

• Credit card transaction fee — 2.9% + $0.30, except American Express — the fee is 3.5% + $0.30.
• Bank transfer fee — 1%.

Country availability: Available in over 120 countries. 

Currencies: FreshBooks offers a multi-currency option. 

Payment methods: 

• ACH, 
• Credit cards, 
• Stripe, and
• Apple Pay.

Transfer limit: Depending on which plan you choose, you can send invoices to:

• 5 billable clients,
• 10 billable clients, or
• Unlimited number of billable clients.

Notable features:

• Time tracking feature,
• Invoices in multiple languages, and
• Payment Reminder option for your clients.

What is the safest payment app?

As you can see, there are many payment apps you can choose from. Everybody wants to send and receive money safely and securely. 

But, as you probably already know, the web is full of scammers just waiting for an opportunity to commit fraud. 

According to a CNN team that tested several payment apps, two of the safest and most widely spread payment service providers are:

• Apple Pay, and
• Google Pay.

Rest assured that your money and card details will be safe with payment apps that enable QR codes or link sharing.

How to choose a payment processor? 

When it comes to choosing a payment processor for accepting payments online, make sure you take into account:

• Transaction fees: how much it charges for each transaction,
• Processing time: how much time it needs to process payments,
• Country availability: whether you can receive payments in your country,
• Currency support: whether you can receive payments in your currency,
• Payment methods: whether it supports your preferred payment methods, and
• Transfer limit: how much money can you receive at once.

It’s typically the buyer or the client sending the money who pays for the payment processor’s services and fees, and not the receiver. 

But, considering that the buyer or client will likely be looking for the most affordable option, make sure you do consider the transaction fees before suggesting a payment option (a more affordable solution will also increase your chances of getting paid properly).

How to include a payment option to your website 

Once you’ve selected a payment processor, it’s best that you include it to your personal freelance website — remember, the easier the payment process, the more likely that clients will pay you on time.

Not all of the listed payment solutions are suitable for a website, but let’s look at how you can add PayPal to your website, as an example:

1. First, procure and set up a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to make sure all data is encrypted and protected,
2. Once you have an SSL certificate, register your website with a digital authentication service — it will provide proof to you clients that your website is legit, and help you validate customer/client information as they enter it,
3. Go to the list of available PayPal payment buttons,
4. Select your button — the current options are the “Buy now”, “Add to cart”, “Donate”, “Subscribe”, “Gift certificate”, and “Automatic billing” buttons. For example, if you’re selling multiple items on your website, include the “Add to cart” button, and if your business sells only one item, include the “Buy now” button,
5. Enter your name and the price for the service/item, and click “Create Button”,
6. In order to select the button code, click on “Select code”,
7. After clicking on “Select code” copy the code to your website, and
8. Once you’ve included the button, you’ll be able to customize and edit it further on the “My saved buttons” page.

Now, your clients and customers will be able to securely pay for your products/services directly from your freelance website.

Bonus: keep track of your earnings with Clockify

Before you request payment from your client with a payment processor, you’ll first need to make sure you know exactly how much money you’ve earned — for this purpose, Clockify is an effective, free time tracker and time billing solution. 

You’ll be able to: 

• Add your hourly rates, 
• Track the time you spend on tasks and projects, and 
• Then have your exact earnings calculated automatically in Reports.

Later on, you’ll be able to save these Reports as links and send them out to your clients, so they can track your project progress in real time, as well as the amount of money they’re due thus far.

You’ll also be able to:

• Add 5 different types of hourly rates for you (and your freelance team), each more specific than the previous,
• Add time manually, for activities, projects, and tasks you forgot to add previously,
• Invite an unlimited number of team members to your workspace, for free,
• Receive automatic reminders to track time, in order to report the correct time you spent working and the correct earnings,
• Analyze, filter, and extract your time tracking data from Summary, Detailed, Scheduled vs Tracked, and Weekly Reports,
• Generate comprehensive PDF, CSV, and XLSX files based on your Reports, and
• When sending your client reports of the work you’ve accomplished (and the amount they’re due), you can brand your reports with your freelance business logo.

Wrapping up — The safest payment apps will enable quick and risk-free money transfers

Electronic payments have become customary for a quick, safe way to pay for nearly anything. 

The best payment app should consider aspects like cost, transfer speed, and international presence. We briefly described the features of the safest payment apps and provided links to the websites of the corresponding apps so that you may learn more. We hope you’ll find the information provided useful when searching for the best payment app that suits your needs.

Are you a freelancer or a small-business owner willing to share your experience with the apps mentioned in this article? Or maybe you could recommend some other useful payment apps? Write to us at blogfeedback@clockify.me for a chance to be featured in this or one of our future articles. Also, if you liked this article, share it with someone else you know will find it useful.

As a software developer, using the right productivity tools will help you:

• Improve your performance, 
• Sharpen your time management skills,
• Beat procrastination and distractions, and 
• Feel more content as a result. 

To ensure you maintain your productivity levels high and increase your output, we’ll go over the 25 best productivity tools you should try out. After that, you’ll get a chance to find out more about how to measure developer productivity and practical tips on how developers can improve their productivity. 

Habitica — gamify your goals

Apps that let you create to-do lists help you track the progress with your daily coding tasks, and Habitica takes this to a whole new level.

Why use Habitica? 

This app actually treats your daily workload as a role-playing game where you can level up by completing your tasks. As you make progress with your work, you also find pets, collect coins and equipment, so there is a reward system to help motivate you to keep pushing forward.

How Habitica works

Once you sign in, you first have to create a character. You can then indicate:

• Daily tasks — the ones you have to finish every day,
• To-dos — the tasks you only have to complete once, and
• Habits — everyday activities you perform, either good or bad. If you pursue your good habits, you gain rewards. If you pursue your bad habits, you lose health and mana (i.e., magic).

Unless you finish your tasks in a given time period, your character suffers damage.

Also, if you code in a team, you can try Habitica’s guilds and group quests. You can add your entire project activities in a group quest, and link team member’s tasks together. If you procrastinate and stop working on your own tasks, your team member’s characters also take damage, so you’ll learn to be more responsible with your share of the work.

Habitica is available for: iOS, Android

Suitable for: Everyone who needs help with increasing productivity and time management skills

musicForProgramming — music for concentration

A collection of mixes created with programming in mind, to help with focus and boost output. The playlists vary in length, and most of them are instrumental, which is great, when you consider that one Middle State Tennessee University experiment proved that instrumental music is best to help you focus on work.

Why use musicForProgramming? 

The musicForProgramming website is an interesting concept for a music generator meant to increase productivity. musicForProgramming offers the correct amount of cognitive load to occupy the areas of your brain that would otherwise be free to wander and cause distraction.

How musicForProgramming works

Its interface mimics a code editor — when going to the page to change the track, you’ll be more likely to keep focus on your coding activities, because you’ll visually link this website with your work.

musicForProgramming is available for: Web

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Pumble – communication platform for developers

Pumble facilitates every software development process. Developers who cooperate on the same project can effectively exchange ideas and suggestions. This tool offers multiple methods for communicating with your team, whether you need a private chat session or support of threaded chats. 

Why use Pumble?

Pumble is a business messaging tool for discussing features, issues, technology and other topics. Pumble arranges talks into direct messages and channels so participants can join to exchange ideas and reach decisions. 

With Pumble’s help, teams work more quickly and efficiently no matter where they are. 

Pumble’s message formatting allows developers to quickly exchange code in its original form, whether you need to extract and share a large code block or a short piece of code. 

How Pumble works

You can use Pumble to connect to people in real-time by:

• Sending direct messages,
• Starting conversations in channels, and
• Keeping track of what’s essential to you. 

As a developer working in a team, you surely want to help your teammates be more efficient and know which tasks are a priority. You can use Pumble to pin:

• Bug reports,
• Important messages, and
• A client’s comments and suggestions. 

Moreover, there is also one cool feature – Guest access option. Use it to collaborate and communicate with the people outside your company. 

Pumble is available for: Web, Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, Chrome

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Plaky – task manager software for developers

Plaky is a project management tool that provides developers with an easy way to track their own assignments and see what others are working on at the moment. 

Why use Plaky?

Plaky is a project planning, management, and tracking application for developers with various practice demands and requirements. In order to focus on the tasks that are a priority, you can arrange your backlog tasks in order of importance.

With Plaky, you can maintain a neat and organized backlog to make it much simpler to complete each assignment.

How Plaky works

Plaky is great for software development teams that collaborate with different departments such as marketing teams and creative teams.

Plaky lets you do the following:

• Monitor your and your team’s tasks,
• Prioritize backlog tasks, 
• Record and track bugs with Plaky’s bug tracking templates, and
• Plan a product roadmap.

Another feature worth mentioning is that Plaky enables you to add an unlimited number of users and projects, for free. 

Plaky is available for: Web, iOS, Android

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Clockify — best for managing and tracking time

Tracking the time you spend on various programming activities is vital, and there is no better way to do this than turning to efficient and free time tracking software, such as Clockify. With Clockify, you can keep track of your working hours without wasting time on complicated procedures or paper timesheets. 

Why use Clockify? 

Clockify is primarily a work hours tracker that helps you:

• Track time you spend on projects, 
• Get data that shows how productive you are (weekly, monthly, or yearly), as well as 
• Calculate billable hours and payroll.

How Clockify works

Tracking time is easy and can be done with one click. Just type in what you’re working on, and start the timer. When you click end, the timer adds your coding activities to a list of your time entries.

You can also add time manually and fill a timesheet at the end of the day so you know how much time you’ve spent on each project.

Later, you can analyze how much time you’ve spent on each project in reports.

To make work more interesting (and more likely to hold your focus), Clockify can also help you gamify the process of coding. Just set estimates for each task, track time for them, and try to beat the estimated time in a race against the clock.

If you’re a Mac user, you can implement the Pomodoro technique and make use of Clockify’s Pomodoro timer, which you can choose in the apps’ preferences. With this timer, you can set break time (considered important by various studies) and work time, and let the system remind you when it’s time to focus on each.

Clockify is available for: Web, Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, Edge, Firefox, Chrome

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

F.lux — adjust the lighting of your monitor

F.lux is a cross-platform that adjusts the color temperature of your display, to help your eyes rest, and ensure you can work on your programming tasks in a quality way, longer.

Why use F.lux? 

F.lux follows the premise that warmer colors help you slip into relax and sleep mode faster, and that light-blue colors improve alertness. To maintain healthy sleeping patterns and productivity at the right times, simply adjust the settings to fit your work routine.

For example, if you work mainly at night, you can adjust the program to apply warmer colors later, and disregard the sunrise/sunset times of your location.

How F.lux works

The program adjusts the colors of your computer screen based on your location and the time of day. According to default settings, when the program detects it’s nearing sunset in your location, the colors become warmer. As sunrise nears, the program returns the display’s colors to usual settings.

F.lux is available for: Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Scribe — detailed step-by-step guides

For any programmer that has to document how they built something or share documentation, Scribe is a time-saver. It captures your screen while you execute a process, then converts your clicks and keystrokes into screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

Why use Scribe? 

Scribe automatically makes how-to manuals with: 

• Screenshots, 
• Directions, and 
• Clicks. 

Scribe also simplifies the process of information sharing and work delegation. Many teams use Scribe to create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), software documentation, and help center guides.

How Scribe works

An individual Scribe can be shared to individuals via a link, or with entire teams within the app. They can also be embedded in a wiki, knowledge base, help center, or other platform.

Scribe is available for: Web, Chrome extension

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes

Soundtrack.net — the largest collection of soundtracks

This website is a great resource for soundtracks you can listen to while programming, and it offers a large number of game soundtracks.

Why use Soundtrack.net? 

Considering that music helps stimulate the brain, listening to music while working is likely to improve your performance. There are also various studies supporting the premise that game soundtracks are perfect for helping you focus on your work, and you can find this type of soundtracks up on Soundtrack.net.

How Soundtrack.net works

Soundtrack.net offers an extensive list of game, movie, and TV show soundtracks. And the best thing is that you can listen to music from newly released trailers and teasers.

There’s also an option to enter your email address and receive weekly soundtrack and film score news. 

Soundtrack.net is available for: Web

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Intellij IDEA — make programming more enjoyable and productive

Intellij IDEA is a Java integrated development environment (IDE) that offers a number of functionalities meant to assist you in coding across various frameworks and languages.

Why use Intellij IDEA? 

With this Java IDE, you can:

• Build tools,
• Decompile,
• Run tests,
• Manage schemes,
• Run queries, and much more.

How Intellij IDEA works

Intellij IDEA offers easy access to all the functions and built-in tools as well as a variety of customization choices. Everything can be fine-tuned to support your productivity, including shortcuts, plugins, interface customization, and more.

Speaking of keyboard shortcuts, you can complete the majority of tasks in Intellij IDEA can be completed via these shortcuts, from examining recently used files to launching and troubleshooting projects. Double Shift (Search Everywhere) is one shortcut that works on all devices. What’s more, Intellij IDEA enables you to locate almost any item inside and outside the project.

This tool can also analyze your code across various projects and languages, to find connections between them.

Intellij IDEA is available for: Linux, Mac, Windows

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Rainy Mood — rainy mood for sleep and study 

Listening to rain sounds found on Rainy Mood website during an important task boosts arithmetic ability and overall brain performance, according to a study.

Why use Rainy Mood? 

If you work in an open office, but find any kind of music distracting to listen to via your headphones, you can try a simple noise generator. Rainy Mood is a straightforward choice, one that offers the soothing sound of falling rain.

How Rainy Mood works

This noise generator will provide you with endless sound of rain and thunder, that’ll help you focus and prevent the office chatter from distracting you. This website also offers a different musician every day you can listen to along with the falling rain, but you can ignore this option.

The phone app offers 4 rain scenes you can choose from: 

• Countryside, 
• Ocean, 
• Café, and 
• Classic scene.

Rainy Mood is available for: Web, Android, iOS

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

MantisBT — open source issue tracker

MantisBT is an open source, web-based solution for tracking bugs and issues, and is built on PHP. MantisBT has been in existence for over 15 years and provides an interface in 50 different languages. The software offers options for customizing the workflow for handling bugs and user roles. 

Why use MantisBT? 

Its main use is to track software defects and report them, but you can configure it so that it works like a project management tool and issue tracking system.

How MantisBT works

This bug tracking cross-platform sends updates to your team on issues, via email notifications. You can set what kind of issues you want MantisBT to notify you about, in terms of type and seriousness.

It records the changes made to issues, so you can easily track them down for analysis.

If you’re interested in whether issues in the software you’re developing are connected, MantisBT provides you with graphs that show relationships between them.

Some of MantisBT’s unique features are: 

• Progress tracking, 
• Tagging,
• Product roadmapping, and
• Project time tracking. 

Furthermore, role-based access controls are among the customisation options offered by MantisBT and can be used to authorize numerous users for a given project.

MantisBT is available for: Linux, Windows, macOS

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

ClickUp — keep your work in one place

ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity app designed for all users — from solo programmers to large software development enterprises. 

Why use ClickUp? 

By using ClickUp, you and your team can:

• Plan, monitor, and cooperate on any project, 
• Establish marketing campaigns, 
• Manage production sprints, and
• Construct the ideal workflow.

Whether you use a traditional or agile project approach, this app provides an intuitive experience that lets you: 

• Manage your workload, 
• Track project updates, and 
• Collaborate with your team. 

ClickUp offers customization options suitable for everyone. There are hundreds of functional and advanced tools to improve team communication. 

How ClickUp works

ClickUp offers a user-friendly interface and a drag and drop functionality so you can focus on coding. With ClickUp you can: 

• Easily collaborate with your team, 
• Edit work simultaneously with your team members, and 
• Assign comments and tasks to each other. 

Additionally, software teams can choose from 15+ customizable views (List view, Board view, Mind map, view, etc) and access Custom Fields and Custom Task Statuses to satisfy their unique workflow and sprint planning requirements. 

Utilize custom Dashboards to provide real-time information to everyone at any time to reduce the number of update meetings, and connect ClickUp to over 1,000 work tools to streamline your team’s workflow even further.

ClickUp is available for: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS

Suitable for: Hybrid, remote and virtual teams, and freelancers

Git — handle projects with speed and efficiency 

Git is a version control system meant to track changes in computer files, and it’s mainly used in source code management. It is an open source distributed system created to quickly and effectively manage projects of all sizes.

Why use Git? 

Each member of the developer team gets a local copy of the development history, and the system documents and copies all changes across repositories. It operates locally, and one of its main draws is its speed.

How Git works 

The Git feature that stands out the most is its branching model — use multiple branches for your ideas, test them, and easily backtrack if they don’t work.

You can make use of the Git community, which is a rich resource of ideas, concepts, and useful patches.

Git is available for: Windows, Linux, Mac

Suitable for: Remote, virtual and hybrid teams

Focusmate — virtual coworking tool

If you’re a freelance developer worried that you’re prone to procrastinating during the time periods when you should be coding, you can try Focusmate. This is a coworking virtual community, where you get assigned with a partner who makes sure you focus on your tasks.

Why use Focusmate? 

This community bases its premise on scientific research, which states there are certain behavioral triggers (such as social pressure and accountability) that ensure people avoid procrastination when working in the company of other people.

How Focusmate works

Focusmate will match you with an appropriate work buddy once you select the time when you want to work and concentrate on your productivity. After that, you’ll receive an email to confirm your session. When the scheduled time comes, you’ll get to meet your virtual work partner in a live video session. 

You can also join a Focusmate group on the Focusmate website.

These groups provide priority matching with individuals who share your interests, hobbies, and professions.

Focusmate is available for: Web (Chrome), Android (Chrome), iOS (Safari)

Suitable for: Teams, freelancers

AutoHotkey — scripting language tool

Being a keyboard wizard is essential for any developer, so learning how to use hotkeys for keyboard shortcuts is vital — it automates repetitive actions and saves you a lot of time.

Why use AutoHotkey? 

If you’re a Windows user, you can turn to AutoHotkey, a scripting language that helps automate recurring actions you have to undertake in Windows applications.

With it, you can manage files, folders, and windows, and perform various other actions that aid developer productivity.

There are a lot of hotkeys available, but you can start with the basic commands, and work your way up, for even faster performance.

How AutoHotkey works

You can use this beginner-friendly scripting language to:

• Script keystrokes, 
• Script mouse clicks, 
• Open documents,
• Start programs, and
• Script menu selections.

All of the above can comprise a combination of actions you can use for graphic user interface testing or similar activities.

Additionally, variables can be set, retrieved, and changed in AutoHotkey scripts. You can also execute loops and change windows, files, and directories.

AutoHotkey is available for: Windows

Suitable for: Teams and freelancers

Sublime Text — cross-platform code editor

Sublime Text is a cross-platform code editor that supports various markup and program languages. Every developer aiming at productivity must work in a good code editor, and Sublime Text is a pleasing choice. 

Why use Sublime Text? 

With Sublime Text, you can:

• Easily navigate through lines and files, 
• Make changes simultaneously to multiple areas of your code, and 
• Switch between projects in an instant.

This code editor even offers a distraction-free mode, so you no longer have to rely on your own willpower to avoid distractions when working. This mode shows your editor full screen, with all UI chrome features hidden.

How Sublime Text works

Sublime Text is a popular text editor that is used worldwide. 

Some powerful capabilities are all packed into this tool: 

• Multi-line editing, 
• Building systems for many different programming languages, 
• Regex find and replace option, and
• Python API for creating plugins.

Also, you can install plugins to enhance your work and improve productivity.

You can automatically format source code files by the plugin, which keeps code organized and standardized in terms of formatting. Emmet and Package Control are two essential plugins to take into account.

Sublime Text is available for: Mac, Windows, Linux

Suitable for: Teams and freelancers

Codeanywhere — code, learn and collaborate

Codeanywhere is a cross-platform cloud integrated development environment. With this tool, users can: 

• Write, 
• Edit, 
• Collaborate on, and 
• Manage web development projects from a web browser or mobile device.

Why use Codeanywhere? 

When developing software in a team, you’ll need a straightforward collaboration program, so you can work on various parts of the code simultaneously. Codeanywhere lets you do just that, as it is a code editor that allows developers to code together in real-time, and finish more in less time.

How Codeanywhere works

Codeanywhere’s features include: 

• Support for debugging, 
• Syntax highlighting, 
• Intelligent code completion, 
• Snippets, 
• Code refactoring, and 
• Embedded Git. 

You can invite your collaborators, by sending them an URL link of the project. Moreover, you can determine the level of permissions for each team member, and invite as many programmers as you want. 

Choose among many popular programming languages, and you’ll get the corresponding syntax highlighting for it. You’ll be able to see the cursors of your colleagues as they move in the editor, so you’ll know where they are at any given time. 

Users can link their Codeanywhere account with Dropbox and Google Drive, for an even faster sharing experience.

Codeanywhere is available for: Web, Android, iOS

Suitable for: Remote, hybrid and virtual teams

RescueTime — track personal productivity

RescueTime is perfect if you’re interested in how, for how long, and on what websites you procrastinate.

Why use RescueTime? 

It’s an automatic time tracker that measures how much time you spend on various software and websites, without you having to click anything. 

You just install it on your computer, and each time you switch from one website or software to another, it automatically starts recording the time you spend on it. 

Your account is set up based on your career or educational background. The app can start you out with a profile that fits the way you operate thanks to more than 13 years’ worth of data.

How RescueTime works

Time data recorded by RescueTime is stored in the cloud, and you get reports on how much time you spend on time-consuming websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

This app lets you set an alarm that goes off after you’ve spent your limit for the day on a certain website. For example, you can set it so that it warns you when you’ve already spent 2 hours on Instagram.

RescueTime is available for: Windows, macOs, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox

Suitable for: Teams and freelancers

WakaTime — track your programming time

WakaTime is similar to RescueTime, only it automatically tracks the time you spend programming. Just focus on a code, and the program will track and record your start and stop times.

Why use WakaTime? 

With WakaTime, you get fully automatic plugins, without having to worry about manual tracking. You’ll be able to precisely determine how much time you spent coding and see the exact time spent per issue. 

Considering WakaTime is primarily a coding productivity tracker, and that Clockify is primarily a work hours tracker, you can combine the two, to streamline your coding business. Once you have your WakaTime productivity results, just use this data to calculate payroll and billable hours in Clockify.

How WakaTime works

The program provides you with metrics on the time you spend on a particular file, operating system, branch, and language. You can also make use of the text editors and IDE plugins.

The Leaderboard option offers you a chance to compete with your programmer colleagues. Once you all enter the same Leaderboard, you’ll be able to compare your coding time results and see who has the highest score in terms of:

• Hours you’ve spent coding so far,
• Daily average, and
• The languages you’ve coded in.

WakaTime tracks only when you’re typing in your editor. When you stop typing and when you’re AFK, WakaTime stops logging your statistics.

WakaTime is available for: Windows

Suitable for: Teams and freelancers

Todoist – to-do list app

Developers can utilize the Todoist app to schedule their time, arrange their tasks and optimize their workflow. 

This tool allows you to add tasks and their detailed descriptions that can even contain important links. You can also set deadlines for specific tasks. 

Why use Todoist? 

You can add tasks and execute them quickly with the assistance of Todoist. This app has a lot of helpful features. You can enhance your workflow by setting reminders and planning weekly tasks. 

It also lets you:

• Set due dates,
• Keep track of your tasks,
• Cooperate with your team by sharing your notes, and
• Sync your tasks with your calendar.

How Todoist works

It’s simple – just create a Todoist account and start adding new tasks, then focus on completing them. Once you mark each task as completed, you’ll get that wonderful feeling of accomplishment. If you mark a task as completed by mistake, don’t worry – you can always undo the action and get it back on your to-do list. 

Todoist is available for: Windows, macOS, Android,iOS

Suitable for: Teams and freelancers

Cold Turkey — block distractions and boost productivity

Cold Turkey is a distraction-blocking tool that encourages developers to stay focused on the task they’re working on instead of wasting time on unimportant online activities.

Why use Cold Turkey? 

Cold Turkey is perfect for beating distractions. Cold Turkey also increases efficiency at work and aids in the user’s development of self-control practices. 

With Cold Turkey, you can block:

• Websites,
• Domains,
• Specific URLs, and 
• The entire internet.

How Cold Turkey works

Users can specify a blocking schedule after compiling lists of websites and desktop applications to ban. For instance, you may prevent access to social networking and video streaming websites throughout the working day. 

As soon as the workday is over, you can ban work-related apps. 

Cold Turkey also allows you to manually switch blocking on and off if you’d like. 

Cold Turkey has two remarkable features:

• A mode called Frozen Turkey. This mode completely stops you from accessing your computer. If you activate Frozen Turkey, your computer will lock again whenever you attempt to log in, and
• Pause for a Cause. This feature allows you to donate to the World Wildlife Fund for a 10-minute break. 

Just remember to include the websites you require under the website exclusions tab if you decide to restrict the entire internet.

There is an option that doesn’t allow you to uninstall Cold Turkey before a blocking session is finished. 

Cold Turkey is available for: Windows, macOS

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

CodeSandbox.io — online code editor and IDE

CodeSandbox.io allows you to write code and share it with your team. CodeSandbox.io was designed to make it easier for developers to publish their code and get immediate feedback. 

Why use CodeSandbox.io? 

CodeSandbox.io is a software development tool for team collaboration, and it uses templates to build new projects rather than requiring programmers to set up any infrastructure. 

How CodeSandbox.io works

A cool feature thatCodeSandbox.io offers is a Live Session. You can start a Live Session while working in a sandbox (work environment). This creates a special URL that you can share with others to invite them to join your sandbox and collaborate real time with you. 

You can also enable Classroom Mode as the sandbox owner, which lets you control who can change the sandbox and who can only watch it. This is especially helpful in workshops or other settings where more than 30 people are able to connect simultaneously.

CodeSandbox.io is available for: Web

Suitable for: Personal use, remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes

Notion — productivity tool

Notion is a productivity tool that you can customize so it fits your needs. It lets you take notes and manage your projects.

Why use Notion? 

Notion makes it easy to: 

• Organize your work, 
• Manage files, 
• Save documents, 
• Make reminders, and 
• Plan tasks. 

Notion can manage every component of any project your engineering team is working on. You spend less time switching between tools when working on projects with Notion because all deadlines and updates are displayed side by side.

How Notion works

This project management and roadmapping software makes it easy to gather all the necessary resources for a project in one location.

In Notion, you can create and distribute documents among team members. You can also mention coworkers and receive alerts for important tasks.

You can organize your folders and subfolders by using layers, then you can see all folders in  the sidebar.

Additionally, Notion provides a web plugin that is useful for saving links so you can access them later.

Notion is available for: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Toby — tab-organizing tool

Everyone knows what it’s like — unintentionally closing all of the open tabs has probably happened to you at some point. Or you misplaced them in the cluttered bookmarks tab. 

Toby is an app that can help with that because it allows you to manage several tabs at once and group them into accessible collections. 

Why use Toby?  

With Toby, you can keep the tabs you actually need open in one window. You can also save your browser session with just one click and reopen it when you’re ready to continue working. You can access everything you searched for in a single click.

How Toby works

Toby makes it easy to join a team and have access to the organization’s pooled knowledge. You can even make customized lists for the topics you frequently search on the Internet.

Apart from this Toby allows you to:

• With a single click, save and launch browser sessions,
• Find any webpage in any collection,
• Dial quickly to apps and web pages, and
• Access any page by right-clicking.

Toby is available for: Chrome extension, Web

Suitable for: Remote, virtual, and hybrid teams of all sizes, freelancers

Brain.fm — science-backed music for productivity

With Brain.fm you can listen to music that helps you concentrate, which leads to increased performance. Since you can concentrate on your coding without any distractions, you won’t have to worry about being unproductive. Brain.fm lets you get work done in a calming and stress-free environment. 

Why use Brain.fm? 

Developer’s work may sometimes seem dull, especially when it comes to repetitive tasks. That’s where Brain.fm comes into play. Music makes it easier to complete repetitive tasks and increases the overall productivity of your brain.

Moreover, when you are focused, you’re able to complete deep work tasks, which are vital because they bring value and help you enhance your skills.

How Brain.fm works

Music, such as that found on Brain.fm, stimulates both of the brain’s hemispheres equally, according to a NCU study, which in turn enhances your mental focus.

Some of the Brain.fm’s key features include:

• Rhythm for training your brainwaves,
• Neural phase locking for enhanced mental activity,
• Limitless number of music pieces, and
• Music with soft, rhythmic pulses that helps you stay focused. 

Another cool PRO feature is that you can download any track for offline playback, via the app for iOS and Android.

Brain.fm is available for: Web, iOS, Android

Suitable for: Everyone who needs help focusing on their tasks

How to measure developer productivity?

Now that you’ve found the right tools to help you improve productivity, let’s see how you can measure productivity as a developer. 

One of the ways to do this is to try the SPACE method. 

The creators of the SPACE framework are Nicole Forsgren, along with other researchers from Github, Microsoft, and the University of Victoria.

SPACE is the acronym which stands for:

• S: Satisfaction and well-being,
• P: Performance,
• A: Activity, 
• C: Communication and collaboration, and
• E: Efficiency and flow.

This model aids in offering a comprehensive perspective of developer productivity and equips managers with the resources to analyze changes in productivity.

Let’s get to know each pillar.

Productivity metric #1: Satisfaction and well-being

Developer satisfaction, as a productivity element, shows how content developers are regarding their work, team, tools, or workplace culture.

Well-being is the level of developer’s happiness and health. 

When evaluating satisfaction and well-being, you can better understand and perhaps even forecast developer productivity. According to research results published by Forbes, satisfied and happy employees are 20% more productive in the workplace, unlike their unhappy coworkers. 

The following 3 key questions can help managers to assess happiness and wellbeing of the developers in their team:

1. Are workers content? Would they recommend their job to others?
2. Do workers have the equipment and resources needed to carry out their tasks?
3. Are they worn out by high levels of work stress?

Productivity metric #2: Performance

Developer performance depends on their efficiency and effort in the workplace. 

Due to the fact that business results frequently cannot be linked directly to developer output — because other factors, such as sales, marketing, and customer satisfaction, are involved — evaluating and tracking a developer’s performance can be challenging.

Productivity metric #3: Activity

Developer activity is the total number of actions or products developers produce while working, such as writing code for new features or developing automated tests. 

Activity metrics only give a limited representation of developer productivity — depending on how intricate and complex a task is, the amount of time required to complete it might vary. As a result, some tasks may need a developer to spend more time than others.

In her YouTube video, Nicole Forsgren also discusses how it can be challenging to quantify developer activity due to factors like overtime, inconsistent work schedules that cause gaps in the data (missing data when it comes to coding time and number of lines of code), and even support systems and tools.

Productivity metric #4: Communication and collaboration

For the best level of productivity, developers must successfully interact and communicate with each other. Inherently creative, software development calls for ongoing input and brainstorming within teams. 

Moreover, team communication improves productivity, builds confidence among colleagues, and raises morale. More productive teams can: 

• Concentrate on significant matters, 
• Develop innovative solutions, 
• Hold fruitful brainstorming sessions, and 
• Reach better conclusions.

According to the SPACE framework, the metrics listed below may be taken into account when assessing communication, collaboration, and coordination:

• Accessibility to knowledge and documents needed for efficient developer work,
• How fast the integration of work is,
• Metrics that display how team members are connected to each other, and
• Time spent onboarding new members.

Productivity metric #5: Efficiency and flow

A developer’s capacity to finish tasks with few disruptions and delays is what efficiency and flow are all about. Managers can evaluate how effective the completion of tasks is by monitoring delivery timelines. 

A delivery timeline outlines each step required to complete a project — from project kickoff to project delivery. 

The following metrics can be used to measure efficiency and flow:

• Time measures — total time, value-added time, and wait time,
• Interruptions — interrupted activities, duration, and frequency of interruptions, and
• How manageable it is for the developers to stay focused and complete their work. 

To track time spent working, both managers and programmers can rely on Clockify — an app that enables automated and accurate time-tracking. 

How can developers improve productivity?

Apart from using the aforementioned apps that can help you stay concentrated and productive, here are some ways to enhance productivity even more. 

Tip #1: Improve your hard skills

Improving your knowledge may seem like a clichéd suggestion, but it’s valid and effective. You must broaden your professional knowledge and so-called hard skills to be a productive developer.

Hard skills enable you to handle tasks and obligations that are job-specific. These abilities are related to particular processes and tasks, such as using tools, equipment, or software. Hard skills can be picked up through formal education, on-the-job training, and internships.

The following are some examples of hard skills for developers:

• Data structures and algorithms,
• Database and SQL,
• Object-oriented programming languages,
• Integrated development environments,
• Cloud computing,
• Web development, and
• Git version control.

If you want to keep your brain sharp and productive, you have to stay a life-long learner. 

Tip #2: Set an optimal environment for working

Every developer’s ideal workspace most likely looks different. But keeping your workplace free of distractions and pleasant to work in is vital.

Moreover, the proper hardware is highly relevant in your working environment. Equipment is important for all IT workers’ workspace comfort and productivity, but it is crucial for developers.

Tip #3: Set rational deadlines

In order to set rational deadlines, you must first determine the scope of the project. Deadlines are great if they inspire a team, and assist in work planning, prioritization, and dependency management. 

However, sometimes deadlines can become stressful and have a negative effect on focus. Research from the Journal of Consumer Research found that deadlines are stressful precisely because they are time-driven. 

When you have a deadline that is still far off, you frequently feel compelled to put off working hard. Gradually, you’ll feel the tension building as the deadline approaches, which is frequently not the ideal way to work.

When establishing deadlines, it’s important to give a realistic estimate of how long the activity will take, account for potential bugs and obstacles, and other priorities that may emerge.

Wrapping up: Improve developer productivity with appropriate developer tools

Your skill as a programmer is reflected not only in the code you write but also in the tools you pick. Maximum productivity should be your aim as a professional, and you’ll need the correct equipment to get there. Make use of the said tips together with the apps that we listed in this article as a starting point, and watch your productivity increase!

Are you a developer willing to share your experience with the apps mentioned in this article? Or maybe you could recommend some other useful tools for developers? Do you have any other tips on improving developer productivity? Write to us at blogfeedback@clockify.me for a chance to be featured in this or one of our future articles. Also, if you liked this article, share it with someone else you know will find it useful.

But, who covers the expenses associated with working from home? Namely:

• Who pays for the Internet?
• Who pays for the laptop/desktop computer?
• Who equips the remote home office with furniture?
• Who pays for a co-working space?
• And, if some of the remote work expenses are covered, do the remote employees take a pay cut as a result?

These are all vital questions to ask and answer — after all, remote work is no longer viewed as a benefit or reward only a select few can enjoy.

The number of fully virtual teams is on the rise and as much as 99% of traditional employees would love to work remotely in the future, to strike a better work-life balance.

What’s more, employers are more and more willing to introduce remote work as a fully-fledged work arrangement within their companies, as they believe it’ll reduce workplace stress.

In line with the prospective rise of remote employment, as well as its prospective benefits, here are the answers to all your burning questions about full-time remote work and its expenses — including some basic definitions of what remote work really means.

What does remote work entail? 

Remote employees or telecommuters are people employed by a company who carry out the bulk of their workload while working outside of a traditional office.

Remote workers may choose to work from a:

• Home office
• Coffee shop
• Co-working space

Some remote employees may even choose to work while traveling to distant cities and locations — they’re usually referred to as digital nomads.

Remote workers may be expected to work at the same time as their office-based peers.

But, most of them enjoy flexible working hours — either because they live in a different time zone than the rest of their colleagues, or because flexible work time is prescribed by the remote work policy of their companies.

In such a case, they are expected to meet a certain norm (e.g. 8 hours per day) — they track their time on work tasks to:

• Document their start and end times for the day, and
• Show what projects and tasks they’ve been working on.

Now, when working remotely, workers will likely still have a home office — unless they’re really active digital nomads — here’s what is needed for such an office.

What do you need for a telecommuting office setup?

Here’s the remote working equipment that each remote office needs:

• You’ll need proper furniture — no matter where you work remotely, you’ll need a desk, chair, and related furniture required for your job.
• You’ll need hardware for working remotely — this includes a mobile phone, a laptop/desktop computer, a second monitor, a printer, and every related technology you need to complete your assignments.
• You’ll need software for working remotely — this includes tools you need to use to carry out your main line of work, as well as the tools you use to communicate and collaborate with your team.

Now, so far, remote work and freelance work seem to largely overlap — so, what is the difference?

And, most importantly, how does this difference affect the question of remote work expenses?

What’s the difference between remote workers and freelancers, in terms of expenses?

Most freelancers are remote workers, but not all remote workers are freelancers.

The term “remote worker” is often tied to someone who’s employed in a company full-time.

The term “freelancer” is often tied to someone who’s hired to work on one (or more) short-term projects.

Moreover, freelancers cover their own remote work expenses (i.e. write them off as taxes).

On the other hand, the question of whether full-time remote workers or their employers cover the costs of the said remote work is a bit more difficult to answer.

Let’s start with the basics plaguing many who are considering a remote work arrangement.

Do remote workers get paid less?

Remote workers seem to enjoy a number of great perks. But, do the perks pay off, or do remote workers get paid less than their office-based counterparts?

The answer depends.According to research made by Buffer in 2018, here’s how much money per year remote workers made:

As evident, the highest number of remote employees (28%) get paid less than $25K — with a total of 65% of remote workers who get paid less than $75K.

So, these numbers indicate that remote employees do get paid less than the more traditional workers. 

On the other hand, as of Oct 4. 2022, studies performed by ZipRecruiter state that in the last 4 years, the annual average shifted by a huge margin. In actuality, remote workers nowadays earn as much as $62K per year, which amounts to $30 per hour — higher than the federal minimum wage and most state minimum wages in the US.

What are the key factors that determine remote work salaries/paychecks?

However, the factors that will determine your final paycheck largely depend on:

• The company you’re working for (1) — some may expect you to take a pay cut for your remote role and some simply won’t.
• Moreover, the question of whether remote employees get paid less is also tied to the industry of work (2).
• Another important factor is your location (3) — companies often define your yearly salaries based on the costs of living in your country or city.

So, someone living and working remotely from Kansas City will likely have a lower base salary than someone living and working from New York City. 

In any case, no matter what the remote work policy prescribes, one research states that as much as 40% of employees would take a pay cut to work from home. 

In fact, employees working for Facebook and Twitter have agreed in 2021 to a 20% pay cut in order to work from home. The percentage varies based on the expenses of the state they live in, but the premise remains the same — people love working remotely!

If you’re part of the 65% of remote workers who get paid less than $75K, bear in mind that these figures show the yearly salary without the money you save in the long run while working remotely. 

How much can you save by working remotely?

According to research, Americans spend as much as $5,000 on commutes per year. They also spend extra money on professional wardrobe ($925), as well as restaurant lunches and branded coffee ($1,040).

That’s almost $7,000 you save by working remotely per year, right there. 

Now, remote employees who get paid more than $75K can quickly make an enviable savings account out of their remote work arrangements.

And, if you’ve taken a pay cut to work remotely, remember that you may still make more than your office-based peers. 

For example, if you take a $4,000 pay cut, but save $7,000 on various expenses, you’ll still be earning $3,000 more.

Now, let’s move on to the matter of who pays for the remote work expenses.

Who pays for what? — remote work expenses

Who really pays for remote work expenses?

In gist — the answer depends once again.

Some companies offer more to their remote workers, some offer less, and some even require the workers to cover their own costs and expenses.

Others provide their remote employees with access to a company computer (one they’ll most likely have to return when they move to a new job, of course).

Some companies even provide a stipend to cover the costs of a remote office.

In the following section, we’ll explore what may be included in your company’s remote work policy, based on some of the most common remote work reimbursement questions.

Who pays for the work equipment?

Work equipment includes all hardware and software you use to carry out your work.

This includes your:

• Internet connection,
• Laptop,
• Desktop computer,
• Monitors,
• PC peripherals,
• Cell phone, as well as
• The apps you use to facilitate work.

Who pays for the internet connection?

According to research that covered 1,900 remote workers from 90 countries, 79% of remote workers pay for their own internet connection. 

To save money, many have claimed that they opt for affordable connection plans, which tremendously affects their work and connections during audio and video calls.

In truth, there is no wide-reaching federal law that requires the employer to reimburse internet expenses for their remote employers — only some states require employees to do so.

If your internet connection is crucial for you to carry out your work, you can discuss this with your supervisor, and maybe even get part of your internet fees covered by the company.

Interestingly, almost 30% of employees regarded that employers should be obligated to pay at least some of the internet bills, while 40% stated that employers should pay the entire internet bill.

After all, the research sample shows there are 22% of remote workers who do have their internet expenses covered — so, it’s not something unheard of.

Who pays for your laptop/desktop computer?

When it comes to the equipment that’s necessary for remote work, employers more than often provide their employees with laptops, desktop computers, and even cell phones, if the job requires it — e.g. sales positions, software developers, etc.

This probably has a lot to do with the fact that it’s in the interest of your employers that you have a reliable, secure, and fast machine to carry out your work on.

However, bear in mind that you probably won’t be able to get a company laptop if you’re working in a small business — due to a budget that’s probably limited.

Who pays for the software you use?

You’ll likely need a number of business-specific and more general tools to help you carry out your work and collaborate with colleagues remotely.

• If you’re a designer, you’ll likely need the Adobe Creative Cloud package, or a similar package — this includes Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Animate, or their alternatives.
• If you’re a programmer, you’ll likely need a great editor system and database tools, among other tools.
• If you work in sales, you’ll likely need an efficient power dialer and marketing intelligence tool.
• You’ll likely need a strong audio and video conferencing system, for daily meetings and other arrangements, considering that you can’t meet with your clients and colleagues face-to-face on a regular basis. Alternatively, you can use a chat or communication app — such as Pumble — for this purpose.
• You’ll also need software that records the time you spend working, to make sure you document your work time correctly.
• You’ll likely also need project management tools or some similar software that helps you track project progress and collaborate with your other remote colleagues.
• If your company is supplying you with a laptop, you’ll probably already have these tools installed. Some of them will even be free, to begin with.

If you’re working on your personal laptop or desktop computer, your employer will likely still pay for your work software. As for the collaboration and project management software, the company will probably pay for a team plan — and you’ll be included.

Who pays for the additional equipment?

Additional work equipment may include:

• Printers, 
• Scanners, 
• Cell phones, and 
• Multiple monitors.

The exact equipment you may need will depend on your industry and the job position you hold.

The chances you’ll have expenses covered for them depends on how crucial this equipment is for your work:

• When it comes to a cell phone, chances are you’ll be given one to carry out your work if you work in sales or any other position that requires you to make frequent phone calls.
• Unless printers and scanners are absolutely crucial for your work, you’re not very likely to get them.
• When it comes to multiple monitors, some types of professionals are more likely to get them than others. For example, if you’re a designer or programmer, your second monitor will be just as important for your work as the first one — accordingly, your chances that you’ll get one will significantly increase.

Later on, we’ll talk about reimbursement laws across the US, but we’d first like to single out California as one of the leaders in this sphere of law.

What is the California telecommuting law?

We’ve already mentioned that there is no wide-reaching federal law that requires employers to reimburse the equipment expenses of their remote employees — however, some states do have their remote work policies regarding work equipment clear.

For example, the matter of who pays for work equipment is legislated in California — through the California Occupational Safety and Health Act — COSHA. 

According to COSHA, employers are required to make sure their employees are working in safe and healthy surroundings — no matter whether they’re remote or office-based. It also requires employers to reimburse their remote employees for all their work-related expenses.

This includes the remote workstations they create in their homes, as well as the internet fees, and tax deductions.

Moreover, according to the labor code 2802 cell phone law, remote workers who use their cell phones for work are entitled to be reimbursed for this time by their employers.

Who pays for your remote office?

When working remotely, you’ll likely work from home — in that case, it’s best that you have a home office equipped for that purpose.

However, you may also choose to work from a co-working place.

In any case, this may mean more expenses.

Some companies don’t cover these expenses, some cover these expenses to an extent — with a predefined home office stipend.

Let’s see how it all works in practice.

Does the employer pay for the remote home office?

According to research, as much as 82% of remote workers prefer to work from home — despite the popular image of remote workers who often travel and work from coffee shops.

This may have something to do with the fact that you can have some of your home office expenses covered — much easier than if you were to make other remote work arrangements.

Your employer may not be required by law to equip your home office, but he or she may need to make sure your office is “comfortable enough for your health”.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, — OSHA — employers are not mandated to provide ergonomic chairs and workstations, but one General Duty Clause mandates the employers to keep the said workstations void of all hazards — and this includes “ergonomic hazards”.

In line with that, your company may provide you with an ergonomic chair, monitor stand, and similar tools to help keep your office ergonomic. 

An increasing number of companies will even cover the costs of a stand-up desk or similar equipment meant to increase your productivity if you ask for it.

However, some companies may also implement an ergonomic program to make sure you’re aware of proper conduct in terms of ergonomics — and you’ll be the one to cover the expenses.

Again, it all depends on your company’s remote work policy.

What is a home office stipend?

A home office stipend is the amount a company reimburses for the expenses of a remote home office. Interestingly, a home office stipend may cover more than just furniture — it will likely include your hardware and software.

You may be in a position to arrange a home office stipend that covers the costs of:

• Your work equipment,
• Your employee insurance,
• Renting your home office (if applicable),
• Your Internet, and
• Cell or home phone.

But, coming down with the exact figure for your stipend may be difficult — the price for quality ergonomic chairs begins at $200, and an average work desk is also priced at $200. The costs of software and hardware you’ll need depends on your job position and industry.

Depending on the company, you may be allowed to keep the said equipment after you leave your position at the said company — however, most companies will require you to return the stipend if you quit after a short time, say, several months.

If you get a home office stipend, you’ll always need to document your bills — however, if your arrangement says you’ll get reimbursed for business calls, you may not be reimbursed for electricity bills.

According to the Bring Your Own Device policy (BYOD), you may receive a mobile stipend that covers work-related calls you make from your home — this mobile stipend usually falls somewhere between $30 and $50 per month or $430 per year.

An Oxford Economics survey, 89% of companies provide at least a partial mobile stipend to cover phone expenses for their BYOD employees. What’s more, 58% cover at least connectivity stipend — this also includes device purchases.

If you have a great case about why working from home would benefit the business, you’ll be more likely to make arrangements for a home office stipend.

What is a home office tax deduction? And is working from home tax deductible?

Before 2018, if you used your home office strictly for business, you were in a position to deduct at least a portion of your home expenses for taxes.

For example, if the size of your home office is 300 square feet (roughly 28m2), the IRS would provide you with a $5 deduction for each square foot — which may build up to as much as $1,500 you’d be able to deduct for taxes on your home office space.

However, as of 2018 and until 2025, the home office tax deduction law is no longer applicable for people working remotely for companies — only for people who are self-employed, i.e. freelancers.

So, you can no longer deduct home office expenses for taxes.

Does the employer pay for co-working space? 

According to many online surveys, only 8% of remote workers work from a coworking space.

Probably because the average cost of a coworking space in the US ranges from $195 to $387 per month, depending on the type of desk you want.

And, probably because a majority of remote workers have to cover the costs of a coworking space from their own pocket.

However, if you want to make a case for your co-working space in front of your employer, bear in mind that there are elements that may tip the scale in your favor.

For example, if you work from a remote part of the globe — instead of the nearby city where you can easily drive to your company’s offices if you want to enjoy a “more traditional working environment” — your employer may be more willing to cover the costs of a suitable co-working space.

If you want to make the case for your company covering your co-working expenses, explain that a co-working space would help you:

• Avoid the distractions of working from your home or a coffee shop,
• Always have a reliable internet connection,
• Be more productive overall,
• Install a dedicated business address for your company in the said co-working space, and
• Have a professional place to attend video conferences and video calls with clients.

Alternatively, you may need a co-working space to test out a new market in a new state or city — if your company sent you to a new city to test out the waters for your business without opening full-fledged offices, you’ll more than likely have all co-working expenses covered.

Who covers the other remote work expenses?

Despite being a remote worker, i.e. free of a daily commute to work, you’ll likely still need to travel at least a little for your business.

You’ll also need to consider whether you’ll get the same benefits as your office-based colleagues.

Does the company cover travel expenses for remote workers?

Yes, even remote workers have to travel to work from time to time — if they’re required to visit the company’s headquarters for whatever reason.

This will depend on your company’s policy, your industry or even the culture in the country where your company is based.

You may be required to come to the office once a month or a couple of times over the year.

Your company will likely cover your flight (if you have to fly in), hotel expenses, meals, and other types of transportation you need.

However, there are restrictions on the amount you can spend on each item — for example, you may be restricted to only spending $20 on each meal to qualify for full reimbursement of your meals.

Will you still have work benefits if you work away from the office?

Most remote workers get paid time off and sick leave just like their office-based counterparts — however, they may take fewer sick days — after all, commuting for 1 hour while sick is much less convenient than working from home while sick. It’s a matter of choice more than need.

When it comes to paid time off, some remote employees get unlimited paid time off — which entails a flexible amount of days per year you can use for your vacations.

Some companies even offer a travel stipend that lets you travel more — after all, you can work remotely, so they’re OK with you working remotely from various parts of the globe.

What are remote reimbursements laws and how do they help you?

When it comes to the US, things are a bit different, to say the least.

Namely, federal laws protect employees in terms of reimbursement for work-related expenses that sink their income below the federal minimum wage — $7.25.

In light of this, as many as 11 US states, and Washington D.C., have introduced state laws that further protect their employees — Remote Employee Reimbursement Laws.

The states that have implemented the reimbursement laws are:

• California,
• Illinois,
• Iowa,
• Minnesota,
• Massachusetts,
• Montana,
• New Hampshire,
• New York,
• North Dakota,
• South Dakota, and
• Pennsylvania.

The policies and laws regarding reimbursements differ based on the state, which is why it’s essential to check the state labor laws for further information.

However, an important question arises when employers are asked — What is a necessary expense?

If an expense is considered necessary — i.e. crucial to an employee’s performance — the states mentioned above will reimburse its employees in 99% of the cases. 

Such cases could include:

• Internet bills,
• Carrier bills,
• Equipment,
• Office supplies, and
• Travel costs.

New York and California, the leading states in these policies, even offer reimbursement costs for electric bills and air-conditioning, in some cases.

In conclusion: What should you ask from your employer? And how?

As evident, the question of who covers the expenses of remote work — the employer or the employee — may depend on a lot of factors:

• It may depend on the industry you’re working in.
• It may depend on the job position you hold.
• It may depend on the work equipment you need.
• It may depend on the situation in your company.
• It may depend on the official remote work policy of your company.
• It may depend on the country or state where your company is located.

In any case, if you have any questions about your company’s remote work reimbursement policy or you want to present your arguments for a stipend to cover the costs of an important piece of equipment, you can discuss it with your operations manager or employer.

The future of work brings many challenges, but they’re not unattainable. All obstacles can be overcome, including work-related expenses. So, please share this with someone that might find it useful. And, if you know more information about this topic, share them with us at blogfeedback@clockify.me for a chance to be included in future posts.

In order to help you make your picks, here are the best of the best of available podcasts and YouTube channels covering the field of productivity, grouped by type:

One-on-one interviews

The Tim Ferriss Show: Growth-hacking Podcast

Host(s): Tim Ferriss

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5

Type of podcast: One-on-one interviews

Number of episodes: 450+

One of the best episodes: The Interview with Jerry Seinfeld

The Tim Ferriss show is a podcast of the American entrepreneur and author of several self-help books, including the 4-Hour Workweek. The podcast involves interviews with top performers in any field, from entertainment to investment. In each episode, Ferriss scrutinizes the tools, routines, habits, and tactics famous professionals used to reach success.

Past interviews include highlights such as:

• Ray Dalio
• LeBron James
• Edward Norton
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Jerry Seinfeld
• Maria Sharapova

There’s even a book, Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, that groups and explains the best advice given by the interviewees in the podcasts.

In the standout episode with Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Ferriss picks the iconic comedian’s brain for his comedy routines, road to success, and advice on managing multiple projects.

The Art of Manliness podcast

Host(s): Brett McKay 

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.7

Type of podcast: One-on-one interviews

Number of episodes: 680+

One of the best episodes:  THe Value of Learning New Skills in Adulthood, with Tom Vanderbilt

The Art of Manliness is another versatile podcast that covers various topics. In each episode, Brett McKay (the founder of the blog The Art of Manliness) helms interviews with leading experts on a topic – anything from Norse mythology to 1,000 books to read before you die.

In general, you’ll find fun and informative insights on:

• myths
• philosophy
• various how-to-guides
• leadership lessons
• popular questions

You’ll also find answers to some unusual topics, such as why wasting time may be good for you, and what you can learn from the Spartan regime (if you dare).

Among the more relatable, everyday episodes, there’s the one with Tom Vanderbilt, the author of a wholesome, optimistic book Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning. Throughout the episode, Vanderbilt discusses when and why adults give up learning new skills, and from his own experience, teaches us how to embrace being absolute beginners at something new.

Beyond the To-Do List

Host(s): Erik Fisher

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.4

Type of podcast: One-on-one interviews

Number of episodes: 350+

One of the best episodes Finishing, Fighting Perfectionism and Completing Your Goals

Beyond the To-Do List helps you make the most of your goals and tasks in everyday life –  the host Eric Fisher interviews real people on the matter and talks about the best, most productive ways to perform quality work.

In essence, each episode scrutinizes a simple concept like strategy, focus, projects, rest, studying, busyness – and offers expert insights on these topics.

Among other great things, you’ll learn:

• the true meaning of productivity
• how to practice digital minimalism
• how to overcome stress
• how to battle being overwhelmed

The episode with Jon Acuff (Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done) is especially useful in times like these. Fisher and Acuff discuss how to set realistic goals, and stop chasing perfectionism.

The School of Greatness

Host(s): Lewis Howes

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8

Type of podcast: One-on-one interviews

Number of episodes: 1000+

One of the best episodes: How to Attract Success, Destroy Laziness & Achieve Optimal Performance (with former Navy SEAL Officer Rich Divine‪y)

The School of Greatness podcast is hosted by Lewis Howes, and has been on air since 2013. With over 1000 episodes, the podcast covers topics such as motivation, physical and mental health, money, inspiration, etc.

Howes brings in many famous guests and experts to help you learn how to exercise patience, improve your health, use your mind to its full potential, daily routines, and more. Heavily leaning towards proactivity rather than just discussions, The School of Greatness offers practical advice on what to do to make a more productive, fulfilling life for yourself.

You’ll learn:

• how to find the best morning and evening routines for yourself
• how to rewire your brain for best performance
• how to approach your mental health hurdles and solutions
• financial independence and success
• from CIA agents, former navy seals, scientists, billionaires, etc.

The episode with Officer Rich Diviney is especially interesting, as we don’t often have a chance to learn from someone with 20 years of experience in the military. They talk about leadership, the difference between self-discipline and discipline, and optimal performance.

Entrepreneurs on Fire

Host(s): John Lee Dumas

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8

Type of podcast: One-on-one interviews

Number of episodes: 2100+

One of the best episodes: Tony Robbins: Master the Money 

In Entrepreneurs on Fire, John Lee Dumas conducts interviews with some of the leading men and women in business.

Episodes cover topics such as:

• jumpstarting your goals
• going after your dreams
• giving a sensational presentation
• reducing your work hours (by making fewer hours more effective)

One of the highlight episodes revolves around Tony Robbins – it offers insights in his worst entrepreneurial moments and his eureka revelations that convinced him he was on the road to success.

Repurposed Content

TED radio hour

Host(s): Guy Raz

iTunes rating: ★★★★★ 4.3

Type of podcast: Repurposed content

Number of episodes: 150+

One of the best episodes: Failure is an Option

The TED Radio Hour explores a variety of topics, from new ideas and recent inventions to original solutions and common problems – with journalist Guy Raz as the host.

The concept of the podcast is simple – about 3-4 experts in a subject offer their own insights that may lead the conversation to unexpected roads and uncharted territories.

The topics are truly varied, and range from racism and how a bias changes our perception, to Mars colonization ideas and popular misconceptions debunked.

The standout episode, Failure is an Option, explains how failure can make us smarter and stronger, and more likely to learn how to reach success.

Extreme Productivity with Kevin Kruse

Host(s): Kevin Kruse

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8

Type of podcast: Repurposed content

Number of episodes: 50+

One of the best episodes: A Lesson in Minimalism From The Dalai Lama 

Extreme Productivity is a collection of time management tips and tricks – Kevin Kruse, a serial entrepreneur and book author, shares applicable advice from successful entrepreneurs, athletes, and excellent students. There’s an occasional interview, and answers to some pressing technology questions.

Specifically, the episodes deal with:

• the importance of having a hobby
• scheduling long-term goals
• prioritizing
• managing time

You also gain insight into the best ways to carry out side-hustles, the 5 mistakes people usually make in meetings, and how to simply say “No”.

A Lesson in Minimalism From the Dalai Lama helps you apply the Dalai Lama’s life principles on your everyday work – perfect for anyone who doesn’t know how to deal with clutter in business.

Lead to Win with Michael Hyatt

Host(s): Michael Hyatt and Megan Guatt Miller

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.9

Type of podcast: Repurposed content

Number of episodes: 190+

One of the best episodes How to Take Care of Your Team Right Now

Lead to Win has New York Times bestselling author Michael Hyatt (and Megan Hyatt Miller) offer advice on your road to both personal and business success.

In general, the podcast deals with productivity and development on the personal plan, as well as leadership qualities you need to have to help yourself (and your team) succeed.

Specifically, you’ll learn:

• how to deal with distractions
• how to cultivate a healthy business
• how your own personality can lead you to, well, win

In How to Take Care of Your Team, Michael and Megan discuss motivation in an ongoing pandemic, remote work and fear, as well as extrprioritizing and practicing greater empathy as business owners.

Panel Discussions

Masters of Scale

Host(s): Reid Hoffman and Bob Safian

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.6

Type of podcast: Panel discussions

Number of episodes: 150+

One of the best episodes: A Virtual-First Workplace 

Masters of Scale is helmed by the co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman –  in each episode, he hosts successful entrepreneurs who help get to the bottom of how to develop, maintain, and expand a successful business.

The podcast promises to commit to a gender balance when it comes to guests, and delivers on that promise – so far, Hoffman has interviewed Mark Zuckerberg, Eric Schmidt, Sara Blakely, Sheryl Sandberg, and many other inspiring business people.

And, there are regular cameos from other entrepreneurs who join in the discussion – so, you’ll have a chance to enjoy fairly regular cameos from Bill Gates, Margaret Heffernan, Brian Chesky, and the like.

A Virtual-First Workplace episode is a great one. Dropbox’s CEO Drew Houston is a guest on the panel, as they take a look at how the pandemic shifted working life in 2020, the all new-challenges, and how we can get the best out of working remotely.

Smart Passive Income

Host(s): Pat Flynn

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8

Type of podcast: Panel discussions

Number of episodes: 460+

One of the best episodes: SEO simplified – with Tim from Ahrefs

The Smart Passive Income podcast is an extension of the Smart Passive Income blog by Pat Flynn – here, Flynn talks about every marketing tip and strategy you need to know to start and maintain an online business and/or blog.

The topics covered are select but multipurpose – you’ll learn more about:

• outsourcing
• crowdsourcing
• SEO
• Social Media
• other podcasts
• niche sites
• and affiliate marketing, among other ways to sustain a passive income

The highlight episode features Tim Soulo from Ahrefs – he reveals select tips and tricks on how to plan and implement an effective SEO strategy, including insights on keyword research, SEO competition, and content planning.

Simplify from Blinkist

Host(s): Ben Schuman-Stoler and Caitlin Schiller

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.7

Type of podcast: Panel discussions

Number of episodes: 40+

One of the best episodes: David Allen: Your Brain is Not a Hard Drive 

Simplify offers an alternative way to tackle your problems with habits, happiness, health, and thought.

Ben Schuman-Stoler and Caitlin Schiller walk you through these solutions with renewed guests, such as David Allen, Gretchen Rubin, Rebecca Traister, Dan Ariely, Sarah Knight, and many more.

Specific topics include insights into how to:

• maximize your impact
• create your own food rules
• speak the uncomfortable truth
• start your day right
• read smarter

The episode that you should check out is the one with David Allen, the originator of the concept of Getting Things Done, where he explains why our brains aren’t wired as hard drives.

The Upgrade (by Lifehacker)

Host(s): Alice Bradley and Jordan Calhoun

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5

Type of podcast: Panel discussions

Number of episodes: 290+

One of the best episodes: How to Get a New Job in 2021, with Ramit Sethi

The Upgrade by Lifehacker features two hosts who bring in guests to talk about topics that help “upgrade” your life – you get tips, tricks, and hacks on a variety of different subjects.

You’ll learn:

• how to be happy and mindful
• how to improve your money management
• how science explains why some people are constantly anxious
• how to be more productive as a writer

You’ll also get to enjoy comedic takes on topics such as how to fail (explained by comedians).

In the highlighted episode, the hosts talk with personal finance expert Ramit Sethi about landing a job in 2021, given the state of the economy and the job market. There are tips on writing CVs, to how to prepare for interviews and negotiate prices.

The Mike Dillard Show

Host(s): Mike Dillard

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.7

Type of podcast: Panel discussions

Number of episodes: 100+

One of the best episodes: How To Dominate By Doing LESS, with Perry Marshal‪l‬ 

Formerly known as the Self-Made Man podcast, The Mike Dillard Show provides insights into the best ways to improve various aspects of your life – business, relationships, finance, and health, are the topics frequently covered.

Each episode features experts in a field who offer mentorship advice on subjects such as:

• creating tax-free wealth
• why it’s important to be different
• cryptocurrency
• how to bounce back after bankruptcy
• multi-million dollar industry secrets
• how to master influencer marketing

The episode with Perry Marshall is a well of resources for any up-and-coming entrepreneur. He delivers some harsh truths and eye-opening takes on how the industry works today.

a16z Podcast

Produced by: Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5

Type of podcast: Panel discussions

Number of episodes: 250+

One of the best episodes: Talent, Tech Trends, and Culture — With Ben, Mark, and Tyler Cowen

a16z is a productivity podcast with an emphasis on technology – multiple experts in the industry, leaders in business, and similar professionals gather each episode to discuss tech innovations and cutting-edge trends.

The topics range from ways to capitalize on an autonomous vehicle future, to crypto networks as emerging economies – and there’s even a podcast episode about podcasting.

The standout episode features the podcast’s founders, Andreessen and Horowitz, as they join economy expert Tyler Cowen to discuss the evolution of VC – and the extent to which tech trends influence various business industries.

Mac Power Users

Host(s): David Sparks and Stephen Hackett

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8

Type of podcast: Panel discussions

Number of episodes: 570+

One of the best episodes: Workflows with Luc Beaudoin

Mac Power Users is a podcast aimed at (you’ve guessed it) Mac and Apple users – each episode has another aspect of Apple technologies discussed at length, and there are a lot of expert guests to weigh in.

You’ll learn how to use your iPad as a Laptop, how to produce and publish your music on iPhone and iPad, as well as gain insight into lots and lots of fun, new trends.

One great episode is an interview with Luc Beaudoin, a cognitive scientist who helped develop the app Hook. In the episode they explore how our phones, tablets and laptops can help or detract from our workflow.

Solo Commentary

The Paul Minors Podcast

Host(s): Paul Minors

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5

Type of podcast: Solo commentary

Number of episodes: 120+

One of the best episodes: How to balance business growth with lifestyle & happiness 

The Paul Minors Podcast is a work-life balance podcast of a self-confessed productivity enthusiast. In each episode, Paul Minors scrutinizes the best tips, tricks, and hacks that help increase productivity, ease automation and optimize his (and, in extension, your) time.

The topics include (but are not limited to) useful gems such as:

• how to overcome self-doubt
• how to reduce your inbox time to 30 mins
• insights into the bitcoin market
• how to balance technology and mindfulness

Occasionally, Minors brings in guests that are experts in a subject, to share their wisdom.

One especially interesting episode deals with the ways you can balance the growth of your business with your private life – Minors discusses this topic with Dr. Mike Ashby.

Before Breakfast with Laura Vanderkam

Host(s): Laura Vanderkam

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5

Type of podcast: Solo commentary

Number of episodes: 590+

One of the best episodes: The Friday Email That’s Fun to Send

Before Breakfast is a bite-sized podcast that aims to kickstart every working woman’s (and man’s) morning. The host Laura Vanderkam, is a productivity and time management author and speaker. She aims to share little nuggets of wisdom every day, in hopes of helping people balance their work and personal life.

Being 5, 6 minutes short, the episodes deal with practical advice, such as:

• keeping work life productive with a big family
• how to resist quitting before a challenge
• letting loved ones help when you’re overwhelmed
• Working from home and parenting

In The Friday Email That’s Fun to Send, Vanderkam talks setting aside Friday afternoons to plan out up to three weekends ahead. Especially if one’s a working parent, with five children, like her.

Nonfiction narrative story-telling

How I Built This with Guy Raz

Host(s): Guy Raz

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8

Type of podcast: Nonfiction narrative story-telling

Number of episodes: 150+

One of the best episodes: LinkedIn: Reid Hoffman 

The How I Built This podcast offers an insight into the lives of famous and successful entrepreneurs – each episode has host Guy Raz narrate the stories behind renewed companies and the people who built them.

The episodes cover a range of industries and companies, so you can listen to the stories about:

• Melanie Perkins of Canva
• Perry Chen of Kickstarter
• Angie Hicks of Angie’s List
• John Zimmer of Lyft
• Haim Saban, the producer of the Power Rangers TV show

Each episode also has a postscript in the form of the segment “How You Built That”, where creatives from various industries talk about their own businesses.

The episode covering the story of LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman is especially recommended  – you’ll learn everything about Hoffman, from his prophetic visions and ideas in the 90s to the time he sold LinkedIn to Microsoft.

StartUp

Host(s):  Alex Blumberg

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.4

Type of podcast: Non-fiction narrative

Number of episodes: 29

One of the best episodes: Diversity Report

StartUp is a limited-series podcast that ran from 2014 to 2019, and follows Blumberg’s and co-founder Matt Lieber’s efforts in building not just a podcast, but a podcasting platform as well. And although it’s only 29 episodes short – the fact that Blumberg and Lieber managed to sell their platform (Gimlet Media) for $230 million says enough about the podcast’s value.

Each episode covers a specific topic. They document the ups and downs of a startup company, from fallen-through investor pitches, finding a business partner, to properly implementing diversity in your office.

One of the best episodes is the Diversity Report, where Blumberg describes how they identified there was a diversity problem at Gimlet, and shares the story through the lens of their non-white staff by interviewing them. It’s a great dialogue concerning race, religion, and culture in a modern office.

Hybrid podcasts

Gary Vee Audio Experience

Host(s):  Gary Vaynerchuck

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.9

Type of podcast: Hybrid

Number of episodes: 300+

One of the Best episodes: Clarifying my thoughts on hard work, hustle, and happiness

The GaryVee Audio Experience is an expansion of the ##AskGaryVee Show by Gary Vaynerchuk, a CEO, entrepreneur, public speaker, investor, and vlogger.

Apart from tested insights from the old show, you’ll get:

• keynote speeches concerning business and marketing
• excerpts from Vaynerchuck’s DAILYVEE video series
• segments from his past interviews

The topics are diverse and packed in crisp formats – you’ll get 23 minutes on how to be a successful young hustler, quick insight in what people are going to think of you if you lose, and learn the importance of having and pursuing a hobby.

The must-see episode features GaryVee clarifying what you shouldn’t do, if you want to succeed in work and life – highlights include tips on how to stop complaining, judging, and making excuses for your actions, but also other people.

The Productivity Show

Host(s): Thanh Pham and Brooks Duncan

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.6

Type of podcast: Hybrid

Number of episodes: 300+

One of the best episodes: How to do a Digital Declutter

The Productivity Show podcast covers practical and easy-to-follow tips for anyone wanting straightforward advice on improving their productivity.

Thanh Pham is the founder of Asian Efficiency, a business aimed at helping leaders and companies worldwide become more productive. Pham uses his experience as a speaker and productivity coach to share specific steps for becoming more productive in each aspect of your work.

And being true to his brand, for those who can’t afford to just sit and listen, Pham also places a time-stamped transcript of the episode under every podcast audio log.

The episodes offer:

• reviews and recommendations on digital tools, software, and platforms
• specific time-saving methods
• decluttering your mind and workspace
• prioritization
• mastering your calendar

The episode How to do a Digital Declutter stands out as one of the better episodes, as it’s relevant now more than ever. Pham discusses how to declutter your computer, your phone, manage notifications, how to switch up your file management, and more.

5 AM Miracle

Host(s):  Jeff Sanders

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.8

Type of podcast: Hybrid

Number of episodes: 300+

One of the best episodes: Morning 101: How to Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast

The 5 AM Miracle podcast is aimed at morning larks and everyone who aspires to be one – Jeff Sanders offers tools, tricks, tips, and hacks that are meant to help you perform quality work before breakfast.

Sanders sometimes offers solo commentary on the episodes’ topics, but also frequently brings in guests to share their opinions and expertise.

You’ll learn:

• how to wake up earlier and change time zones
• how to generate new ideas
• how to do what you don’t want to
• how to find the ideal career

The Morning 101: How to Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast episode serves as an introductory one, and you’re best to start with it – you’ll learn some more about how Sanders started the concept (and, in extension, the podcast).

Love Your Work with David Kadavy

Host(s): David Kadavy

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.9

Type of podcast: Hybrid

Number of episodes: 250+

One of the best episodes: Use Task Transitions to Optimize Your Creative Flow

Love Your Work offers actionable advice on how to succeed as a creative entrepreneur and how to capitalize on new exciting ideas – all while loving what you do.

The episodes feature solo commentary on a topic, or talks with expert guests, such as Steve Case, Seth Goding, and James Altucher, among others. The topics are varied, so you’ll hear tips from scientists, chefs, dancers, Hollywood set designers, and best-selling authors.

The standout episode, Use Task Transitions to Optimize Your Creative Flow, deals with creating a productivity system – you’ll learn what to do with those small spaces you have between two tasks, from taking a break to moving forward.

Getting Things Done

Host(s): Jason Atwood

iTunes Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.3

Type of podcast: Hybrid

Number of episodes: 90

One of the best episodes: Daily Habits with Charles Duhigg 

Getting Things Done covers everything related to the Getting Things technique – you’ll hear success stories, as well as practical tips and hacks meant to help veteran practitioners of the GTD system and beginners alike.

You’ll learn:

• how to implement GTD in creative industries
• how to deal with competing priorities
• how to streamline your email communication
• how to make changes stick

One recommendable episode has David Allen himself, and Charles Duhigg, the author of the book Daily Habits, discuss how daily decisions influence our lives as a whole.

The Quote of the Day Show

Host(s): Sean Croxton

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.9

Type of podcast: Hybrid

Number of episodes: 1,100+

One of the best episodes: 1092: Tom Bilyeu: “It is our very nature to change.” 

The Quote of the Day Show is a podcast with a unique format. Sean Croxton takes a quote from a famous person, be they an actor, entrepreneur, politician, expert, or a motivational speaker, and bases an episode around it.

But, instead of dissecting the quote of the day himself, after a brief introduction, Croxton plays the audio from the speakers and lets them explain it. He also recommends other books and speakers relating to the subject.

QotD show covers topics of:

• self-improvement
• stories of success
• productivity and self-discipline
• how to make changes stick

These shorts can be more suitable for certain listeners because they give glimpses into different public personalities’ lives and thoughts. It’s perfect for those who need a little pick-me-up every day, and those on the lookout for new people to read/listen/look into.

The Tom Bilyeu episode has him talk about change, his own mother’s low expectations of him, and how his future father-in-law shifted his perception of change. Despite the topic, he delivers it like a stand-up comedy routine and will have you laughing as much as you sympathize with him.

The Accidental Creative

Host(s): Todd Henry

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.5

Type of podcast: Hybrid

Number of episodes: 400+

One of the best episodes: How to Freelance Right Now (with Amanda Malko)

The Accidental Creative deals with productivity tips, tricks, and hacks for people in the creative business. Each episode has host Todd Henry (author of the book “The Accidental Creative”) interview leading artists, authors, and leaders in business, or talk about his own actionable advice.

Specifically, you’ll learn:

• how to save your team’s time and attention
• how to master the art of completing conversations
• how to gain creative focus
• how to improve your daily writing and build creative confidence

In an episode about freelancing, Henry talks to Amanda Malko, head of MailChimp. They touch on the subject of COVID and how it changed interpersonal professional communication, new challenges for freelancers, and how to find business opportunities in this altered landscape.

Talk Shows

Back to Work

Host(s): Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin

iTunes Rating: ★★★★★ 4.7

Type of podcast: Talk Show

Number of episodes: 500+

One of the best episodes: One Ringy-Dingy

Back to Work is an easy-going podcast about a variety of topics – the two hosts, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin, discuss productivity, work, communication, constraints in work and life, and more.

The episodes cover these topics in a laid back fashion – you’ll hear:

• discussions about holidays
• updates on new iPads and Cupertino hardware
• headphone preferences
• blog recommendations
• Best apps of the year
• how to use Siri on Apple Watch

The episode One Ringy-Dingy delves into an interesting phenomenon – the XY problem. Merlin and Dan discuss this unique communication problem: how we can be more aware of it, and avoid it.

YouTube channels

Smarter every day

Host(s):  Destin Sandlin

Number of subscribers: 9.4 million

Number of videos: 330+

Category: Science & Technology

One of the best videos: The Backwards Brain Bicycle

Smarter Every day is a YouTube channel that shows you the world explored through science – Destin Sandlin, a US engineer and science communicator posts educational videos on a range of topics meant to help you learn something new and unexpected.

The topic list is long, so you’ll learn:

• how to manipulate the Twitter and YouTube platforms to your marketing benefit
• how to build a 4K computer
• how to survive when strapped in a sinking helicopter
• what you can learn from an exploding banana (if you don’t want to eat it)

The video Backwards Brain Bicycle offers an interesting concept meant to help explain how your brain works – you’ll see how Sandlin fares with a bike where he has to turn the handlebar to the left in order to go to the right, and why knowledge and understanding are not the same. You’ll also learn why it’s possible to forget how to ride a bike – despite the common saying that you can’t.

The Inforium

Host(s):  Thomas Frank and Martin Boehme

Number of subscribers: 63K

Number of videos: 380+

Category: Education

One of the best videos: Deliberate Practice

The Inforium (formerly College Info Geek) is mostly aimed at students – through the explored concepts are applicable at any age.

You’ll learn how to study in a more quality way, how to be more productive in general, and how to upgrade and maintain the skills that will help you land the job you want.

Specifically, each episode is handled as an informal conversation between Frank and Boehme about:

• the ways to capture inspiration when it comes
• how to expand your dorm room project to a viable real-life business
• creating healthy everyday habits
• how to argue the right way
• how to manage stress

Deliberate Practice, one of the highlight videos, talks about how you can practice a skill deliberately and accelerate growth — which is always a vital topic if you’re looking to improve productivity.

Improvement Pill

Host(s):  Richard

Number of subscribers: 1.4M

Number of videos:130+

Category: Education

One of the best videos: How to Predict the Future

Improvement Pill features bite-size educational videos on a variety of subjects – you’ll get tips and tricks on how to solve everyday problems, learn new skills, and improve your everyday life.

You’ll learn:

• about the habits of successful people
• how to fall asleep faster
• how to find a purpose in life
• how hard you really need to work
• the 4 types of books you have to read
• why kindergarteners can sometimes outperform CEOs

How to Predict the Future is one interesting episode worth checking out (and it has nothing to do with magical prophets) – you’ll learn about the ability to see how things will work out months or years from now, and how you can benefit from this knowledge.

Muchelleb

Host(s):  Michelle Barnes

Number of subscribers: 308K

Number of videos: 210+

Category: Howto & Style

One of the best videos: How to Stick to Your Weekly Schedule

Muchelleb is a collection of videos meant to help inspire you to live a better, more productive, and richer life.

You’ll learn:

• how to plan the ultimate self-care day
• how to take action on what you learn
• how to make your space more productive and clutter-free
• how to wake up at 5 AM
• how to simplify your days

How to Stick to Your Weekly Schedule is a nice video to start with – you’ll learn how to create a good schedule that helps you reach your goals, what you need to do in order to go through with your to-do lists, and how accountability fits in with all that.

WheezyWaiter

Host(s):  Craig Benzine

Number of subscribers: 1M

Number of videos: 200+

Category: Education, Self-Improvement, Entertainment

One of the best videos: How to Stop Procrastinating with the 10-Minute Rule

The WheezyWaiter channel can be best described as a funny video journal about life, work, family, and navigating the three. Along with his wife, Benzine tries implementing various life-improving habits – from productivity, healthier dieting, to boosting his mental prowess.

In his unique fashion, WheezyWaiter documents these experiments: what worked for him, what didn’t work, how various factors affected the end result, etc. The videos give an interesting perspective that few productivity YouTubers explore: being full-time parents, content creators, and adults.

Their most popular playlists are:

• Why do people like…?
• Craig and Chyna challenges (habit-forming month-long challenges)
• How to stop procrastinating

One of the better episodes is How to Stop Procrastinating, which is a great sample of WheezyWaiter’s editing and narration skills. In the video, he tries out the 10-minute rule every day and films the process. At the end, he discusses some surprising findings.

Matt D’Avella

Host(s):  Matt D’Avella

Number of subscribers: 3.1 million

Number of videos: 345+

Category: Productivity, Education

One of the best videos: What I Learned by Journaling for 30 Days

Matt D’Avella, alongside Thomas Frank, is the face of productivity on YouTube. His videos get millions of views, thanks to his superb filming and editing. The visual style alone makes the material more approachable.

Along with that, D’Avella likes to share his own path to self-improvement, snippets of personal life, and growth in a way that most of us can relate to. Filled to the brim with practical advice, his channel is likely to appeal to a large number of people.

D’Avella’s videos are categorized into:

• minimalist lifestyle
• freelance
• technology and social media
• 30-day experiments

The video titled What I Learned by Journaling is one of the standouts. D’Avella documents the perceived purpose of the practice, the highs and lows of forming a new habit, and reflects on how journaling actually affected his mental health.

Lavendaire

Host(s):  Aileen Xu

Number of subscribers: 1.33 million

Number of videos: 479+

Category: Howto & Style

One of the best videos: How to Make Time for Everything You Want To Do

Lavandaire is another lifestyle YouTube channel meant to help you improve your life, and make it more productive – there’s a variety of topics covered, with an emphasis on cultivating a self-care routine whatever you do.

You’ll learn:

• how to understand what you want to do in life
• how to make a vision board
• how to plan your life
• how to master your mindset

If you usually don’t have the time for everything and everyone, then check out the video How To Make Time for Everything You Want To Do – you’ll get some time management and planning advice, but also an exercise that can help you organize and schedule in the future.

In this article, we’re offering 10 tips that will help you start tracking time on a regular basis and mold this activity into a habit.

1. Be clear about why you will track time

Unless you decide why you want to track time in advance, it will be more difficult to adopt this practice — so, think about your reasons first:

• Do you want to track time to bill your clients more accurately?

Time tracking can help you bill your clients easier, and with more precision. For example, if you bill your clients $20 per hour, and you track 20 hours on a particular project, you’ll immediately know that you need to bill $400 for your work on that project.

• Do you want to track time to analyze your productivity?

Time tracking can help you understand how you really spend the time when you should be working on a project. For example, perhaps you only think that you spend 8 hours a day focused on your project work. But, your time results may show that you spend 5 hours of that time on emails, meetings, or simply procrastinating on your phone.

• Do you want to track time to assess your profitability?

Time tracking can help you compare the time you spend on a project with the money you earn from it, to understand whether your time and effort really pay off. For example, if you bill $400 for 20 hours of work, but you spend $500 on work equipment and Internet use during that time, you’re actually spending more than you earn, and need to increase your hourly rate accordingly.

• Does your company require you to track time while at work?

This fourth reason is tied to company policy, which takes your own desire to track time out of the equation. But, just because you didn’t decide to track time on your own, it doesn’t mean that the above-listed benefits don’t apply to you. You will still be able to help your company bill client’s accurately, but also improve business processes through the report analysis of your team’s productivity and profitability.

Once you understand why you want or need to track time, it will be much easier to adopt this practice.

2. Define your time tracking routine

In order to cultivate the practice of tracking time, you’ll need to decide what a successful time tracking routine would look like for you — and what approach you should take to make it a reality.

Define the basics of your time tracking routine

First, think about when you want to track time. Will you do it as you work, or when you finish work? The answer will clarify how you should track time:

• Do you want to track time as you work? You’ll need to do it with a timer.
• Do you want to add time after work? You’ll need to do it manually, by adding duration for your projects and tasks.

The same applies if you want to build your time tracking routine by selecting the method first:

• Do you want to track time with a timer? You’ll need to do it on a daily basis, by taking precautions that ensure you remember to start and stop the timer as you start and finish work.
• Do you want to add time manually? You’ll be able to do it after finishing a task, project, workday, or workweek. In addition, by adding time manually, you’ll also be able to add time in advance. This may be a suitable addition to your routine if you work on a schedule and feel compelled to add “8 hours, on Monday, 4th of January” to your time tracking software, as soon as you’re scheduled to work — even if it is a week in advance.

Define additional details for your time tracking routine

Once you’ve decided on when and how you want to track time, you’ll need to attend to the details:

How will you approach tracking time with a timer? 

• Will you stop the time when you go on a short break?
• Will you track different tasks within a project separately?

If you’re adding time manually, when will you do it?

• As you finish each activity?
• At the end of the workday?
• Or, each Friday, perhaps?

What data will you add for categorization? 

• Will you define and add projects?
• Will you define and add tags and tasks?
• Will you add a combination of projects, tasks, and tags?

Once you answer these questions, you’ll get a clearer picture of what type of time tracking routine you are looking to pursue.

3. Start the time tracking routine on a smaller scale

In order to start tracking time, or pursue any practice on a regular basis, you’ll need willpower.

According to research, willpower resembles a muscle — the more you use it throughout the day, the more fatigued it gets. But, considering that muscles strengthen the more you use them over time, further research indicates that you can strengthen your willpower, the more you commit to your habits.

So, instead of diving head to toe into the practice of time tracking right from the get-go, start small.

Instead of tracking time for all projects and breaks with a timer, adding tasks and tags to all time entries, and then generating several types of reports each week, start by adding time manually on a regular basis:

• At the end of each workday, take 5 minutes to add the time you’ve spent on specific projects that day manually (e.g. 3 hours for “Project A” and 5 hours for “Project B”).
• For the time being, don’t bother with adding tasks or tags, generating reports on a regular basis, or tracking time for each individual activity with a timer.

According to a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes 66 on average to form a new habit, with 18 days being the minimum.

So, be patient with yourself, until you start following your basic time tracking routine regularly, without giving it much thought.

4. Introduce new aspects of time tracking gradually

Once you are accustomed to tracking time on a smaller scale, it’s time to expand your routine. For example, once it becomes a norm for you to add time manually each day without fail, you can start:

• adding time for breaks
• tracking time with a timer
• adding more details to your time entries, such as tasks and tags

Also, go over the extra features in your time tracking software and decide what other elements you’d like to start implementing in your routine in the future.

Work on getting accustomed to each feature at a time, until you incorporate it into your workflow naturally.

If you’re a manager looking to implement a time tracking routine within your team, the same advice applies — don’t introduce all aspects of time tracking at once, and have patience while your team adjusts.

5. Define a reward system to motivate time tracking

Chris Bailey, the author of the productivity book “The Productivity Project”, suggests you award yourself with “habit points” every time you successfully carry out a good habit. You can implement such a reward system to encourage yourself to pursue the practice of time tracking, too.

Let’s say that you have a practice of tracking project time with a timer, tracking break time separately, and defining projects, tasks, and tags on a regular basis — here’s how you can define “habit points” for each part of the process:

• Starting a timer when you start working on a project: 5 points
• Adding a description, project, task, and tag to the running time entry: 5 points
• Stopping the timer each time you go on a break: 5 points
• Starting the timer when you resume work on a project: 5 points
• Starting a timer on a new project or a break, each time you stop the timer for the previous project: 5 points
• Stopping the last timer at the end of the day: 5 points

In total, that’s 30 points per day — you can keep a checklist you’ll use every day to assess your results, either in a notebook or in a spreadsheet.

When you earn the maximum points, be sure to “cash in” on those points — rewards are important for cultivating habits, as they represent an extrinsic motivator meant to help you push forward with your routine.

For example, each day when you checkmark all items and score 30 points, you can watch an episode of your favorite TV show or take a scented bath when you get off work.

6. Associate time tracking with a practice you already have

If you already have an established work routine, you can associate time tracking with an existing work habit — and even use your time tracker to track the time it takes you to perform the said habit.

For example, if you tend to answer emails for the first time when you start work at 9:00 am, and then for the second time at 4:30 pm, before you finish work for the day, pair this practice up with time tracking.

If you track time as you work, start the timer before you open your first email, at 9:00 am, and stop the timer when you answer your last email for the day at 5:00 pm. The same applies to manual time tracking — simply add your work time once you finish email work at the end of the workday.

If you’re looking to start using a time tracking software, it’d be perfect if you could pair it up with other software you use — time tracking software generally offers integrations with popular apps people already use on a regular basis, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

For example, if you use Trello to manage your projects and track the progress you make with tasks, you can look for time tracking extensions that will add a time tracking button within your Trello cards.

Let’s say that you already have the habit of moving your Trello cards across columns named “To do”, “In Progress”, and “Done”, as an indication of your progress with tasks.

When you move a card from the “To do“ column to the “in Progress” column, simply pair that activity up with the activity of clicking the time tracking button.

Likewise, by having a time tracking button within your cards, you’ll also make it easier to remember to stop the timer as you move the card from the “In progress” column to the “Done” column.

7. Mark the days when you successfully carry out your time tracking routine

During those first few months when you’re still building your time tracking practice, have a calendar where you’ll track your efforts. This advice stems from the popular productivity and time management technique called the “The Seinfeld Method” you should implement as follows:

• Hang a calendar in your workplace.
• No matter what your time tracking routine entails, each day when you carry it out as prescribed, put an “X” for that day.
• If you track time each day, the number of days with “X” will grow.
• Soon, you’ll build a chain of days marked with “X” which will showcase your commitment to time tracking and motivate you to avoid missing a day, and thus “breaking the chain”.

Of course, if you DO miss a day, don’t worry.

According to James Clear, individual mistakes in your habit-building routine don’t mean much, if you go back on track as soon as possible. So, if you forgot to track time with a timer for one day, it doesn’t mean that all your previous commitment to the practice was in vain.

First, you can always add your missing time manually.

And second, you can always make a better effort to carry out your time tracking routine as expected tomorrow.

8. Create a working environment that encourages you to track time

The best precaution that will help ensure you track time, is establishing an environment that will encourage you to pursue the practice, right from the start of your workday.

First, you can set the website of your time tracking software as the startup page, i.e. the one that first shows up when you launch your browser. If you work in Google Chrome, you’ll just need to follow several steps to enable this:

• click on the three dots at the top of your Chrome browser page to get more options
• select “Settings”
• under “On startup”, select “Open a specific page or set of pages”
• click “Add a new page” and enter https://clockify.me/

Now, each time you open your browser, you’ll get prompted to consider tracking time on a project, task, or even some daily activities.

As another solution, you can also install your time tracking app across devices, so that you have the app’s icon on your desktop and/or mobile phone each time you open your devices. The mere presence of the app next to your work folders and files can serve as a further reminder that you should track time.

9. Find an accountability partner

Research by the American Society of Training and Development shows that people are 65% more likely to reach a goal if they commit to another person about it. Moreover, the same research shows that people are 95% more likely to succeed at a goal if they hold regular meetings about it with their accountability partners.

As you’d probably guess, you can implement this accountability practice in anything you do, including time tracking:

• If you’re an employee, you can take the initiative and find an accountability partner among your colleagues.
• If you’re a manager in charge of the people who are expected to track time, you can assign these partners yourself.

Either way, the accountability partners can then hold regular 10-minute meetings at the end of the week, to assess whether they have kept to their prescribed time tracking routines, and even discuss some ideas for improvement.

10. If you’re in management, set a personal example for time tracking

If you are a manager who’s trying to incorporate time tracking in your team’s work routine, the best way to encourage them to cultivate this practice is to set a personal example for them. After all, unless the manager is willing to make the effort to track work time, is it realistic to expect the habit to stick with the team?

First, think about the time tracking routine you want to establish. Explain your expectations to your team, and announce that you will also be tracking time in the same way — and stay true to your word:

• Do you want your team to track time, not just on projects, but project-related tasks as well? Make sure you also distinguish what project-related tasks you are working on when tracking time.
• Do you want the team to add tags to time entries you’ve already invoiced to the client, to mark them as such in your time tracking archive? Make sure you always add the “invoiced” tag to your own time entries.

By tracking time together with your team, you’ll make them more comfortable about adopting the practice themselves.

Wrapping up

As is the case with any practice you’re looking to incorporate into your regular routine, cultivating the habit of tracking time will require some patience. Once you understand why you’re tracking time in the first place and what kind of routine you’re looking to cultivate, start with the basics, and introduce additional time tracking elements gradually. Establish a working environment that will encourage you to track time, and don’t forget to follow your progress, reward your successes, and ensure you are accountable with the practice. Managers are also advised to lead by example and track time together with their teams. As a result of all the listed efforts and initiatives, time tracking is likely to settle as a regular, natural element in your work routine.

In this article, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of entering work time in timesheet apps and entering work time in spreadsheets, and compare these two solutions in terms of:

• How suitable they are for logging work hours?
• What useful options they have to offer, to make the timekeeping process easier?
• How fast and accurate it is to enter time in spreadsheets, vs timesheet apps?
• How much money will you need to spend on each of the two timesheet solutions?

In addition, we’ll talk about whether you should consider using timesheet apps or spreadsheets as a method for tracking and calculating work time, in relation to the type of business you’re in and your team’s workflow.

Timesheet apps vs spreadsheets: suitability and options ?

In this section, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of timesheet apps and spreadsheets in terms of the options they have to offer and the extent to which these two solutions are suitable for keeping track of work time in the first place.

SPREADSHEETS PROS AND CONS: suitability and options

Spreadsheet timesheets are a familiar timekeeping solution

Spreadsheets usually need no further introduction to today’s employees, as most of them are already familiar with the basics of how to use them. If you and your team use spreadsheets for other everyday business tasks, it will be even easier to start tracking time in them. You won’t have to spend additional energy and effort on defining new time tracking processes and then explaining them to your team.

Spreadsheet timesheets are versatile

No matter whether you use Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc, spreadsheets offer an array of features you can try out and implement in your time tracking practices. For example, you have everything you need to create simple timesheet templates, and you can also use the built-in formulas, to create more advanced, timesheets with formulas that automatically add up and otherwise manipulate the data you enter.

Spreadsheet timesheets are transparent when it comes to calculations

If you’ve implemented built-in formulas in your spreadsheet timesheets, everyone entering time will be able to see all the formulas used for calculations. This will bring transparency to the way the time employees enter is further processed, and likely improve trust and accountability within your team.

Spreadsheet timesheets allow you to print them out

You will likely need to resize the timesheets you complete in spreadsheets in order for them to fit your printing paper — but, the point is that you can print them out, if you want to.

Spreadsheets offer only manual time entry

Entering time in a spreadsheet timesheet equals manual time entry, based on how you perceive the time you spend on a project or task. In other words, at the end of a workday or workweek, you’ll need to remember what you worked on previously, in detail — which can be a challenge. So, you’re more likely to enter 1 hour for a task, even though you worked on it for 1 hour and 16 minutes — because 1 hour is a nice, whole number, while the additional 16 minutes are not as easy to remember afterward.

Spreadsheet timesheets lack typical timesheet options

Apart from the lack of real-time time tracking, spreadsheets also don’t offer the options you’d typically find in timesheet apps, such as:

• defining hourly rates
• categorizing work time by tasks, tags, and billability status
• generating comprehensive work time reports

Given that spreadsheets are versatile, you may be able to mimic these features to an extent (such as manually adding columns for tasks, tags, or billability status), but this will take extra time and effort.

Spreadsheet timesheets may be overwhelming for heavy spreadsheet users

If you already have too many business tasks you carry out in spreadsheets, adding time tracking to the list may bring further confusion. Considering that most of the files you work on are in Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc format, it may sometimes be overwhelming to find your timekeeping spreadsheet when you need it or jump between different spreadsheets to carry out different tasks.

Spreadsheet timesheets lack professional appeal

Considering that spreadsheets can be used for a myriad of tasks, they may not be the best solution if you’re looking to create and send professional-looking reports of what you worked on to your clients.

TIMESHEET APPS PROS AND CONS: suitability and options

Timesheet apps are designed for time tracking

Unlike spreadsheets, which are designed to help you with many, very different tasks, timesheet apps are dedicated apps, designed especially to help you log, store, and analyze work time. What’s more, timesheet systems also offer other additional perks that are built-in in order to help you track and enter your time even easier. The option to define projects and project-based tasks you’ll track time on, tags you’ll use to categorize work time, and hourly rates the timesheet system will use to calculate your earnings, are only some of the features you can expect.

Timesheet apps also allow tracking time with a timer

In addition to manual time entry via a timesheet, timesheet apps usually also offer tracking time in real-time as you work, with a timer, within their time tracker pages – you can start a timer when you start working on a task, and then stop the timer once you’re done. What’s more, you may also be able to see what your teammates are currently working on, by glancing at a Dashboard showing what they are currently using a timer for.

Timesheet apps help you analyze your time

With a timesheet app, you don’t just get a place to store your work hours — you also get a place where you can generate reports based on your tracked time, to analyze your time use and productivity levels.

How much time did you spend on that project?

Was the project profitable, in relation to the time you spent on it?

What tasks did you spend the most time on?

How much time did you waste on secondary or tertiary tasks, instead of working on your priorities?

A good timesheet app will help you understand all this.

Timesheet apps let you export reports in PDF, CVS, and Excel

In case you’re eager to view your timesheet time in spreadsheet format, chances are, you’ll be able to do so within a timesheet app.

The difference between a timesheet you’ve exported from a timesheet app and the spreadsheet timesheet you’ve created yourself is accuracy — by exporting a timesheet via an app, you’ll be certain that your data is accurate.

Apart from exporting data as XLS files, most timesheet apps should also offer you the option to generate SCV and PDF files.

Exporting data to PDF is a great solution if you want to send your client proof of the work you’ve accomplished on their project thus far.

Exporting data to CSV is great for calculating payroll, as you’ll get to view all time tracked in decimal format.

Timesheet apps allow you to track project cost and profitability

Some timesheet apps also offer labor costs and profit calculations. They help you work on minimizing project costs in the future so that you’re able to maximize the time you spend on priority tasks and minimize the time you waste. The profit report can also help you understand whether you need to increase your hourly rates, in order to ensure that your income is greater than the project costs.

Timesheet apps help you print “prettier” timesheets, easier

In case you want to store the timesheet data in paper form, both spreadsheets and dedicated apps are a suitable solution. But, while the process of printing the timesheets you’ve created in a spreadsheet usually requires some additional resizing of your time tables, timesheet apps already provide print-ready sheets.

Timesheet apps may take some time getting used to

Yes, timesheet apps are designed to make timekeeping easier. But, some of your employees may be wary of them at first, especially if they haven’t used such apps before.

Unless you make the timekeeping process and expectations in your company clear and concise, you may overwhelm employees.

So, the best practice is to explain your expectations in terms of entering time in the app, to help employees feel more at ease, right from the start.

SUITABILITY AND OPTIONS VERDICT:

When it comes to their timekeeping suitability and the options they have to offer, spreadsheets are an easy and appealing approach to logging work time — but they still lack crucial timesheet features. In contrast, timesheet apps have the advantage of having dedicated timesheet options, and as such emerge as the better solution, despite the relatively longer time some employees may need to get used to them.

Timesheet apps vs spreadsheets: speed and accuracy ?

In this section, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of timesheet apps and spreadsheets, in terms of how much time employees, managers, bookkeepers, and everyone else involved in the timekeeping process needs for managing timesheets. We’ll also shed light on the pros and cons of these two timekeeping methods in terms of accuracy.

SPREADSHEETS PROS AND CONS: speed and accuracy

Adding time to a spreadsheet timesheet can be fast and easy

Provided that the data the employees need to add is kept at a smaller scale and that the manager in charge of creating the timesheets has defined the formulas correctly, employees shouldn’t have much trouble entering time in spreadsheet timesheets.

Spreadsheet timesheets are usually time-consuming for everyone involved

For managers, it takes extra time to create timesheet tables in a spreadsheet, as well as later approve or reject completed employee timesheets. Creating spreadsheet timesheets takes even more time if the manager has decided to make the process somewhat automatic, by adding built-in formulas for adding up work time.

For employees, it takes too much time to add, calculate, and check all the time they enter for accuracy, every day, week, or month.

Considering that spreadsheets do not provide automatic notifications when someone completes their timesheets, the bookkeeper will have to open all the timesheets manually to check whether everyone has updated their work time. Moreover, the bookkeeper will need to personally remind everyone who hasn’t entered their time as expected, to do so. In some cases, this can happen several times for each pay period.

For the HR assistant, it takes extra time to find the required data, such as the time the employees have spent on vacations, sick leave, or unpaid leave.

Each new parameter you add to the mix builds up with the others and takes away more of your time — no matter whether you’re the manager creating the timesheets, the employee entering time, the bookkeeper calculating payroll, or the HR assistant calculating paid time off.

Spreadsheet timesheets are usually error-prone for everyone involved

For managers, it will be easier to make a mistake when creating tables in spreadsheets, or defining formulas for automatic timesheets. For example, if you make a mistake in defining the said spreadsheet formulas, all the data anyone adds will be calculated wrong — and you might not even notice this until it’s too late.

For employees, it will be easier to make a mistake while adding data or calculating work hours (if the employees are in charge of calculating their own time). It’s easier to enter less time than what you actually worked, which will mean you’ll invoice your clients less than you should. It will also be more complicated to carry out the calculations correctly if there’s more data to work with. Moreover, if you add the wrong numbers to the wrong columns, you’ll get erroneous timesheets, even if the formulas are well-defined, to begin with.

Bookkeepers and HR managers will likely need to extract the data entered by the employees to separate spreadsheets and apps, which means an even higher chance of further miscalculations and data loss.

What’s worse, anyone can accidentally delete a cell, a line within a cell, a formula, or an entire spreadsheet. And, you’ll need extra time to restore what you’ve deleted — if you even notice that you’ve deleted something in the first place.

Spreadsheet timesheets require manual double-checking

This means that the bookkeeper in charge of payroll, as well as whoever is in charge of making client invoices, will likely need to:

• double-check everything
• highlight all suspicious time entries manually
• contact the people who entered them, for clarifications.

This will mean a lot of time spent on emailing and recalculations — and, there’s still no guarantee you’ll avoid all mistakes.

Spreadsheet timesheets imply possible compliance problems

It’s easy to misplace printed timesheets – all you need to do is to misplace one to bring your company into trouble. Mistakes and missing timesheets bring problems with payroll, which cause mistakes with employee payment. Which may, in turn, bring you into problems with the government.

Spreadsheet timesheets are a poor solution for a growing business

The more people you have in your team, the more difficult it gets to store, keep, and scrutinize the spreadsheet timesheets, and the more likely you are to make a mistake.

TIMESHEET APPS PROS AND CONS: speed and accuracy

Adding time in a timesheet app is always fast and easy

You add your hours and define your hourly rates, and watch the app perform the calculations automatically, based on precisely tested and 100% accurate formulas. This includes the basic work hours calculations, but also your earnings and the total time added per custom time period.

Timesheet apps ensure you make fewer mistakes

Unless you add the wrong hours (or the wrong hourly rate) yourself, you won’t have to worry that your total work hours or earnings will be calculated wrong, because the timesheet system will take care of everything for you. This means less stress for managers, employees, bookkeepers, and HR staff.

Timesheet apps offer reminders and targets

With timesheet apps, it’s much less likely that someone will forget to fill out a timesheet on time, considering that you can define daily and weekly targets for the team. When someone does not meet a target, they get email reminders that they haven’t tracked enough time in the prescribed time period.

Timesheet apps don’t require additional spreadsheets for payroll and PTO

With a timesheet app, the HR staff can create separate projects for unpaid leave, sick leave, and vacations, and instruct the employees to add time to these projects each time they take unpaid leave, sick leave, or go on a vacation. Later on, if the HR staff needs data on sick leave for a certain employee, they can just select the right project and employee, and generate a report.

Bookkeepers will be able to calculate payroll with a couple of clicks, by simply selecting the time range (e.g. week, month, or a custom period) and filtering out the time spent on unpaid leave and lunch breaks. Then, the software will automatically get the total hours worked for each individual employee and calculate how much you need to pay them.

Timesheet apps ensure better compliance

As a result of having a secure app to track and store work hours, you’ll be certain that your company is always compliant with business rules and regulations, such as the FLSA Working Time Regulation.

Timesheet apps save you from repetitive processes

Spreadsheet timesheets require employees to enter their names, job titles, managers, projects, and tasks for each new timesheet they fill out.

But, employee accounts created in timesheet apps store their names and allow workspace managers to:

• add employees to groups based on job titles (e.g. developers, marketers, designers, etc.)
• assign managers responsible for employee work time

Employees can then select their projects and tasks when tracking time, and, these timesheets are automatically associated with their names, groups based on job titles, and managers in charge of approving the said timesheets. And all that with just a couple of clicks.

Timesheet apps make the timesheet approval process faster

Timesheet apps help managers make the process of approving timesheets faster and easier, considering they don’t require personal signatures on every individual timesheet, and offer other additional perks.

Managers can first set the timesheets to automatically lock after a certain time period (say at the end of each month) or lock them manually before a certain date, to stop employees from adding back-dated entries.

Later on, managers can review and approve timesheets for client billing and payroll purposes.

Timesheet apps allow the entire team to securely store their timesheets in one place

With spreadsheets, each employee sends their own completed timesheets and they are stored in one folder — but, if you have 50 employees, that means 50 different sheets, for each pay period. In contrast, timesheet apps allow your employees to fill out all their timesheets in one, easily accessible, secure workspace. You can then browse weeks and weeks of previous timesheets, from this week, back to the week when you first created the account. Most timesheet apps also allow you to view and add data across devices.

SPEED AND ACCURACY VERDICT:

When it comes to speed and accuracy, the timekeeping process of entering, calculating, and analyzing work time entered in a spreadsheet has some major drawbacks for everyone involved — it’s easy to make a myriad of mistakes while managing such timesheets and they consume a lot of time that could be spent more productively. In contrast, timesheet apps offer a better solution in this regard, considering that their automated system eradicates most possibilities for mistakes, and it’s easier and faster to find and analyze the time data you need.

Timesheet Apps vs spreadsheets: price ?

In the final section of this comparison, we’ll shed light on the pros and cons of timesheets apps and using spreadsheets for entering time, in terms of how pricey these timekeeping solutions are.

SPREADSHEETS PROS AND CONS: price

Excel is expensive

Windows users may have gotten used to Excel to such an extent, that it’s sometimes easy to forget that this program comes with a steep price. According to Capterra, the price for the Excel program starts at $8.25 per month, per computer. So, if you have 50 employees, you’ll need to pay a little less than $415 per month just so everyone would be able to track time in Excel timesheets from their own devices.

Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc are free

Excel may be the most well-known spreadsheet solution, but there are free alternatives to it you can consider, such as the previously mentioned Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc.

Possible drawbacks to Google Sheet when compared to Excel include lower processing speed and a lack of Quick Access toolbar, but you do get autosaving and real-time collaboration. Possible drawbacks to LibreOffice Calc when compared to Excel include 15 times fewer columns and some crucial formula limitations, but you can use it in other systems, apart from Windows and macOS.

You spend more money managing spreadsheet timesheets overall

Time is money, and managing employee time in spreadsheets takes more time and costs much more, even if you do decide to use a free spreadsheet solution. In addition, perhaps you’ll even need to hire an assistant for your bookkeeper, just to have additional help in managing completed spreadsheet timesheets and preparing them for payroll.

TIMESHEET APPS PROS AND CONS: price

Timesheet apps can be free

Timesheet apps greatly vary when it comes to their prices. But, if you sign up for a free timesheet app, such as Clockify, you’ll get to use all the essential time tracking features for free  — this includes adding an unlimited number of users and tracking time on an unlimited number of projects.

Timesheet apps cut the costs of your business overall

We already established that time is money — and anyone can handle tracking time with an app in just a couple of clicks. Moreover, you won’t just save money through quick time entry — you also won’t have to hire additional staff to compile the said timesheets for all your projects and tasks, as you’ll have all data securely stored in one place from the get-go.

PRICE VERDICT:

When it comes to the price, spreadsheets emerge as a costlier solution. On the other hand, if you pick the right timesheet app, you’ll be able to enjoy the basic timesheet features for free.

Timesheet apps vs spreadsheets: what timekeeping solution to choose?

Now that we’ve discussed the pros of cons of spreadsheets and timesheet apps in terms of suitability, options, speed, accuracy, and price, let’s see when you should consider using each timekeeping solution.

What are spreadsheet timesheets best for?

Small businesses

Businesses with less than 15-20 employees can turn to spreadsheets as a timekeeping solution, considering that the demands of administration and analysis for such a smaller number of employees is still manageable through spreadsheets.

Small teams that work on a smaller number of projects

If your team only works on one or two projects at a time, it will be less of a challenge to enter, accurately copy, and analyze the data necessary for client invoicing.

  Teams that require no extra features

If you only want to enter work hours on a regular basis, without implementing features such as locking timesheets after a certain time period or tracking time in real-time, spreadsheet timesheets are a suitable option.

What are timesheet apps best for?

Any business size

Entering time in timesheets created in a spreadsheet may be manageable for smaller businesses, but timesheet apps are suitable for any type of business, including the smaller ones. If the number of employees starts to rise, as well as the number of projects you accept, or the elements you want to track, you’ll be able to scale easily.

Smaller or larger teams working on any number of projects

Timesheet apps allow you to add as many employees as you need, and track time on as many projects as you need.

Most timesheet apps offer these conveniences within their paying plans, but Clockify offers time tracking for multiple users, and on multiple projects, for free.

Teams who prefer to track work time in real-time

A timesheet app with a timer mode is your best option if you want to:

• track time as you work, for better accuracy
• have a clear overview of the exact time you’re spending on client projects
• keep an eye on what your teammates are currently working on (i.e. what they are currently using the timer for)

Enterprise businesses

Timesheet apps are suitable for enterprise businesses as they usually offer at least some enterprise features, such as labor cost and profit, timesheet approval, and single sign-on, for extra data security.

One such enterprise feature you can consider is the force timer within Clockify. If you are a manager who wants to encourage the team to track time as they work, try out the force timer to disable manual time entry.

Teams looking to track and analyze their productivity

The reporting features of timesheet apps allow you to enter time for multiple projects, so you can even create projects for breaks, emails, meetings, procrastination time, or anything else you want, in order to grasp how productive you really are at work.

Conclusion

Overall, spreadsheet timesheets fall short in terms of their suitability, speed, accuracy, price, and the timesheet-related options they have to offer — which may not be a crucial problem if you’re a small team working on one or two projects who has more time to spend on managing timesheets. However, if you’re looking to scale up, the number and severity of the issues will grow together with your business — a larger number of projects and employees will mean a larger number of timesheets, and a larger number of timesheets will always mean a larger chance for mistakes and more time and more people needed to manage the timekeeping process.

On the other hand, timesheet apps emerge as the better, more suitable alternative to timesheets created in spreadsheets – for starters, they’re a faster and less costly solution to storing your work hours. They offer other additional, timesheet-centered features you can rely on, no matter the size of your business and the type of your workflow.

They’re also more accurate and more systematic because you’ll have all your data automatically calculated according to tested formulas, and then stored in a secure place.

In conclusion, although more time, patience, and resources can make spreadsheets a suitable timekeeping solution, you can’t go wrong with a timesheet app.

Well, people are generally more prone to focus on their individual tasks, and less prone to include other people in their work processes. And, differences in opinions tend to breed conflict.

But, both phenomenons, when they go to the extreme, are a clear sign that you need to work on establishing successful teamwork in your office, and encourage your team members to act collectively, and think — like a true team.

In this article, we’ll discuss why teamwork is important in helping you achieve a more homogenous work environment, why teamwork may seem difficult to achieve, and how exactly you can work on creating and promoting successful teamwork in your workplace.

To learn exactly how to take these steps, read on.

What is teamwork?

According to the definition by the Cambridge Dictionary, teamwork is the process of working together with a group of people, preferably, towards a successful outcome.

By their definitions, both teams and workgroups have common goals, so it’s often easy to assume that these two concepts are merely synonyms.

But, while a “work group” implies that each individual is given a task they will work on independently to achieve a common goal or purpose, a “team” implies a more collaborative, cohesive, interdependent endeavor.

According to P. Harris & K. Harris, teamwork is built on individuals who employ their individual knowledge and skills to work together and form a joint effort to reach that common goal or purpose.

The simplest examples of teamwork can be found in sports. Every player has their own role and plays the best of their ability. But at the same time, they help boost each other’s morale and work to achieve the goal. Together, they have enough general knowledge of the sport (and each other’s roles) to be able to excel within its rules and limitations.

The odds of a single basketball player scoring a point going against an opposing team are close to none.

In much the same way, there are no actual “loner wolves” in regular workplaces. Everyone chips in a little to keep the company moving forward.

For example, when a startup company releases an update for their app, other members of the team test it out and contribute feedback – it’s not just the job of the QA department. Or, when a product manager needs to write a description that involves various technical terms, the programmers can help with their input instead of leaving the product manager to research and possibly miss some key features.

Why is teamwork in the workplace important?

Just like a sports team wanting to win a match, the employees want to see the business thrive. Similar to a trophy and a high ranking on a roster, it brings its own benefits: raises, better working conditions, days off, promotions, etc.

With successful teamwork, a company can rise above and beyond its mission and vision. And as cheesy as it can sound, successful workplace teamwork pushes forward the personal development of everyone involved.

How?

Well, this occurs because:

Teamwork builds and boosts office morale

Employees don’t need to go out for drinks or hang out personally to be effective teammates. In fact, the common thread that should connect them in the office is knowing each of them is an important part of the whole.

When everyone feels like their presence and work not only matters but also helps their colleagues, you have one happy employee.

The benefits of teamwork on boosting office morale are even proved by science — several studies indicate that we are psychologically wired to feel better when working in a team, than working alone. This may manifest in the form of:

• An extra energy boost when we need to power through a task
• Improved team motivation to share and work on failures
• A better feeling of overall recognition for the hard work we do
• The feeling of belonging that makes us more connected to the company and more likely to strive towards that common goal

Teamwork provides a support system

When teamwork culture is nurtured the right way, it creates a great support system. People help each other with minor work issues, meet deadlines sooner, and are more likely to reach out and be honest about any mistakes. This begins to transfer to their personal life as well.

In general, teamwork allows the members of the team to take more risks and think outside of the box — in case they fail in some way, they have the support structure of the team to fall back on.

Teamwork lowers stress levels

If you are a part of a functional, accountable team, teamwork has the potential to reduce your stress levels at work — research published at Oxford Research Encyclopedias shows that sharing responsibility for a workload makes you feel less pressured. On the other hand, an employee who is handling a heavy workload alone, is more likely to get overworked, which may lead to burnout. There is a psychological factor behind such findings. When you work alone, you’re more likely to feel overwhelmed, and the “blame” of potential failure is all on you. But, when the work is divided into several tasks and assigned to team members, the tasks are perceived as easier.

Teamwork facilitates a constant learning environment

Contrary to popular belief, some conflict and differences in opinion in the workplace are fertile ground for improvement. This kind of environment breeds good ideas and gets people to consider other perspectives and approaches to common problems.

In addition, teamwork implies a blend of different skills and knowledge — so, the less experienced professionals are likely to learn something new and useful from their more experienced coworkers, even if you don’t practice direct mentorship relationships within the team.

Teamwork builds “collective intelligence”

Mark Twain once said:

“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.”

So, we may think that our ideas are unique, but we subconsciously draw most of them from our mental depositories of existing concepts:

• articles we’ve read and forgotten
• theories we’ve learned at college
• TED Talks we’ve seen years ago

When two people hold a brainstorming session, they double the size of their depositors and repurpose “new” ideas from a larger kaleidoscope of concepts. The more people are involved in the process, the more potential concepts you have to work with — this is called collective intelligence and it grows with constant collaboration.

Why does teamwork seem difficult to achieve?

Now, everything we’ve said so far makes it seem like teamwork is key to a tight-knit workforce. And on paper, the benefits are indisputable.

But in most cases, transforming a group of employees into a team can be extremely difficult for multiple reasons:

Vast differences in personality types impede teamwork overall

We are all so different in the way we do things, perceive them, which ideals we uphold, and it all transfers to our workplace. These things alone can create friction among employees, or in other cases – cliques.

With such a starting point, it can be very difficult to achieve unity.

How will you know who gets along and who has the potential to come to blows with one another?

After all, personalities clash and click in ways we can’t predict.

The lack of physical proximity impedes communication

Remote teams suffer greatly from this handicap. People have an innate desire to connect and belong to a group. And despite living in a digital age, we still prefer face-to-face communication. After all, body language accounts for an astounding 93% of our communication!

People connect better when they’re in each other’s presence. Two colleagues who sit across from each other are likely to communicate easier and avoid misunderstandings than those who can only see each other’s chat messages. We know from experience how much of the message gets lost in texts, chats, and emails.

People find it difficult to adapt to company changes

The internal structure of a company and all changes within it very much dictate how teams will operate.

Imagine having several teams and each of them works like a dream. They’re in sync, the projects are running smoothly, problems are being solved relatively quickly and without a hitch…

But then comes a change – some team members leave the company, or there is a need for a switch-up of team members due to a new project or deadline. And all of a sudden, there’s unrest between teams because people have grown accustomed to different modes of work. There is no universal set of rules and ideals to go by.

A lack of self-awareness makes people defensive

You have probably worked with people who seem very defensive when receiving criticism, are more likely to put blame on factors other than themselves, or think they can do no wrong.

These kinds of people are the first to cause friction within a team. Their fear of failure and public shame makes them shirk accountability for their actions. And before you jump to any conclusions – a Harvard Business Review study had famously proved that only 10-15% of employees within a company are actually self-aware.

A lot of team members will be aware of their strengths and abilities but ignore their weaknesses. For teams, this is bad because they won’t know where to jump in and compensate when problems arise. This is why self-awareness is one of the biggest hurdles to cross.

How to promote effective teamwork in your organization

In order to improve teamwork, you can first take a page, two, or a dozen, from examples of companies who already thrive because of successful teamwork. Moreover, you can also follow and implement additional, tried-out advice and tips on how to tweak work within your team, in order to build a creative and harmonious work environment for your team.

Teamwork in the workplace examples — what you can learn from other companies

To help you better understand the concept of successful teamwork, here is how giants such as Google, Starbucks, Marvel Entertainment, Four Seasons, and Pixar approach collaboration within a team — and, more importantly, what you can learn from them.

Teamwork at Google, and what you can learn from it

Google hardly needs further introductions in terms of why they are considered a successful company, but many may not know that a large portion of their success comes from impeccable teamwork.

After all, Google has even made the effort to scrutinize what makes the perfect team, and, as it turns out, it’s not the perfect mix of the right individuals — it’s the feeling of psychological safety that may dictate how the said individuals interact with each other.

Psychological safety represents a shared belief that the team members are safe to take interpersonal risks, open up, and share with their teammates — and, according to Google, this factor is the most important one if you’re looking to build a successful team.

In order to establish psychological safety, team members need to respect each other’s opinions and emotions, have their own emotions and opinions respected by others, but also feel like they contribute to the joint endeavor equally. Such freedom helps people speak their minds, explore their creativity, and cultivate great ideas as a result.

Although various factors also build to its success, great teamwork has helped Google become the most valuable company in the world, with a worth of around $520bn.

The main point to learn from teamwork at Google:

When you establish psychological safety in your team and help everyone feel equally heard, valued, and appreciated, you help unleash creativity.

Teamwork at Starbucks, and what you can learn from it

Nowadays, you can find a Starbucks at every corner. And, it may come as a surprise, but this expansion started way back in the 1990s, when Howard Schultz, then the chairman and CEO of the company, started opening hundreds of stores across the US.

However, this chain of coffeehouses was nowhere near as successful back in the day, and the expansion was deemed too ambitious for its own good.

The problems lied in customer service, employee engagement, but also a lack of proper communication between various levels of the Starbucks company.

Everything changed in 1995 when Howard Behar took over as president of the company.

He focused on cultivating a work environment that would meet the needs of the employees, which proved crucial in helping the said employees serve their customers better.

Once everyone in Starbucks understood that they shouldn’t just be offering excellent coffee, but also excellent customer experience, the business quickly blossomed into a multinational endeavor and the largest coffeehouse chain in the world.

The main point to learn from teamwork at Starbucks:

When you cultivate the right work environment, you encourage the team to focus on providing a better customer experience, which is equally important for expansions and success, next to the impeccable quality of the products and services.

Teamwork at Marvel Entertainment, and what you can learn from it

Just like the Avengers themselves, the writers and comic artists who invented them also needed to assemble, in order to make a name for the Marvel comics.

Stan Lee would come up with an idea, and Jack Kirby (the comic book artists behind Captain America and the Hulk) or Steve Ditko (the comic book artist behind Spider-Man and Doctor Strange) would bring his ideas to comic-drawn life. The completed boards would then go to:

• letterers who’d add comic book text
• inkers who’d fill in material outlined by the comic book authors
• the colorists who’d add the primary colors

These boards would later be sent to the printer before being distributed to comic book stores and sold.

As evident, all the listed members of the team had separate obligations, but, they had to communicate and collaborate well with one another, in order to form a cohesive (and profitable) comic book.

As just a small example from the entire comic book process, the writers and comic book artists needed to work together closely, in order to flesh out the now-iconic characters, build their conflicts, and guide their stories.

As a result of a well-knit process (and a lot of great ideas), Marvel Entertainment grew over time, from a typical collection of children’s comics to a global phenomenon acquired by Disney in 2009, with over 20 blockbuster hits under its belt thus far.

The main point to learn from teamwork at Marvel Entertainment:

When you ensure everything is well-communicated, you ensure that you get the end result you want.

Teamwork at Four Seasons, and what you can learn from it

According to Steve Wynn, the founder of Wynn Resort & Casino, the famous hotel chain, Four Seasons, can pride itself on impeccable teamwork that delights its guests. Namely, while he was vacationing in Paris, he stayed with his family in the Parisian branch of the Four Seasons hotel chain, where he witnessed an unusual, but not unwelcome practice.

On one morning, his daughter left half of a croissant from their breakfast selection for later, and the family went to explore the city. Once they returned, the croissant was gone, so they assumed that the housekeeper had removed it.

However, they then found a message from the front desk on the telephone that elaborated on the following chain of events:

• The housekeeper had indeed removed the remaining half of the croissant, but she had done that because she assumed that the family would prefer fresh pastry once they returned to the hotel.
• She informed the front desk.
• The front desk informed the kitchen.
• The kitchen saved a fresh croissant for Wynn’s family, to replace the old one.
• The room service was then informed that they would need to deliver the croissant upon request.

As Wynn concluded, every member of the hotel staff understood their roles in establishing impeccable customer satisfaction and made every effort to fulfill the said roles. So, it’s no wonder that Four Seasons is one of the leading, luxury hotel names in the world.

The main point to learn from teamwork at Four Seasons:

When everyone fulfills their role within a team, customer satisfaction thrives, and the name of the brand gains recognition.

Teamwork at Pixar, and what you can learn from it

In November 2000, Steve Jobs purchased an abandoned canning factory spanning across 16 acres — this was to be Pixar’s new headquarters. The original plan involved three separate buildings:

• One for the computer scientists
• One for the animators
• One for the executives

But, Jobs scrapped this architectural plan in favor of a single space, that included an atrium at its center. This atrium was envisioned as a workspace suitable for the employees from different departments to interact with one another, in a space akin, but still different from an open office. So, Jobs made the effort to encourage people from different departments to go to the atrium, meet, and interact. He first moved the mailboxes to the atrium. Next were the meeting rooms, the cafeteria, the coffee shop, but also the gift shop, and even the only available set of bathrooms. Computer scientists, animators, and executives had ample opportunities to meet and interact, which helped the Pixar team create at least a dozen box office hits and instant classics.

The main point to learn from teamwork at Pixar:

When you increase the chances of people from different departments interacting with one another, you help the team see a wider picture of their common goals, and work together towards the said goals.

Additional advice on how to promote teamwork in the workplace

Following in the footsteps of companies who already understand the importance of great teamwork and how to establish it, is just the start — here is what HR consultants, culture coaches, communication and conflict management coaches, people and culture development experts, solutions coaches, and other relevant experts, studies, and general tips have to reveal about creating and promoting teamwork in the workplace.

Establish and promote clear values

Biljana Rakic, our very own head of HR, and people and culture development expert here at Clockify, emphasizes the importance of introducing the right values early on, in order to help the team make the joint effort towards a common goal:

“When talking about teamwork, we are actually talking about the values ​​we share as a group of people. It sets us apart from others, directs us straight towards the goal, and helps us achieve better results. The values ​​that are important should be promoted by the team of leaders, superiors, and the management, and these values include:

• transparency in business
• appropriately distributed individual and group responsibility
• open communication
• a space for flexibility
• a space for the expression of creativity”

Provide recognition when and where due

As Rakic further emphasizes, providing recognition to individual team members is another crucial factor in helping people cultivate the motivation to pursue their roles and responsibilities within a team:

“In increasing engagement while achieving a goal, recognition is crucial, both on the level of the team and on the level of the individuals. A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected. When people feel that their work has a purpose and contributes to the development of something or someone, when they see their business goals clearly and strive for them, they will always do more, and will always approach every future task with increased motivation.

Demonstrating the importance of each employee can be done in several different ways, in accordance with team members, their characteristics, and aspirations. 

One convenient solution for this is to implement joint meetings, during which values ​​can be connected with the content of the work, tasks, etc. In addition to clear goals and measurable achievements, it is necessary to reflect from time to time, to remind yourself of past work, and the valuable results you already achieved.”

Define your intention as a team lead

According to Lorraine Segal, a communication and conflict management coach who offers solutions for a harmonious and productive workplace at Conflict Remedy, successful teamwork requires the team leads to perform some preparations in advance, and think about how they want to approach their duties:

“Establishing successful teamwork in a workplace starts before the team even meets — in setting your intention as a team lead and then following through. That’s easier than trying to make changes once bad patterns are established.”

To highlight her point, she offers an example of how you can best set your intention as a team lead:

“You can set guidelines for yourself as a leader and for the group. Here are some I’ve found most helpful. First and most important, believe and demonstrate that everyone has something of value to offer, that different views and expertise strengthen team decisions and problem-solving. And then act accordingly. In meetings, both group and one-on-one, help people feel comfortable to contribute, by welcoming all ideas, making space for people who aren’t naturally outspoken, and thanking people for their efforts and contributions. Keep meeting topics and goals clear, including who is responsible for which follow-up action.”

Help employees get to know each other (and understand themselves better)

According to Nathaniel Measley, the founder of Your Culture Design and a culture coach who has worked in HR/Talent, Development & Training for nearly 15 years, you should devote extra time to building your team early on, and getting to know them better, in order to understand how working with them may be like in the future:

“Ensure team members not only know each others’ capabilities, but personalities, characteristics, goals, and previous experiences and backgrounds. Energy upfront when forming or developing teams will save time, money, and energy later on. 

Over the life of any project, any team may win or lose. It is important to know how people will respond. It will help to form a response from others. 

Now, talent plays a factor in how successful your team will be with their projects. But, in order to reach success, you should also harbor communication — Measley further advises that you should also give your employees enough space to get to know themselves as well:

“Allow individuals to work on themselves, their own skills, knowledge, and approaches. 

Allow those individuals to share those results with others who are practicing active listening. 

The better and deeper a team understands themselves, and those around them, the better they can complete tasks and overcome challenges. After all, teamwork and communication can win over talent in most scenarios.”

To help you get to know your employees, but also help them understand themselves better, you can turn to professional assessments of employee personalities.

For example, the now-famous Myers Briggs personality test is globally used by HR to assess their employees in terms of personality type:

• Are they extraverted or introverted?
• Are they observant or intuitive?
• Are they focused more on what they think or how they feel?
• Are they judging or prospecting?

Understanding this will help HR, managers, but also employees themselves understand what kind of workers they have (or are), the ways in which they accept and give criticism, or how they are likely to behave in certain situations.

Most importantly, this data will provide invaluable insight when assembling teams.

Don’t try to prevent conflict – mitigate it

We come in all shapes, sizes and with a myriad of different personalities. It’s only natural some of us will cooperate better, while others will clash more often. Looking into the previously mentioned MBTI tests and engaging your HR or professional coaches to discuss office communication can help greatly. Conflict breeds new ideas and expands the perceptions of others. It can be good and constructive when solved with dialogue instead of office outbursts.

Establish good leadership and a clear purpose

According to Laura MacLeod, an HR consultant, a licensed social worker who specializes in group work, and a Licensed Master Social Worker at From The Inside Out Project®, good leadership, and a clear purpose are the two pillars on which successful teamwork is built on:

“Clear and authoritative leadership helps create structure, expectations, and accountability. But, you mustn’t forget to also nurture leadership that welcomes all voices and collaboration. 

When it comes to the purpose, it answers the question of ” What’s the end result the team is working toward? We all need to know WHY — what’s the benefit and reason for actively participating and contributing?”

She illustrates how work in a team may look like if you disregard the above points:

“I have many examples of poor and ineffective teamwork due to the failure of the above. Ex: Staff group at a non-profit agency. The direction is authoritarian and punitive (get clients or we’ll need to lay you off) and the staff is anxious and burned out. No recognition of this and no emotional support in a tough time.”

She provides an example of positive and effective teams that mirror how successful teamwork in the workplace can also look like — the example involves her classroom where she teaches as a professor in an MSW program:

“My class is taught as a group — I am clearly in charge — assignments and expectations are clear. I model a culture of participation — I invite students — no forcing, no putting on the spot. I reach out because I want to hear what they have to say and I make it clear that the group will benefit too. We collaborate. Student sharing — whatever it may be — contributes to the learning.”

Let go of prejudices (and rivalries)

Until people get to really know their employees and coworkers, it’s all too easy to form prejudices and stick to old rivalries. These are big obstacles towards true teamwork, and Segal proposes you make the effort to better understand the people from your work environment, and work on forming a partnership with them instead:

“I helped one newly merged team at a mid-sized corporation work together successfully after having been rivals. The key here was helping the two leaders model deep listening and collaboration.

Letting go of judgments that are not fact-based is also helpful. One of my recent coaching clients, a CFO at an investment firm, said one member of her team, “Didn’t want to learn.” I challenged her to reframe, and instead assumed the person did want to learn; I then asked herself and the other person: 

“What is getting in the way of her learning? What is missing or blocking her?” 

When the CFO worked on this, she was able to release her assumptions and shift their interactions toward shared problem-solving. They were able to work together in an effective and mutually respectful way after that.”

Concentrate on solutions, not mistakes

We already talked about how a lack of self-awareness encourages people to be defensive towards criticism, while fear of public shaming encourages people to avoid accountability. The key here is to place a greater emphasis on finding solutions than assigning blame. When mistakes are made, they should be addressed respectfully and without pressure. Alternatively, when we concentrate more on the person behind the mistake than on finding the solution, we unknowingly ostracize them. Which makes them more likely to hide their mistakes next time or deflect responsibility completely.

Help the team relieve their stress levels

As we’ve already established, nothing good can come from a stressful work environment — and, Rakic proposes that you make a conscious effort to introduce specific stress-relieving activities into your team’s routine:

“It is important to recognize people’s right to rest and connect the work itself with a space for stress relief and rest. For this purpose, it is a great solution to organize stress relief meetings, i.e. smaller events meant to help you recognize that fatigue at work is a normal thing and that there is also room for rest in a professional setting — because, after a good rest, great results are achieved.”

Hold regular brainstorming sessions

Brainstorming sessions are a great way to launch the team’s initiative and help people understand how everyone thinks, but also handle decision-making and problem-solving processes together. By proxy, these sessions are great to rundown everyone’s ideas and select the best ones to further develop them, together. By holding regular brainstorming sessions, you’ll encourage participation and collaboration. It’s also a great way to help a new team get acquainted, introduce new team members, or introduce a new project.

Encourage people to be open to suggestions

This point is actually tied to the previous point — in order to make the decision-making and problem-solving processes a joint effort and hold successful brainstorming sessions, the team members will need to be open to new ideas and suggestions. Everyone should feel encouraged to come forward with ideas and suggest different approaches to practices that may not be ideal in your workflow. If you are a team lead, try to make others more comfortable with accepting other people’s ideas, by making it clear that your own ideas are also always open for further interpretations and improvements.

Encourage people to share their expertise

To be a true team player, you’ll need to be willing to share your resources, knowledge, but also expertise in general, with the rest of the team. So, encourage people to be open about their processes, to ask for, and seek help, but also to contribute to all ideas they feel they have relevant expertise in. Once again, if you are a team lead, it’s best that you approach this practice by setting an example yourself — make it clear that you are also more than willing to share your expertise on any matter you can help your team with.

Make the company changes easier to process

The CEO of PDRI and an expert in building organizational and team capabilities that translate into business growth, Elaine Pulakos, wrote about companies that employ what she calls “ARA – Adaptability, Resilience, and Agility”. These are three qualities that ensure the workforce withstands any and all changes and bounces back as quickly as possible:

• Adaptability involves:
  • reacting to change and accepting it
  • registering the change that occurred and finding ways to work within new shifts
  • handling stress
• Resilience involves:
  • the ability to slowly ease into the new state and actively try to reach equilibrium
• Agility involves:
  • proactively changing the course
  • finding new strategies
  • focusing on the new goal

When a company instills these or similar values in its employees, it becomes much easier to handle change and not buckle under stress. So instead of making every team function for themselves, enable each employee to work in any combination.

Encourage people to focus on the bigger picture

According to Kimberly Friedmutter, author of Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You’ve Always Wanted, member-at-large of UCLA Health System Board, solutions coach, and globally recognized hypnotherapist, keeping the bigger picture and the common, end goal in mind, is another crucial step towards successful teamwork:

“We are pack-driven, especially when it comes to slaying the mammoth and bringing it back to the village, for all to eat.  Or in the modern-day, landing the client and bringing home a paycheck. I use this analogy because pack animals are the ultimate example of successful teamwork. In fact, their life depends on it. Togetherness in the workplace comes naturally to those who are organically tied to survival. Watercooler talk about global events rather than each other (gossip) is one element. Intentionally keeping the workplace free of drama and allowing the drama to only play out as world events, not office events. Global thinkers in the workplace do this, they think big, not small. They think about events, not personalities. They think about the future, not last week. They think about survival, not demise. When you have workplace teamwork with common goals, they hit the mark.” 

Make sure your team consists of the right people

Although teamwork implies a combination of people with different mindsets, skills, and knowledge, you’ll also need to make sure that these people, and the qualities they bring to the table, are complimentary, and relevant for your common goal.

Friedmutter emphasizes how successful teamwork often means that you need to think of the needs of the many, rather than the needs of the few, and how you’ll sometimes have individuals who are simply not suitable for the team culture you’re looking to build:

“Keeping the office workplace culture cohesive is key. If a teammate isn’t fitting into that culture, the teammate isn’t a good fit. Acting too slow can slow down the trajectory of the pack. A healthy workplace has healthy individual members. When a few people in an office notice a problem with the teammate, address the issue quickly, and look for a quick adjustment with that teammate. If too much time goes by before the problem is addressed, you risk losing the momentum of your team. For best results, act quickly.”

Remember – no matter whether you win or lose, you do it together

There truly is no “I” in “team”. Once you understand that the victories or failures of a few teammates determine the fate of the entire team, you’ll be able to build a sense of camaraderie that will help you finish a project to the best of your (joint) ability. If you fall behind in some areas of the project, don’t assign blame – instead, make the effort to find a solution together. According to Rakic, you can even find some use from your mistakes and failures:

“Even if there have been some failures, they are fertile ground for important lessons and a space for the empowerment of future activities.”

Alternatively, if you deliver the project on time, within budget, and with the expected quality, make sure you celebrate together. For example, order pizza to the office, put on some music, and make a toast with a celebratory round of drinks – you’ve earned it!

Conclusion

True teamwork often takes time, practice, and patience.

But, the end result is a group of teammates who listen to and appreciate each other. Who are heard and appreciated by others. Who work towards a common goal, by focusing on finding solutions together, rather than assigning blame for individual’s mistakes and clinging to prejudices and rivalries.

Teamwork implies following the same set of clear values and intents. It implies looking for solutions by collaborating, communicating, interacting, and brainstorming ideas. It implies fulfilling specific roles within a team, and offering exquisite customer satisfaction, next to quality products and services.

Such a team is a well-matched combination of personalities, skills, knowledge, and experiences, that complement and learn from each other, even in the face of disagreements and conflicts.

In the end, successful teamwork means that the team wins or loses together, and learns collectively from the experience, which is always fertile ground for future wins.

Yet, how much truth can we find in this statement nowadays? Yes, we all get time in life — but it seems that we are rarely the ones to decide what to do with it.

Emails, house chores, unavoidable errands, excessive workloads, and constant requests from others often make us feel as far away from having control of our lives as possible.

There rarely seems to be enough time to finish everything at work, and once we’re home, we’re too tired to enjoy our free time.

So, we often wonder:

“How do I get more free time to spend with friends, family, or on hobbies?”

“How do I get more time for myself?”

“How do I find time for everything at work?”

“How can I get the most out of 24 hours?”

“How can I get more time throughout the day?”

Or, in other words: “How do I take back control of my time?”

To find answers to these, and related questions, we consulted with professional experts in the field — time management and productivity coaches, mindset and life coaches, therapists, authors who covered related topics, health and wellness coaches, as well as other relevant experts.

For this article, we’ve gathered insights from their professional experience and expertise about what stops people from using time as they want, as well as actionable advice on how best to take back control of your free time and your time at work.

What is stopping people from spending time as they want?

Before you can take back control of your time in the future, you need to understand what’s taking away from your time at the present. The experts we talked with revealed 9 crucial obstacles that stop people from organizing their time as they want:

Interruptions

According to Frank Buck, the author of Get Organized! Time Management for School Leaders and Global Gurus’ #1 time management professional for the years 2019 and 2020, interruptions are the key culprit that take away from your time at work. Moreover, this problem has only increased over the years:

“A generation ago, if you could control the telephone and drop-in visitors, you could control your time. Today, add email, one or more text messaging apps, and Social Media to that list, just for starters. 

In an information-rich environment, we can always read one more tweet, read one more news article, or subscribe to one more online newsletter. The flood of incoming information is the enemy of focus.”

Working around the clock

When it comes to the matters that stop us from spending more time doing the things we love, it turns out that one of the biggest problems is — the inability to shake off work. Here’s how Frank Buck explains it:

“We tend to postpone the things we love to do until we finish the things we have to do. It’s hard enough to finish the things the world has told us we must do. As a result, the things that make life worth living get pushed off the table. We live in a world of abundance unlike anything history has seen. The technology in our pockets makes complex things simple. Still, we find ourselves living in overwhelm.”

The team at We Level Up, whose mission is to help people reach their full potential in terms of lifestyle and goals, attribute this need to work around the clock to financial necessity and a constant need for excellence:

“It’s harder to make a decent income these days and it is tedious to harvest a gainful skillset with how often technology changes. If you aren’t making a solid income, chances are the pressures of our economy are taking a toll on your time management. If you are making a solid income, chances are you are flooded with work and can’t find qualified employees to help with the burden. The emotional and physical labor poured into excelling in today’s world hurts our relationships with friends, family, and ourselves.”

Distractions (and our need for them)

Felicia Broccolo, a certified Life Coach at The Life Coach School, told us that a crucial reason for why we seemingly have so little time to do what we need or want, are little, everyday workplace distractions:

“Checking social media, chatting with a coworker, deciding what you are going to do, etc.”

Personal Productivity Coach & Consultant, Ravindra Kondekar, adds that we turn to distractions as a means to handle a lack of clarifications at work:

“The distractions come in many forms, but the root cause always is that people do not have the worthy alternatives ready to take up, at that moment. People could really do something related to their priority work, but either the actions needed are not clarified or if they are clarified, people do not remember them at the moment when the distraction takes them over.” 

Katina Mountanos, mindset coach and author of On Adulting: How Millennials (And Any Human, Really) Can Work Less, Live More and Bend the Rules for Good, further explains that it’s also our need for distractions that causes problems with time use, and not just the distractions themselves:

“In my opinion, the root of our distractions comes down to how our human brain is wired. Our brain’s purpose is to constantly be on the lookout for new stimuli — so keeping your phone physically next to you or your email in the background of your computer creates an environment ripe with stimuli (aka distractions). If we want to really understand our biggest distractions, the cause is not necessarily the stimuli around us, but how our minds react to them.”

A skewed perception of time use and priorities

Katina Mountanos adds another problem to the list — our skewed perception of everyday activities that leads to improper time use:

“Our definition of leisure has shifted so much in the past few decades, and we often bucket work or even survival needs, like sleeping and eating, into “leisure” time. 

On the flip side, American adults today spend over 11 hours each day consuming content. 

So, we’re spending our time in one of two ways: working or scrolling.” 

Kelly Harris Perin, member of the International Coach Federation and founder of Little Bites Coaching invested in helping leaders and teams increase productivity in sustainable, healthy ways, adds that we often cannot decide what our priority work even is:

“The biggest underlying problem for many folks is that they aren’t clear on their priority work. If you aren’t sure what’s most important and why, all tasks can seem equal, and you’ll tend to bop around to whatever shiny new problem pops up, or be more inclined to get pulled away from work to your kids or the news.”

Being overly optimistic about time use

Kelly Harris Perin further explains that it’s unfounded optimism that also makes us overestimate the time it takes us to tackle certain tasks, and subsequently disrupt our schedules:

“We tend to view time management challenges through a deficit lens and think they’re a result of poor boundaries and inefficient work habits. I like to reframe that and think of time management challenges as being rooted in optimism. We want to do all of the things and live our fullest lives, and we’re often just WAY too optimistic about the amount we can squeeze into a day or a week.”

Procrastination

Clovis Chow, an education expert and founder of the educational and student blog

TimeOrganizeStudy that teaches students about time management and productivity, cites procrastination as a big problem in maintaining control over your time.

This is especially true for the people who feel like they have little time to spend doing what they love, like hobbies, spending time with friends and family, or on self-care:

“These people constantly procrastinate or get distracted. As a result, they are unable to complete their tasks until the last minute, where they have no choice but to sacrifice their time for work instead of hobbies. This is the sad reality that many are living day by day.”

Multitasking, i.e. context switching

Time management and productivity coach, Megan Sumrell, cites context-switching as another key productivity problem — especially for women:

“This is when you are moving back and forth between the roles you play (aka employee, mom, business owner, wife, caregiver, etc) all day long. This creates the feeling of being on a hamster wheel all day long while not feeling productive. This is also why so many women don’t have any free time or time for self-care..they are too busy ping-ponging back and forth all day long.”

Sandra Glavan, anxiety expert and founder of Amosuir, further sheds light on the effect multitasking can have on your time use:

“In my experience, multitasking is distracting, ineffective, and inefficient, while also causing unnecessary stress and anxiety. Even if we think we can complete multiple tasks simultaneously, in reality, we cannot be fully present with any of these tasks, which reduces our efficiency and causes distraction. According to research, multitasking can require 40% extra time for completion, compared with focusing on one task at a time. More complex tasks can require even more time.” 

Poor planning habits

Felicia Broccolo cites another important factor in improper time use — and it’s improper planning:

“The problem is, most people go into their day with little to no plan regarding what they are going to get done.”

Sandy Rodrigez, the author of Choose to Prevail: Unexpected Insights to Help you Overcome Challenges, adds that having a poor planning system is just as bad as having no planning system at all:

“People often overlook something because they keep separate to-do lists or reminders, and it’s easy to forget to check one of them. They might have a wall calendar, a list on their phone, and scribbles on sticky notes. Who could keep track?”

The reluctance to say “No”

The Resource Director for Test Prep Insight, Psychology-Trained Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and Certified Life and Relationship Coach who frequently writes about the topic of stress and time management, Lynell Ross, explains that it’s our reluctance to say “No” to new tasks that takes control of our time at work:

“Most people have problems focusing on their own priorities because they are distracted by other people, and feel guilty about saying no. Even if you are highly motivated and organized, but allow other people to interrupt you and make their problems yours, you will continue to lose valuable time.”

She explains that we avoid saying “No” because of a fear of being perceived as “selfish” — as a result, we neglect our personal needs in favor of the needs of others:

“If you can’t say no, and learn to disappoint some people, then your needs will get pushed to the bottom of your list. People often think they are supposed to help others even at their own expense because they feel guilty about taking care of themselves.”

Empowerment mindset coach, speaker, author, and meditation teacher, Antoinette Beauchamp, adds that this guilt is actually tied to how we (and others) condition our behavior:

“When we put ourselves and what we love first, it’s easy for people to feel guilty about that choice because we’ve been conditioned (women especially) to be caretakers and put others’ needs before our own.

Yet, in truth, if we take care of ourselves, then we have more energy and compassion to take care of others. Exactly why they tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first in an airplane!”

Expert tips on how to take back control of your time

In the previous section, we talked about the problems that stop us from having control of our time — now, let’s look at some solutions.

Here’s what tips experts have to offer when it comes to taking back control of your time at work, and after work:

Tip #1: Take ownership of your time

According to Frank Buck, the key to taking back control of your time at work is taking ownership of your time, by planning it out:

“Start the day with a well-defined short list of what’s important for the day and make everything else get in line. Close the door. Let phone calls roll to voicemail. Nobody is going to protect your time for you, nor should they. It’s up to each of us.”

Personal and Business Mindset Mastery Success Coach and founder of Mindset Mastery Success, E. Marie Hall, also advises this practice for taking back control of the time you could be spending on self-care:

“Run your day — stop letting the day run you. 

This means plan out your day, week, and month. Set aside undistracted time each day to address the important areas of your life (Career, Finances, Health, Relationships, Spirituality). 

Your self-care must be prioritized and that means scheduled. When we make it non-negotiable there’s no room for excuses. When we take care of ourselves first, we have more to give others. Nothing can be poured from an empty cup.”

Tip #2: Be precise when planning your time

So, we already talked about how important it is to take ownership of your time by planning it. But, according to Felicia Broccolo, a crucial factor in that planning is deciding how much time you want to spend on each task, precisely:

“Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion,” (i.e. if you have an hour to do something, it takes you an hour, if you have all day, it takes you all day). 

My tips for taking back time at work and at home are the same. 

Before you do anything on Monday morning, take one hour to write down everything you need to do that week (work and otherwise) and write down in a planner or calendar exactly when you are going to do that thing and how long it will take you. 

You’ll be surprised by how much you can get done. 

If you only have 30 minutes to do something, all of a sudden it’s harder to justify scrolling through Instagram. 

Remember, your problem isn’t about having enough time, it’s about having enough focus.”

Alisha Powell, a therapist at Amethyst Counseling and Consulting, further advises that you plan your work hours, by the hour, in a time-blocked calendar:

“I have a calendar that has hour slots and I can write down exactly what tasks I have to complete for the day. I use it to schedule appointments, errands, and tasks so that I can stay organized. I also write down my tasks by order of priority so that I can leave room for the unexpected and stay flexible when something comes up.”

Tip #3: Use one daily planner for everything

Sandy Rodrigez offers a solution that will help you take control of both the activities that need to be done and the ones you want to do and are excited about — a pocket-sized paper day planner that has a full blank page for every day of the year:

“Every time I need or want to do an activity, I write it down. Be it running an errand, calling a friend, attending a meeting, doing the dishes, or going to the movies, in it goes. 

I write down birthdays and important dates on the proper pages; so I don’t need social media to alert me.”

If anything must be done by a certain date, I’ll add advance reminders. 

If a payment needs to be in by the 10th of every month, I will write that on the page meant for the 10th, but I’ll also write “bill must be paid by 10th” on a previous page, such as the one for the 8th. 

When it makes sense, I break down activities into manageable chunks. 

Rather than writing “file taxes” on one page, I divide that into steps like “set up appointment with preparer,” “track down receipts,” etc., each one on its own page. 

I schedule activities I enjoy for weekdays. This avoids the trap of saving whatever brings you happiness for weekends only, and helps you live every day to the fullest. 

My technique requires everything to go into one book. When you look at all of your appointments and activities, you feel in-demand and productive, and crossing items off the list is rewarding. 

This system prevents stress. 

I feel no anxiety about things that need to happen since they’re all written down where they can easily be accessed. Since I don’t have to struggle to remember that information, I can put any activity not at hand completely out of my mind. This creates more space for creativity and relaxation.”

Tip #4: Understand how you spend time at work

“The first thing I recommend doing is a time evaluation by recording what you are doing every minute of the day for a week,”  says Amalie Shaffer, co-owner of Systematic Excellence Consulting and certified advisor whose duties include helping business owners improve efficiency in their business and private lives:

“It is tedious but once we know where we are spending our time we can assess where things can change.” 

Katina Mountanos further explains why understanding where you spend time is important for reclaiming control of your time at work, especially in terms of the time you may be wasting on distractions:

“I think it’s really important to get honest about your working style. Most people don’t truly understand how much time they spend engaging in these stimuli, or distractions, on a daily basis.

So, if you often feel distracted or sidetracked but don’t know why I suggest trying a little experiment on yourself. 

Whether it’s for one day or an entire week, keep track of how you truly spend your time during the workday. 

How often do you check your phone while working in front of your computer? 

How many times do you take “breaks” in the kitchen? 

None of these actions are necessarily bad per se, but getting clear about what your day looks like is the first step towards making change. 

From there, you can analyze your biggest time culprits and make small shifts to change your working environment, like keeping your phone in another room, or setting aside specific times of the day to take snack breaks.

It all comes down to staying flexible and honest with yourself.” 

Tip #5: Understand how much free time you have

Katina Mountanos further emphasizes why it’s important to understand how you spend your free time as well:

“My number 1 tip for taking control of your free time is similar to my recommendation above — get really, really clear about how you spend your time right now. 

You might be surprised to find that you have a lot more time than you think, but you’re spending it in ways that are draining rather than fulfilling. 

After getting really clear about what your time looks like, create a list of activities that would really bring you joy — maybe ones you haven’t done since you were a kid, like painting or dancing. Set aside a small amount of time each week to experiment with these practices so you can turn them into a habit.” 

Tip #6: Review and revise your current work schedule

“For many of us with packed calendars, moving through a week can feel like a game of calendar Tetris — moving appointments, shortening meetings, and trying to squeeze more and more in”, says Kelly Harris Perin. She proposes you think about how you schedule your work time now, in order to establish a better workflow in the future: 

“I recommend taking a step back from Tetris, printing out a blank weekly calendar, and taking some time to sketch out your ‘ideal but real’ weekly flow. Start with your work hours:

What’s a reasonable start and stop time for you? 

Do you want to work out a few times a week at lunchtime, or need to take off from 3-4 pm every day to play with your kids when they’re done with school? 

What’s your ideal flow of meetings — many in a row or all spread out? 

Do you need to protect time for deep work like writing or data analysis?

You might not be anywhere close to your ideal-but-real weekly flow YET, but having it in mind can help you nudge closer to it over time.”

Tip #7: Always start your workday with the right tasks

Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley’s longest-serving CEO, author of Tough Things First and Zen of Zinn, and founder and former CEO of Micrel Semiconductor, told us that the trick to taking your time back at work is working on the more challenging tasks early in the day:

“My number one tip for taking back work time is to always do the tough things first. By doing so, you clear the biggest boulders first and set the tone for a more productive day. 

You also learn discipline which builds on itself, enabling you to become more and more skilled at tasks that you likely used to hate. When you learn to love the things you used to hate, you take back more and more time and become far more productive than you thought possible. 

This one strategy enabled me to run Micrel Semiconductor for 37 years, 36 which were profitable.”

Tip #8: Take a break from digital devices

Digital devices are infamous time-wasters — and we often turn to them because we are bored. But, boredom can be an opportunity for reclaiming your time, instead of a nuisance, as explained by Manoush Zomorodi in her book Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self:

“Boredom is the gateway to mind-wandering, which helps our brains create those new connections that can solve anything from planning dinner to a breakthrough in combating global warming.”

In order to obtain more time to be “bored” and put your use of digital devices under control, she writes about 7 challenges you can tackle:

1. Observe yourself — in this challenge, you should aim to track and understand your digital habits to see how you use your digital devices in the first place.
2. Keep your devices out of reach while in motion — in this challenge, you should keep your phone out of sight while you are walking, driving, or are otherwise in transit.
3. Photo-free day — in this challenge, you should refrain from taking any pictures.
4. Delete that app — in this challenge, you should take one app you think you can’t live without, and simply delete it.
5. Take a fake vacation, i.e. a “facation” — in this challenge, you should disconnect from all communication apps and systems while at the office.
6. Observe something else —in this challenge, you should make the effort to notice something other than your phone that’s interesting in your environment.
7. The bored and brilliant challenge — in this challenge, as the culmination of the previous challenges, you should use your newfound “boredom” caused by the minimized use of your digital devices, to make better sense of your life and set goals accordingly.

Tip #9: Stop checking your inbox all the time

According to experts cited in our 2020 study on the time spent doing recurring tasks, people spend 28% of their time at work managing emails. In total, that leads to anywhere between 1.5 and 2.5 hours spent reading and replying to emails.

Moreover, research and experts, such as the ones we’ve cited in our workaholism-related statistics, show that we have difficulties resisting the urge to check emails, even after work. Let’s take the UK employees as an example:

• 57% check emails during the weekends
• 30% check emails throughout the night
• 23% check emails while on vacation
• 20% check emails while in bed
• 16% can’t eat without checking their emails

As a solution to getting back control of this time, Frank Buck proposes a structured approach to handling emails:

“Turn off email notifications. A few times during the day, handle every email in one batch. An empty email inbox is not only possible, it’s a necessity for achieving peace of mind. We teach people how to treat us. If we respond to every question immediately, we teach people they can wait until the last minute and we will drop everything to handle their request.”

Tip #10: Prioritize your needs through Intuitive Scheduling

“The idea of prioritizing your free time can sometimes feel selfish or daunting, but this is ultimately a mindful tool to keep your energy high so that you’re spreading your positive energy with others.”, Antoinette Beauchamp begins to explain how you can implement Intuitive Scheduling, a productivity technique she invented, in order to prioritize your free time.

According to the definition, Intuitive Scheduling is “a heart-centered methodology where you plan your days according to what would bring you the most joy and ease — it goes hand-in-hand with connecting to yourself to understand what your needs are, personally and professionally”.

Here’s how Antoinette illustrates it:

“If you’re tired, allow yourself to rest. If you know you need to eat 5x a day, always have snacks nearby. If you know you get burnt out from meetings, then schedule them further apart.

Start by taking inventory of your day and noticing how certain habits and routines affect you. With this intuitive knowledge, you can manipulate and adjust your schedule to suit your unique needs — and it may be different each day! 

By giving yourself permission to shift and go with the flow intuitively, you are also giving yourself more space to discover motivation, gain confidence, and refine your version of productivity. 

So, to control your free time, it’s all about listening to your gut and giving yourself space. That’s why intuitive scheduling is so empowering. It gives you your power back when it comes to your free time and how you want to spend it. 

By prioritizing your needs and what your intuition says is best for you at the moment, it supports the greater good by shifting the energy around you. 

Something we all need right now!”

Tip #11: Ask for help from others

Melissa Kepler, Strengths Coach at Capital Humans where she focuses on helping people achieve personal growth, proposes another interesting approach that should help you succeed in prioritizing your own needs. Simply, mask your own needs as requests from others — in order to make them seem non-negotiable:

“I find that people often make a silent mental distinction between requests made of them by *others *and requests they make of *themselves*. 

Requests from other people — the deadline from your boss, or the two dozen cupcakes for the bake sale — feel non-negotiable. 

Requests from yourself — to get more sleep, or take some time to paint, or actually go jogging – feel fake and low-priority.

My tip, if this resonates with you, is to hack your brain by having someone else give you the request — but they have to actually mean it. 

If your best friend begs you, for *her *sake, to please come out to brunch with her to catch up, it’s no longer something you can ignore. It’s a request from someone else. 

If your boss *insists *you take a day off to recharge before a big project starts, that’s not something you can deny. It’s not selfish — it’s necessary!”

Tip #12: Learn how to say “No”

“In order to live a well-intentioned life, we must learn the art of saying no!”, explains Warren Wong, blog founder and author whose mission is to inspire and teach 1 million people to take control of their lives and do what they love:

“While fumbling to get ready for work, juggling spouse and children, we forget what is important in our lives. We lose track of our health, relationships, and start feeling lost in the day to day grind.

Our most valuable resources are time and energy. Be very protective of both!

If there is a person that drains your time and energy, avoid them or politely decline their invitation. 

If there is a job that is draining your youth and mental sanity, then it may be time to start a job search. 

If you absolutely hate that book you’re reading, then it’s time to say no, and find another one.

Saying no is simple, yet powerful. It requires 1 part courage, 1 part self-awareness, and 1 part self-love.”

E. Marie Hall further suggests taking the time to decide what types of requests and tasks to say “No” to:

“Make a list of tasks that can be eliminated and/or designated. 

And, if you don’t think this is possible ask yourself: “If my life depended on it, could I let go?” 

Most likely the answer would be YES. And, the quality of your life DOES depend on it, so start with self-management!” 

As another solution to making it easier to say “No”, Lynell Ross suggests simply planning your work on a larger scale:

“Prioritize each day, working backward from your end goals. Look at your larger objectives, then break out your months, weeks and days into action steps with deadline dates. Once you know what you need to do, you will be much better at saying “No” to people who interrupt you or ask you to do things for them.”

Tip #13: Battle your multitasking habits

When it comes to the time-consuming problem of multitasking (i.e. context switching), Megan Sumrell advises you battle it by defining time blocks for your activities:

“When you learn how to create the right type of type blocks in your day to minimize context switching, it opens the doors to massive time freedom!”

To further help you avoid multitasking, Sandra Glavan advises you to outline your priority tasks and focus on them first:

“The only way you can take control of your time is to write an updated priorities list each day. We can have hundreds of tasks that we need to complete, but in order to start getting through these effectively, we always need to focus on the priorities first. 

I always write my new list of priorities at the end of each working day, while everything is still fresh in my mind. Then, each morning, when I start work, I have my priorities already outlined, and I don’t start anything else until they are done! 

I have learned that this is highly effective for increasing productivity!”

Tip #14: Establish a distraction-free environment for work

As a great tactic to help you minimize time-consuming distractions, Clovis Chow advises you create a suitable environment to work in:

“My #1 tip would be for one to find and create an optimal working environment for themselves, free of any distractions. 

This can be putting their gadgets outside their room where they cannot see or hear any notifications or simply finding a nice quiet place where they can focus.”

When it comes to the devices you need for work, Megan Sumrell advises turning off push notifications on your apps when you want to fully focus on an important task, and returning to them at a later time:

“The first thing I tell my clients to do is to turn off ALL notifications on their devices (phone, tablet, and computer). 

Then, create set times during the day where you check in on email, messages, alerts, etc.”

And, if you cannot resist browsing Social Media from time to time, Alisha Powell advises you do it in time blocks — the way she personally approaches this time suck:

“I make it a point to only get on social media in 5-minute time frames and once my alarm goes off I resume my other tasks.”

Tip #15: Schedule your breaks

Antoinette Beauchamp advises that you schedule your breaks, in order to make sure you reclaim some of your time at work:

“It’s allllllllll about creating mindful breaks in your calendar. Look at your schedule and make incremental breaks, anywhere from 5-30 minutes, throughout your work week calendar. 

When you have that 5-30 minutes free, check-in with yourself. Track your mood throughout your day. What are you feeling at that moment? What on your joy list do you feel you want to dive into? What do your mind and body need? 

If you maintain these boundaries, you will find that your motivation will increase and your productivity because all of these small breaks are like a reset on your energy.”

Tip #16: Schedule your free time

If scheduling your tasks is key to making sure you work on all your priority tasks at work, it’s no wonder experts agree that scheduling is also key to making sure you have enough time (and motivation) for your leisure activities after work:

Lynell Ross advises you officially schedule select leisure activities in a calendar — and then stick to the said schedule at all costs:

“Allow blocks of time for exercise, resting, having fun with friends, and doing activities you love. 

Keep these appointments with yourself as diligently as you would a doctor or business appointment.”

Amalie Shaffer agrees that time blocking is an efficient solution to scheduling your free time:

“It forces us to create appointments for all the things we want to accomplish in a day. When we don’t set time aside for things it is too easy to push it off and do it another time.”

Katine Mountanos adds that scheduling fun activities makes them even more enjoyable, and makes them equal to work tasks in terms of importance:

““Scheduling” fun into our calendar makes that event 30% more enjoyable than if it was simply spontaneous. 

And that way, we can give those activities the same respect as we would a meeting or hours spent on the couch scrolling through Instagram.”

Clovis Chow emphasizes the importance of scheduling as a means for battling procrastination, and making sure your time is well-spent:

“Honestly, if there is no schedule for people to follow, they would simply waste time until the last minute. By having a schedule, they know when to work and when to rest, ensuring a good balance of both.”

Kimberly Duff, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor the owner of an online private counseling practice at Overcomers Counseling, further advises you schedule your self-care activity or hobby at the same time as another, suitable personal obligation:

“For example, a mom could work on her cross-stitch project weekly at the same day and time while she is waiting for a child to finish soccer practice.”

Tip #17: Pick a priority leisure activity and commit to it

We often have several leisure activities we want to enjoy on a weekly basis. But, we may not have time for all of them. Antoinette Beauchamp proposes you highlight everything that makes you happy and then select one priority among these leisure activities that you will find time for no matter what:

“Write a list of everything that brings you joy and makes you feel at ease— this can be something as small as “drinking a cup of tea outside” or “talking to my best friend.” 

Commit to doing at least one thing on this list a day, and use it as a resource whenever you need a mental, physical, or emotional boost.”

Kelly Harris Perin agrees with the practice of singling out one priority leisure activity and adds additional tips that will help you commit to it:

“Start by choosing just one thing that feels important to you and committing to it 100%.

 It could be something small- get to my yoga class every Tuesday in November, walk around the block instead of doing email at lunch 3x/week, call 1 friend or family member per day, stay off of work email between 7 pm – 9 am. 

Set up a checklist for yourself on your phone, Google doc, or a fancy bullet journal page and commit to tracking your success for at least 2 weeks. 

At the end of your 2 weeks, you can celebrate your efforts and decide if you’re ready to add in another commitment.”

Tip #18: Take the time to enjoy small moments

Prianca Naik, a board-certified internal medicine physician and life coach specialized in helping professionals moms build an energized and less stressful life at StressCleanse MD, emphasizes the importance of taking the time to enjoy small moments throughout the day:

“One of the reasons we multitask and do 10 things at once is that we do not take quality time to ourselves. When we actually make time to work out, savor our morning cup of coffee, or meditate, we tend to be more present in what we are doing.”

So, the next time you’re trying to cram dozens of tasks throughout the week, don’t forget to schedule some “me” time as well — and, even more importantly allow yourself to actually enjoy it. Dr. Naik proposes you approach the matter in the following manner:

“Schedule time on your calendar in 10 minute blocks several times a week to do something nice for yourself. (If you don’t do it, no one will).”

Tip #19: Make your tasks less urgent

In order to save more time for leisure activities, Ravindra Kondekar proposes implementing a modified approach to The Eisenhower Matrix, a time management technique meant to help you highlight and focus on your priorities.

The original technique works as follows:

You divide all your tasks into quadrants, based on their importance and urgency:

• Important and urgent tasks go to Quadrant 1
• Important, but not urgent tasks go to Quadrant 2
• Urgent, but not important tasks go to Quadrant 3
• The tasks that are neither urgent nor important go to Quadrant 4

You work on tasks from Quadrant 1 first, then move on to tasks from Quadrant 2. You delegate tasks from Quadrant 3 and eliminate those from Quadrant 4.

Although most priority tasks fall under Quadrant 1, Ravindra Kondekar suggests planning your work ahead, in such a way that minimize these urgent tasks, and places most of your tasks in Quadrant 2:

“The biggest secret of squeezing out time for doing what people love, which typically is discretionary, is to stay in Quadrant 2 of the Eisenhower Matrix, i.e., doing activities that are important but not urgent.

Activities in Quadrant 1, i.e., important and urgent, take more time than when they are in Quadrant 2. 

It’s not just that; people do not have control over their time when they have Quadrant 1 activities. 

Further, when you do activities that are in Quadrant 1, you set a vicious cycle of more Quadrant 1 activities. That’s how you lose control of your time totally and the discretionary activities bear the brunt. 

Fortunately, a written down list of well-defined actions towards your goals is the solution here too as it would help people to stay in Quadrant 2.” 

Conclusion

Taking back control of your time may seem like a challenge, due to a constant string of interruptions, distractions, and other problems that come your way to stop you from carrying out your day as you intended.

But, if you take extra time to schedule everything you want to do, from work tasks to leisure activities, rethink what you view as priority tasks, as well as make the extra effort to prioritize your own needs,  you’ll make great progress towards spending your time at work, and after work, in a way that’s best for you.

So, when you see that you are scheduled to work on an otherwise treasured holiday, or have to clock in extra time to finish all your work before the end of the year, you may wonder:

“How do I stay focused on work during the holidays?”

“How can I have a productive holiday?”

If you are working from home, this challenge may seem even more serious, posing the question:

“How can I stay home and stay focused at work?”

So, to help you tackle your priority tasks or simply finish your scheduled shift, here are 10 tips on how to stay focused at work and not get distracted while the number of holiday festivities is tipping the odds against you:

If you can, start your workday earlier

If you work on a flexible schedule, you have the opportunity to start your day in such a way that you finish your work earlier.

So, instead of sleeping in, make the effort to get up early in the morning during the holiday season — for example, at 6:00 am or 6:30 am.

Make it a routine to have a light breakfast, perform a couple of quick exercises to energize yourself, and try to start work no later than 7:00 am.

This way, if you have to work a fixed amount of 8 hours per day, you’ll always finish your workday by 3:00 pm. You’ll likely complete all the work you’ve scheduled for the day with no rush, and still have plenty of time to enjoy all the festivities you want.

Take at least a few days off

Research shows that as much as 27.3% of US adults don’t take time off during the holiday season. But, just because you’ll work during the holidays doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take some time off before or after the holidays.

If you have a couple of vacation days left, use them to do some early holiday shopping and spend at least some quality time with your family and friends — like watching a rerun of this year’s NFL’s Thanksgiving Day games, or hanging up the Christmas decorations earlier.

If there’s time, maybe you can even squeeze in a couple of days at an isolated spa resort or a snowy mountain cabin.

This way, you’ll feel at least a little bit refreshed and recharged when you go back to the office, and thus more likely to focus on work in a productive manner.

While at work, focus on work

If you have to work harder during the holidays, make sure you actually finish some of your workload during this time. Don’t just dabble with online shopping, like 57% of US adults already do, or procrastinate by browsing Pinterest to find ideas for innovative Christmas tree decorations.

Instead, make a to-do list of your priorities, estimate the time it will take you to finish each assignment, block time in your calendar for these assignments, and then start your work.

For extra insight into your routine, you can also track the time you spend working during the holidays to decide whether such a practice is productive for you at all – perhaps you’ll find that you’re actually wasting more time than saving it?

Isolate yourself from distractions

This tip can apply to people who have workplace distractions to tackle, but it especially applies to those who work from home. This practice of working from home comes with its fair share of challenges, to begin with, even when it’s not the holiday season — but the problems seem to multiple come festive time.

So, in addition to figuring out how to dissuade your cat from sleeping on your keyboard, you’ll also probably want to know how to block the sound of your family caroling or watching inevitable reruns of the Home Alone series.

The trick here is to isolate yourself from auditory distractions as much as you can.

If you have a separate room for work, you’re off to a great start — closing the door of your home office is usually enough to at least muffle distracting sounds. Plus, it is likely to dissuade members of your household from interrupting you (and, the cat simply can’t get in).

But, if you live in a small apartment, you won’t have the luxury of physically isolating yourself from the rest of the family.

Either way, it’s highly recommended that you invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Just, put them on and configure a white noise generator app, or play some productivity-enhancing music (or do both, for the best effect). This should block most, if not all noise — even when your mother and sister are standing right next to you, fighting about whose turn it is to make eggnog.

As an added bonus, having the headphones on should serve as a visual reminder for your family members to refrain from interrupting you — and, you should be able to focus on your work with no problem.

Take short breaks from work

So, we already discussed how to deal with distractions such as the sound of your family’s holiday activities when working from home. But, eventually, it won’t be just your need to block these distractions that will be the problem — it will be your need to join in, despite the workload that still awaits you.

You can try to manage this need by taking occasional breaks. If you really want to join in and sing your favorite carol, help your son proofread his letter to Santa, or catch your favorite Christmas movie scene, then take a short break to do it. Afterward, be sure to take the headphones back on, and focus your attention back on your tasks.

If you fear that you won’t be able to find the willpower to resume work when the time comes, it’s highly recommendable that you create a special work-break schedule.

One solution you can implement for this purpose is the Pomodoro time management technique — it requires you to operate in 25-minute work intervals and 5-minute break intervals that alternate. After four 25/5-minute cycles, you take a well-deserved 20-minute break, before taking on another four cycles. By sticking to this work-break schedule, you’ll find time in your day both for work tasks and festivity-filled breaks.

Structure, organize, and filter your work

Saying “yes” to all requests while at work during the holidays only sets you up for failure –  given that you’re probably having trouble concentrating in the first place with all those festive temptations and the call of the holiday spirit.

So, be selective with what you take on – list all your work, and decide what are your most important and most urgent tasks and goals for this time period.

Then, make sure you start each workday with your most demanding challenge. This way, you’ll ensure you finish your most difficult task early on, and clear your daily schedule for more pleasant tasks – or some time to exchange Secret Santa presents.

At the end of each workday, make sure you also checkmark all the tasks you’ve completed that day – you’ll feel a boost of confidence once you see how much you’ve managed to finish.

Before going to bed, take 15 minutes to write another list of tasks you plan to finish tomorrow. It will help you organize your work in a well-structured manner and provide a great perspective on your future workload – perhaps you’ll find that you’re progressing faster than you thought you would.

Eliminate some tasks from your schedule

If you want to be efficient during the holidays, you’ll also need to eliminate tasks that are neither important nor urgent enough to deserve your focus and attention at the moment.

This can be an outline for a project that’s due months from now, or a random email you’re only looking to answer out of politeness.

By working on these tasks, you’ll just be wasting away those precious minutes you could be spending on finalizing that project that’s due tomorrow.

So, allocate extra time to tasks that need to be done as soon as possible – and leave the rest for after New Year’s Eve.

Don’t work the entire day

Working during the holidays sounds grim, especially when you also have to work overtime, but it never means you have to spend 24/7 worrying about your tasks. Instead, work when you should, but join in on the festive activities when you clock out.

For example, plan a late dinner with your family over Thanksgiving, a festive-themed game night, or a midnight movie marathon of your favorite Christmas movies over the weekend. You can even schedule these holiday activities in a planner, next to your work activities, in order to make sure you carry them out.

In the end, knowing that you’ll be able to unwind after work hours will always make it easier to focus on a task at hand in the morning.

Avoid multitasking

Multitasking may seem like a great solution to help you finish more tasks in less time, but you’re more likely to waste this time than maximize it. Namely, what most people would call multitasking, is actually switching between tasks in such rapid succession that you rarely have the time or energy to focus on an activity. As a result, you can’t finish any of the tasks you’re “multitasking” on, with the expected quality.

So, no, it’s probably not a good idea to answer client emails and browse Black Friday deals while attending a meeting.

Instead, you can try to carry out these activities in separate, well-defined time blocks — just, use a time blocking planner to allocate specific times to each of your tasks. Then, focus on each scheduled task during the allocated time, before moving on to the next one in your planner.

For example:

• Time block 1 [30 minutes, 9:00 am – 9:30 am]: answer emails
• Time block 2 [30 minutes, 9:30 am – 10:00 am]: attend a meeting
• Time block 3 [5 minutes, 10:00 am – 10:05 am]: a short break reserved for browsing Black Friday deals

By breaking these tasks into separate time slots instead of tackling them together, you ensure you have the energy to focus on each with undivided attention and effort. Plus, by scheduling an official time block for a fun activity, you’ll be more likely to resist the urge to pause your work at random for it, instead.

Ask your loved ones to respect your work hours

Working while your loved ones are planning Christmas or Thanksgiving get-togethers means you’re bound to get caught into at least some of the logistical problems — even if you have decided to host only a virtual party via a video call this year.

But, it’s hard to find online holiday-themed games your mother can play with her nephews while you’re fixing critical bugs on your company’s app.

Not that you’re family and friends will always understand this.

To make sure you get quality work done, you’ll need to explain that you won’t be able to help your loved ones as much as you would like. Be clear on the times of day you won’t be able to answer their calls and requests – and instruct them how to reach you if there’s an absolute emergency.

Also, be clear on what absolute emergencies mean – i.e. something you’re absolutely necessary to help them with.

A ruined turkey dinner with no way of securing another unless you pick up the catering on the way home? An emergency they can contact you for.

An aunt you barely know having a row with your sister and refusing to join you for Christmas? They should leave you to focus on those app bugs.

Wrapping up

Staying focused on work during the holidays only sounds impossible – but the right hacks can do wonders for your concentration. If you do all the aforementioned, you’ll ensure that you have both enough focus for your work and enough time to take in at least some of the holiday spirit.

• What is multitasking, and why do professionals pursue it?
• What is context switching, and what is its cost on our cognitive ability, time use, and profitability?
• What are cognitive flexibility, supertaskers, and the Cognitive Switching Penalty, i.e. the concepts usually associated with jumping between tasks and projects?
• How can we best switch between tasks and projects, without losing productivity?

What is multitasking? Why do people pursue it?

In popular culture, multitasking often implies working on at least two tasks at the same time. And, it would seem that professionals often need to turn to such a practice.

Let’s take software engineers, for example. According to a survey by Electric Cloud, they spend only 19.1 hours of the 41.5 they usually work per week, on building software. The remaining 22.4 hours are spent on brainstorming, emails, meetings, as well as waiting for builds and tests to complete. That’s a lot of diverse work right there.

Moreover, if we consider that software engineers often actively work on one project, but also provide maintenance for one to three projects they’ve already completed, that leaves little time to focus on one project or task at a time. Even when the said projects or tasks are labeled as a priority.

So, it seems only logical that you would try to answer some client emails while attending a meeting about the recurring problems in your newest app feature, in order to save time.

After all, if it usually takes 10 minutes to perform Task 1 and 10 minutes to perform Task 2, working on both tasks at the same time should take 10 minutes in total, right?

But, in reality, this kind of simultaneous work is almost impossible — because most brains are simply unable to process separate sets of information with the same devotion.

In other words, while we think we are working on two tasks at the same time, we are actually focusing more on Task 1 and letting Task 2 serve as a distraction to Task 1. As a result, neither task gets done with the expected quality, and we may experience a 40% decline in productivity.

Can anyone really multitask?

Although most people need to invest extra effort to divide their attention across multiple tasks (and still fail), ~2.5% of the population doesn’t have this problem.

They’re called supertaskers.

Supertaskers simply HAVE the cognitive ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously, without making mistakes, or pausing. In fact, they actually perform better when multitasking than when single-tasking. According to David Strayer, the co-author of the experiment that singled out these multitasking geniuses, this is because supertaskers have different brains than the rest of the population.

You may be a supertasker if you:

• have a high level of attention control
• have the ability to make decisions instantly
• thrive under stress
• have better self-control when working under a heavy workload

You can also take official tests to help define your multitasking ability, such as the one you can find at supertasker.org.

What is context switching?

Most of the time, context switching is the real multitasking.

Namely, what ~97.5% of the population would call multitasking, is actually jumping between tasks — i.e. switching between contexts — in such rapid succession, that it seems like we are working on two tasks at once.

It is a popular practice at the workplace, given the amount of workload we face every day — but, it comes with a cost.

What is the cost of context switching?

So, people aim to work on multiple tasks in a short time period because they think this practice will help them save time.

But, instead of speeding up work, when you switch the focus of your attention from one task to another, you tend to experience the Cognitive Switching Penalty. Your brain spends extra time and energy loading and reloading contexts into your working memory — and, this significantly slows down your progress on the tasks you’re trying to multitask on. You feel busy throughout the day, but, you get less done, and feel more tired.

Various research shows that multitasking, or context switching, has other negative effects on our cognitive abilities, our time use, and even our profitability:

The cost of context switching on our cognitive abilities

• A study at the University of London found that the study participants who worked simultaneously on cognitive tasks would experience an IQ score decline of 15 points while doing so.
• Researchers at the University of Sussex found that operating on multiple digital devices simultaneously (e.g. texting and watching TV at the same time) leads to a decrease in brain density.
• Researchers at the University of Oregon found that chronic multitaskers have focus and memory problems, and problems switching context quickly.

The cost of context switching on our time use

• A case study from 2001 showed that office workers react to new emails within 6 seconds. Afterward, it takes them ~64 seconds to resume work on their previous tasks. These new emails cause 96 interruptions, which builds up to ~1.5 hours per day.
• One research paper from 2005 showed that getting distracted by ~2.3 tasks at a time leads to a time loss of 25 minutes before work is resumed on the right task.
• One research paper from 2007 showed that people lose 10 minutes being distracted by new emails and app notifications, as well as 10-15 minutes being distracted by other types of tasks.
• One  research paper from 2013 showed that 60% of respondents couldn’t resist the urge to work on multiple tasks simultaneously, even when specifically told to avoid doing so. As a result, they lost 3 minutes for every 32 minutes they spent working.

The monetary cost of context switching

• According to one Forbes article, if the total time lost on interruptions is 2.1 hours per employee, per day (546 hours per year), the monetary costs of this lost time is $8,190 for an employee paid $15 per hour. For a company with 1,000 employees, that builds up to $31,500 lost per day, and nearly $8.2 million per year.
• One report about “The Effects of Multitasking on Organizations” covering 45 organizations from a range of industries showed the estimated cost of productivity the global economy loses on multitasking goes as high as $450 billion per year.

Does context switching have any benefits?

One study from 2008, indicated that jumping between tasks may speed up work on your main task, instead of slowing it down — but, only if we get interrupted on a task, and not seek out new tasks ourselves.

The participants from this study took 23 minutes to finish the task that interrupted them and refocus attention on the previous task afterward. But, they would still finish their main tasks quicker than people who weren’t interrupted — and, with the same quality.

This would occur because the people who were interrupted knew they were losing time, so they would speed up work. 

Unfortunately, the downside of such context switching was an increase in stress levels — which wasn’t unexpected, given the faster pace of work.

What type of people are better at context switching?

In short — those that have high cognitive flexibility.

Being cognitively flexible means you’re able to

• shift attention between tasks, and adapt to different rules associated with the said tasks
• analyze situations and find alternative solutions to help you move on from one task to the next

Cognitive flexibility may also manifest as task switching (set-shifting) — the ability to unconsciously shift attention between one task and the next.

To test your cognitive flexibility, try The Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) or The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) — a great score on them indicates that you have the mental ability to switch between thinking about multiple concepts, or even think about multiple concepts at the same time.

The Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) is a simple one — you get a written list of colors, but they are written in the wrong color of ink (e.g. the color blue is written in red ink). You need to identify each color and say it aloud, and not read the word (e.g. say red, for the word “blue” written in red).

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) revolves around sorting cards based on various criteria, such as color, number, or shape.

The criteria will change throughout the test, but you won’t be able to tell when — you’ll need to pay attention to the error messages indicating you should change your matching strategy.

You can find an example of the test online, at PsyToolkit (pictured below).

How best to switch between projects and tasks?

Yes, most researchers show that switching context through tasks and projects has more detriments than benefits — but, given the amount of workload we have on our hands, working on multiple tasks and projects during the day is rarely just an option, and more often a necessity.

However, you can work on easing the detrimental effects of context switching — here are 11 tips on how best to handle switching between projects and tasks, without losing productivity:

1. Multitask on tasks that require different parts of the brain
2. Group all tasks of the same type together
3. Limit the time you’ll spend on certain tasks
4. Use visual/audio reminders to guide your work
5. Schedule all tasks of the same type on the same days
6. Implement A/B Schedules
7. Make cognitively demanding tasks less demanding
8. Pause work on tasks/projects in the right places
9. Always document everything
10. Improve your cognitive flexibility
11. Emulate supertaskers

Tip #1: Multitask on tasks that require different parts of the brain

One of the best ways to jump between tasks and projects in rapid succession is to make sure that the tasks in question do not require:

• The same type of processing
• The same type of attention

Example:

Combine a motor task, such as replacing the battery in your laptop or setting up a new desktop computer, with a cognitive task, such as discussing feature ideas for your new app with the colleagues you share an office with.

Considering that these two tasks require faraway areas of the brain, you’ll create the illusion that you’re not even performing two types of tasks at the same time, thus minimizing the negative effects of jumping between tasks.

Tip #2: Group all tasks of the same type together

If you have recurring tasks you need to tackle each day, even if the said tasks belong to different projects, it’s best that you group them together into time blocks. Time blocks represent specific time periods during the day which are reserved only for specific tasks.

This technique is a great solution when you want to organize work on your priority tasks throughout the day — just make sure you give yourself enough time to finish everything at a reasonable pace.

To ensure you understand when it’s time to switch to the next time block, it’s best that you use an app such as Clockify time tracker — a type of software that will enable you to keep track of your time blocks down to a second.

Example: 

• [9:00 am – 9:30 am]: Read and respond to emails
• [9:30 am – 12:30 pm]: Time reserved for your most important and urgent tasks
• [12:30 pm – 1:00 pm]: Lunch break
• [1:00 pm – 2:30 pm]: Time reserved for your most important and urgent tasks
• [2:30 pm – 3:30 pm]: Time reserved for your most important, but less urgent tasks
• [3:30 pm – 4:30 pm]: Time reserved for unexpected tasks
• [4:30 pm – 5:00 pm]: Read and respond to emails

You don’t have to spend these entire time blocks working — take breaks throughout your blocks, but, make sure you always move on to the next block once the time for the previous one has expired. If the time estimates you gave for the completion of these tasks were correct, you’ll have no problem finishing everything you need during a time block.

Tip #3: Limit the time you’ll spend on certain tasks

Sometimes, your tasks will vary in relevance and importance. Some tasks will be a priority, while others will be less relevant, to the point of looking like distractions when compared to priority tasks (emails and meetings are the first to spring to mind).

But, you’ll still need to perform them.

For this purpose, you can try a time management technique called Timeboxing.

On the surface, this technique is the same as Time Blocking — you assign your tasks to specific time periods, and work on them during these times.

But, while time blocking is meant to help you find time for your priority tasks, timeboxing is meant to help you limit the time you’ll spend on secondary tasks. You’re supposed to work on tasks during the allotted timeboxes, and as soon as the time is up, you’re supposed to move immediately.

We already mentioned that you need to be careful when defining time blocks, because you’ll need to finish what you want during this time — but, with timeboxes, you’re just aiming to finish these tasks as soon as possible. So, once a timebox is up, move on to your next timebox or priority task with no regret — you can always come back to them later when you have more time.

Example: 

Take the first time block you’ve assigned yourself for the day (the one related to reading and responding to emails, from 9:00 am to 9:30 am), and divide it into short timeboxes which you’ll use to limit the time you spend on individual emails to 5 minutes.

Tip #4: Use visual/audio reminders to guide your work

This is a great tactic to help remind you it’s time to refocus your attention to a different task or project.

You set up a visual and/or sound alarm, and work on one task/project until a sound goes off and/or a visual cue appears, after which you switch to another task/project.

For this purpose, it’s best that you use a suitable app, such as a Pomodoro app. They’re based on a popular time management technique called Pomodoro, which is similar to time blocking, only more structured. You alternate between 25-minute work blocks and 5-minute break blocks, in 4 cycles that are followed by a 20-minute break.

With a Pomodoro app, the end of each work or break block is marked with a sound alarm and/or visual notification.

Example:

The suggested 25/5/4/20 routine is the official Pomodoro technique. But, you can also tweak these times to your liking. Research shows that we work best in 90-minute segments — it’s the perfect time to help you build focus, but not exhaust you.

So, you can:

1. Work on Task 1 for 90 minutes
2. Take a 5-minute break
3. Switch focus to Task 2 for 90 minutes.

As you are working in longer blocks, it’s best that you work 2 cycles at a time and then take a longer, 30-minute break.

To implement this modified routine, you can use the Pomodore feature in Clockify’s app for macOS or Clockify’s extensions for Chrome or Firefox, which also have Pomodoro timer built in.

Simply, go to the extension’s settings and set the timers for work, breaks, the number of cycles, and turn on the sound notification.

Then, start the first timer, and start working. Each time a work or break block ends, you’ll hear a sound alarm, and get a visual notification at the corner of your screen.

Tip #5: Schedule all tasks of the same type on the same days

What is another great way to minimize context switching, but still perform all your tasks? Grouping tasks by type, and tackling one type per day.

Of course, there are still some types of tasks that you will have to tackle on a daily basis — for example, if you were to skip emails altogether on Monday, you’d probably be swamped with them on Tuesday. So, avoid doing that.

But, you can use this tip for meetings, growth, strategy planning, and similar, larger-scale tasks.

Example: 

Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and Square, is one famous example whose daily habits you can try to emulate for this tip. He parses his entire week by type of task, and then focuses on only one type of task each day:

• Mondays — reserved for management tasks, including meetings
• Tuesdays — reserved for product-related activities
• Wednesdays — reserved for marketing, growth, and communications
• Thursdays — time with developers and partners
• Fridays — reserved for company culture, recruiting new people
• Saturdays — time off from work
• Sundays — reserved for strategizing tasks

Moreover, on the days that start with “T”, he starts his work at Twitter and moves on to Square in the afternoon.

Tip #6: Implement A/B Schedules

One of the biggest problems you’ll face when you have multiple tasks to work on during the day is  — guilt.

While working on Task 1, you’ll feel guilty because you’re not working on Task 2.

While working on Task 2, you’ll feel guilty because you’ll think you should have worked on Task 1 more.

According to business coach Andee Love in the article she wrote for Fast Company, the solution to minimizing this guilt lies in creating two schedules that divide tasks into two groups, based on their connection.

The type of connection you’ll base the division can revolve around:

1. The locations in which you need to tackle the tasks
2. The type of task, no matter what project they belong to
3. The tasks that belong to one project, no matter their type
4. The client the project-related tasks belong to

If you selected the type of task, then you should divide your tasks into two groups based on their type — Type 1 is your A Schedule and Type 2 is your B Schedule, and you’ll work on each at a time.

You can alternate between these schedules on a daily basis (similarly like Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and Square). Or, you can alternate between these schedules on a weekly or biweekly basis.

Example: 

While Andee Love was working as a coordinator overseeing autism programs at two different schools, she divided her work by location, and grouped it into the following schedules:

• Schedule A: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were reserved for one school
• Schedule B: Tuesdays and Thursdays were reserved for the other school

She knew ahead of time where she’d be each day, which gave her enough time to properly prepare, fully focus on her work in one school at a time, and finish everything with less stress.

Tip #7: Make cognitively demanding tasks less demanding

If you’re able to simplify a task or make it more automatic in any way, then do it. You’ll reduce the task’s demand on your attention, leaving “more” attention you can then use for the second or third task.

Bear in mind that we are not specifically talking about using automation tools here — although, automating some tasks with tools is always recommended if the type of task permits it and if there’s an app for it.

Alternatively, you can create a checklist that details the steps you need to undertake to tackle a task, and then work on following these steps each time you have to tackle the said task — in order to emulate real automation.

Example:

Break the process of responding to emails into several steps, and then create a checklist detailing these steps. Each step you finish, put a checkmark next to it.

• Read the message
• Identify the sender’s intent (e.g. quick question, random request, response to your previous email, etc.)
• Decide whether to answer the email
• Identify the email’s priority level (normal, high, urgent) and schedule it accordingly
• Decide whether you can answer the email alone, or you need help from your team
• Ask your team for extra information, if needed
• Start with appropriate greetings
• Write the body of the email in accordance with the sender’s intent
• Close the emails with an appropriate outro
• Make sure the length of your email is 50-125 words

After a while, you’ll memorize the steps to the process of responding to emails, and start doing them automatically, thus making this cognitively demanding task less demanding.

Tip #8: Pause work on tasks or projects in the right places

When stopping work on Task 1/Project 1 and switching attention to Task 2/Project 2, make sure that you pause work on Task 1/Project 1 only after completing a “meaningful whole” on it.

This “meaningful whole” is a place where you can easily pause work, and resume it later with ease.

Examples:

1. Pausing work for a group of tasks — Break Project 1 into tasks (e.g. its phases, its categories, or simply parts of a project). Tackle several tasks in Project 1 at once, before switching to Project 2.
2. Pausing work for a task — After you’re done tackling Task 1 of Project 1, pause work, and switch to Task 1 of Project 2. After you’ve finished work on Task 1 of Project 2, move on to Task 2 of Project 1.
3. Pausing work for a sub-task —Divide Task 1 into several subtasks, and pause work after completing several of the sub-tasks.

No matter whether you switch after one task, one subtask, several tasks, or several subtasks, you’ll resume work on them much more easily later, because you’ll be starting work on a new “meaningful whole”.

Tip #9: Always document everything

When working on multiple tasks, chances are that these tasks will have some sort of dependent relationship — i.e. the beginning or completion of one task may depend on the beginning or completion of another task.

Sometimes, you’ll be the one to tackle all these dependent tasks.

Other times, your teammates will be responsible for some of the dependent tasks.

In either case, you’ll want to explain the said tasks/projects as much as you can, to help you, and others, jump on these new tasks/projects with more ease.

Just think about the questions and problems you usually have when starting a new task or project and try to answer them, to facilitate future work for everyone.

Example:

To document everything of importance when setting up the tasks and projects you will jump between, answer the following set of questions:

• What are the objectives of the task/project?
• Why is this task/project important?
• What are the most important areas of the task/project?
• What determines the success of the task/project?
• What are the biggest obstacles to completing this task/project?
• What should be done if the task/project fails?

Tip #10: Improve your cognitive flexibility

If you’re looking to improve your context switching abilities in the future, it’s best that you work on improving your cognitive flexibility:

• Read — Reading activates several regions of the brain at the same time and makes them work together. Reading is like exercise for the mind — it stimulates your brain and improves its function over time, increasing your cognitive flexibility in the process.
• Meditate —  Mindful meditation increases attention and cognitive flexibility.
• Try something different — Learning something new, seeking out new experiences, and changing up your habits is a great tactic to expand your neural pathways.
• Sleep more — Sleep is always good for the brain, and REM-dreaming can also increase your reasoning abilities and creativity.
• Allow periods of boredom — By letting your mind wander from time to time, you’ll get a chance to analyze problems from different angles and find solutions you wouldn’t be able to think of while constantly focused on work.
• Exercise — Regular exercise helps cognitive enhancement, and regular aerobic exercise (such as power walking and swimming) helps the growth of new brain cells.
• Eat well — Foods with healthy fats help reduce brain inflammation and improve cognitive function and neurotransmission.
• Play games — Any game that keeps your brain challenged is a good choice, so pick a suitable video game, a board game, or even word puzzles to help build new neural pathways.

Tip #11: Emulate supertaskers

Even if you’re not a supertasker, there are several strategies you can try to emulate the strengths of supertaskers at any time, in order to be better at jumping between projects and tasks:

Eliminate distractions around you.

According to Dr. Adam Gazzalay from the University of California, this is a key strategy. Shut the door, silence your phone, block distracting websites, close your email inbox, turn on a noise-canceling app, and wear headphones as a sign that no one should interrupt you. This way, you’ll make it easier to focus on whatever task you’re currently focusing on.

Focus only on what you can control

Keith Alvey, a Disaster Division executive for the American Red Cross, advises against regretting decisions you’ve already made or worrying about what you cannot change. If you refrain from thinking about your past and future tasks, you’ll be more productive with the tasks you are currently working on.

Improve your results by playing video games

Daphne Bavelier, a professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, indicated that playing video games for 30-60 minutes per day, for at least 10-12 weeks, can help you learn how to better manage multiple data streams. The recommended games (e.g. action games, such as Call of Duty) are those that require reading instructions, making strategic decisions, and concentrating on tasks despite the visual and auditory distractions within the game.

Wrapping up

Switching between projects and tasks without losing productivity is possible, but only if you’re careful about how you approach it. We may not all be multitasking geniuses, i.e. supertaskers, or have high cognitive flexibility, but they are ways we can emulate supertaskers, and improve our cognitive flexibility in the future. You should also try to:

• Alternate between tasks better — by organizing your workload into time blocks, timeboxes, and/or Pomodoro blocks.
• Maintain focus on one set of tasks at a time — by making cognitively demanding tasks less demanding, combining only tasks that require different areas of the brain, as well as grouping tasks by type, connection, or time period.
• Make moving on to new tasks, and resuming work on previous tasks easier— by pausing work on tasks/projects in the right places, answering questions about the projects/tasks in advance, and using visual/audio reminders to guide your work.

As a result, you’ll decrease your stress levels, increase the quality of your work, and improve productivity overall.

But three hours seems like a small amount of time for such an important task.

And it’s true — the amount of time does seem little — but, for planning and creating a perfect work schedule, you don’t necessarily need to go above and beyond. 

But where to begin? Your mind must be full of questions, especially if you are new to team management. From What is the perfect work schedule to Can I schedule employees outside their work hours — the concerns you might have are only natural.

Still, it doesn’t have to be like that. We’ll go over each and every question you might have about employee scheduling, talk about different types of work schedules and all the points you need to cover before you issue a schedule. 

As a special safety measure — to ensure that everything goes as planned — we’ve prepared 6 free work schedule templates that you can download and use as many times as you need.

Quick access to free downloadable work schedule templates:

• Employee Availability Form Template — Excel, Google Sheets, PDF 
• Daily Work Schedule Template — Excel, Google Sheets, PDF 
• Weekly Work Schedule Template — Excel, Google Sheets, PDF 
• Bi-Weekly Work Schedule Template — Excel, Google Sheets, PDF 
• Monthly Work Schedule Template — Excel, Google Sheets, PDF 
• Yearly Work Schedule Template — Excel, Google Sheets, PDF 

A quick introduction to work schedules

Before we dive into the question of how to effectively schedule employee time, let’s look at the basics of work schedules: 

• What they are, 
• Why they are beneficial for a business, and 
• What types of work schedules you can implement.

What’s a work schedule?

A work schedule (also known as a rota or roster), is a list that contains employee information such as:

• Work hours
• Shifts
• Work locations
• Responsibilities during the time period covered by the schedule
• Other associated employee information

The process of creating a schedule is referred to as scheduling and is usually carried out by a manager. Many types of businesses require schedules, including:

• Retail stores
• Manufacturing facilities
• Restaurants and coffee shops
• Call centers
• Businesses with customer/user support teams
• Businesses that employ freelancers
• Businesses that employ seasonal workers

Why is work scheduling important?

When you think of work schedules, it’s easy to come up with dozens of reasons why they’re important right off the top of your head.  

But there’s even more to work scheduling than meets the eye — so let’s get right into the benefits you can reap if you invest some time in creating an employee schedule. 

Work scheduling ensures efficient operation

When employees understand their work hours and their responsibilities, as well as the location of their work (in case they perform fieldwork), they are in the position to maximize their productivity.

Work scheduling helps plan work according to employee availability

Proper work planning should be about establishing a work schedule that requires minimum changes along the way. 

This is usually achieved when the manager takes into account employee attendance, their expected work hours, and requests for PTO. 

Work scheduling eradicates the idea of favoritism

Work schedules make shifts transparent, so the team members are able to see everyone’s shifts/tasks and understand that no one is (hopefully) getting the best shifts/tasks every time.

Work scheduling helps you better manage your time and meet deadlines

Proper time management is important for maintaining high productivity — and, work schedules help you organize your workload better, thus making you more productive. 

When all the tasks are well organized, none of the employees remain buried under piles of deadlines. Instead, they meet them according to the plan and always keep the workload under control. 

Work scheduling helps employees strike a work-life balance

When employees are aware of when they are scheduled to work, they’re able to plan and balance their work obligations, but also their doctor appointments, personal errands, and family activities. This also helps in retaining a healthy work-life balance and keeps your team members’ stress levels lower.

Work scheduling decreases employee turnover

Employees who have low stress levels and feel like they are as appreciated as their colleagues are less likely to leave their jobs.

Work scheduling helps increase customer/client satisfaction

A well-thought-out schedule helps keep the workflow running like clockwork. It goes without saying that, when everything functions smoothly, the customers or clients get the expected quality of service.

An organized schedule is especially beneficial if your business requires you to communicate with customers over the phone — because it can contribute to reducing your average handle time and increasing your customers’ overall satisfaction. 

What are the types of work schedules?

Even though work schedules come in different shapes and sizes (especially now that remote work is here to stay), we can still pick out 12 main types of work schedules: 

1. A full-time schedule

A full-time schedule has employees work between 35 and 40 hours per week. It is usually tied to job positions whose amount and type of workload requires full-time specialists. 

Many US states mandate that employees working on full-time schedules receive employee benefits. Most such employees work the same number of days per week and the same number of hours per day. However, their exact working hours may be fixed (e.g. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) or flexible (e.g. 8 hours per day, in no fixed order).

Example: An in-house designer scheduled to work 40 hours per week, 8 hours per day, from Monday to Friday.

2. A part-time schedule

A part-time schedule has employees work less than the full-time equivalent schedule prescribed by the company (e.g., in companies that count 35 hours per week as full-time, anything fewer counts as part-time). It is usually tied to job positions whose type of workload permits several part-time employees to carry it out, or whose amount doesn’t require full-time employment. 

Employees with part-time schedules may not get employee benefits usually associated with full-time work. Such schedules may be consistent (e.g. 9:00 – 2:00 p.m. every workday), or not (e.g. 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. from Mondays to Wednesdays + 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays).

Example: A restaurant hostess who works 25 hours per week in total, during the busy times of the day.

3. A fixed schedule

A fixed schedule has a timetable with the same number of working days and hours per week. May be used for any type of business that requires employees to work together at the same time, or be at service to customers/clients during fixed open hours. A fixed schedule may involve full-time or part-time work.

Example: A team of HR specialists who are scheduled to work Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

4. A flexible schedule

A flexible schedule prescribes that an employee needs to work a specific number of hours per day, as a minimum requirement (e.g. 6 hours). But, the actual hours will depend on the employee’s time of arrival at the workplace (e.g. The employee arrives on Monday at 8:00 a.m. and then works until 2:00 p.m. But, she arrives at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday and then works until 3:00 p.m.). 

Such schedules may be full-time or part-time. May be used for any type of business that DOESN’T require employees to work together at the same time, or be at service to customers/clients during fixed open hours.

Example: A customer support specialist is scheduled to work Monday through Friday for 8 hours per day, from the moment of arrival to the office.

5. A floating schedule

A floating schedule involves a fixed, main part (the employee being at the disposal of the employer) and a variable, “floating” part (the employee can choose his/her start and end times during the workday).

In practice, floating schedules have been in use for some time. But, they were only given a legal framework with the introduction of the “Flexible and Workable” act (FWW-act) — at least in Belgium.

Example: A maintenance technician is scheduled to replace a vital part of an ice-cream machine after every 20,000 gallons of ice-cream created, which happens every two weeks. While the ice-cream machine maintenance is a fixed assignment that occurs every two weeks, the maintenance technician performs other work in the meantime.

6. A shift-based schedule

A shift-based schedule is usually implemented in businesses that operate for 10 or more hours per day. If a business operates 24/7, they usually implement a three-shift approach: employees always work or take turns working in the first shift (morning shift), second shift (afternoon shift), and third shift (night shift).

Example: 3 gas station attendants who take turns working in three shifts (7:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.; 3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.; 11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.) Monday through Thursday.

7. A seasonal schedule

A seasonal schedule may be shift-based, flexible, fixed, part-time, or full-time, but it is limited to a specific season or time period (e.g. the winter holiday season in November and December).

Example: Two Santa Clauses scheduled to work in a shopping mall throughout November and December, in two shifts (Shift 1: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; Shift 2: 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.).

8. An overtime schedule

An overtime schedule involves working for more than the standard 40-hours per week. Depending on the day or length of overtime, but also the US state where the worker is employed, overtime is paid either 1.5. or double the regular employee rates — this applies only to employees who are not exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Example: A waiter scheduled to work 45 hours in one week — the 5 extra hours scheduled are considered overtime.

9. A compressed schedule

A compressed schedule involves working the traditional 35-40 hours per week, but in fewer days.

Example: A window washer scheduled to work 40 hours per week, 10 hours per day (7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Monday through Thursday.

10. A rotating schedule

A rotating schedule is usually tied to shift-based work. Employees are assigned shifts based on a predefined pattern, usually on a weekly or daily basis.

Example: A doctor working ER is scheduled to work 12-hour day shifts on Mondays and Saturdays and 12-hour night shifts on Tuesdays and Sundays. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are off.

11. A split schedule

A split schedule involves parsing a workday intro three distinct points:

• Working for a few hours in one go
• Having several hours off
• Working for another set of hours after the “break”

Example: A taxi driver scheduled to work from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., takes a break from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and then starts working again from 2:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.

12. An on-call schedule

An on-call schedule involves employees being available during specific times of day, or days in general, when they may, or may not be called in to work.

Example: A firefighter scheduled to work on-call needs to be in a 5-minute vicinity from the fire station during the scheduled days.

How best to create work schedules?

In order to effectively schedule employee time, you’ll need to:

1. Make the time to understand your team.
2. Make the time to analyze the workload.
3. Track employee clock-in and clock-out times.
4. Follow a set of rules to schedule employees fairly.
5. Establish an efficient team communication system.
6. Post the work schedule at least 7 days in advance.
7. Avoid common scheduling errors.
8. Honor work preferences and requests for time off as much as you can.
9. Schedule at least one top-notch employee per shift.
10. Involve the employees in the scheduling process.
11. Use work schedule templates to speed up the scheduling process.

Let’s look at each point in detail.

#1: Make the time to understand your team

You may think that having enough people during a shift is enough for success. But, you’ll also need to make sure that they are the right people for the type of tasks, amount of workload, time of day, or type of customers.

So, the first real step in creating efficient work schedules is knowing your team. Make a list that includes their:

• Relevant skills
• Personal qualities such as perseverance, efficiency, or reliability
• Certifications, relevant education, experience
• Their employment status (Are they full-time or part-time?)
• Personality type (Are they introverted or extroverted?)
• Work habits, especially if you have flexible schedules, and some employees have the habit of arriving sooner than others

With such a list, you’ll be able to pick the ideal teammates for each shift/task.

Example: Tasking the extroverted full-stack developer, who tends to come in at a later time and finish work at a later time, with the 5:00 p.m. daily call with a client who’s just starting her workday due to the time zone difference.

#2: Make the time to analyze the workload

Now that you understand the skills, qualities, and traits of each member of your team, it’s time you analyze the workload and the resources you have to handle it.

One option is to make a chart of workdays and hours your team has at their disposal. So, if you operate on a flexible, 8-hours-based schedule Monday through Friday, your team members will have 40 hours each to carry out their work. 

Then, you can identify the busy hours or the most important tasks that need to be done, and schedule your most needed specialists accordingly.

Alternatively, you can always stay in the loop with everyone’s availability and workshare by making use of Clockify’s project and team scheduling feature.

You can either take a look at separate projects and see who’s actively involved in them, or check up on individual team members and quickly figure out who is overbooked, who is working over capacity, and who is available. 

#3: Track employee clock-in and clock-out times

Not only does recording employee time help track the overtime hours (if your business authorized overtime), but it also provides the employees with a clear log of the hours worked. 

Before setting up your work schedules, you’ll need to instruct your employees on how to track their clock-in clock-out times. For this purpose, you can use an employee time clock app, such as Clockify.

Clockify helps you define your projects and tasks and assign tasks to team members. Once all the tasks are distributed, team members can keep track of their progress in 2 ways:

1. By tracking time in the timer mode — just have everyone start/stop the timer as they start working/finish work on an assigned task/today’s shift.

2. By logging time after work manually, also in 2 distinct ways:

In the manual mode — just have everyone add the duration for each assigned task/shift manually.

In a timesheet — just have everyone add shift duration for each day in a weekly timecard.

All the time entered can later be viewed in visual and weekly reports that can assist you in creating even better schedules in the future. 

If your employees log billable hours, you can also use Clockify data for payroll — since the tracker will automatically calculate how much you need to pay employees based on their tracked time. 

#4: Follow a set of rules to schedule employee fairly

Although there’s still a lot to be done to ensure employees are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance, Predictive Scheduling Laws are one step further in protecting the employees from overworking. 

These laws mandate certain scheduling practices to be followed, such as an advance notice of work schedule. 

In case the employee was not timely notified about their upcoming schedule, they receive a guaranteed predictability payment. 

Despite only a handful of US cities currently enacting them (e.g. Chicago, Emeryville, Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle), and only certain industries (e.g. food service, retail, and hospitality), the 10 scheduling rules prescribed by these laws may be a great addition to any scheduling practice:

Rule#1 —  Provide “Good faith estimates” for the schedules of all new hires.

Rule #2 — Have employees state their work time/day and location preferences.

Rule #3 — Notify employees in advance about their work schedules.

Rule #4 — Offer additional hours to existing employees before hiring someone new.

Rule #5 — Notify employees about their work schedule changes.

Rule #6 — Offer premium pay for schedule changes you’ve had to make without timely notice.

Rule #7 — Provide a rest period in between two employee shifts, unless the said employee agreed to work during this time.

Rule #8 — Keep the records of previous schedules, for future reference.

Rule #9 — Have a list of schedule-related rights posted at the workplace and/or easily accessible online.

Rule #10 — Don’t retaliate against the employee for trying to enforce schedule-related employee rights.

#5: Establish an efficient team communication system

One of the keys to team productivity and proper employee time management is ensuring the team feels connected and well-informed about recent developments, updates, or changes to the expected workflow or workload.

So, make sure you always communicate any changes related to the work schedules, and give everybody a chance to reach out to you with their own questions and requests. 

To establish an efficient communication system, don’t forget to:

• Notify the employees as soon as you’ve finished and posted the newest work schedule.
• Let everyone know about last-minute schedule updates or unexpected, additional obligations.
• Clearly state that your team needs to inform you whenever they swap shifts or take up additional tasks, since these changes could influence further scheduling.

Of course, to manage all this communication, you’ll need to establish a well-organized communication system, which may involve:

• Business messaging apps — for example, you can schedule messages and plan all your important conversations ahead.
• Text messages — for example, you can send short texts for matters you need to communicate, but are otherwise not that urgent. 
• Phone calls — for example, you can call up people when you need a quick confirmation for something that cannot wait.
• Emails — for example, you can use an AI email writer to speed up the email writing process.
• Online video meetings — for example, you can use video meetings to share your screen and notes while talking with teammates.

If you’re using Clockify for scheduling, you can easily notify your teammates whenever there’s an upcoming assignment for them so that nothing passes unnoticed. 

By creating an assignment, you choose the exact time range for that particular task and the number of hours per day your team members need to devote to the assignment.

#6: Post the work schedule at least 7 days in advance

In line with Predictive Scheduling Laws, employers must post new work schedules between 7 and 14 days prior to the first scheduled shift. However, as we’ve previously discussed, these laws are mainly enacted in certain cities because they fall under the category of local laws. 

Federal employment laws, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act allow employers to change schedules without any prior notice.

Still, when you inform your team members about their schedules days in advance, you leave enough time in case someone: 

• Needs to schedule (or reschedule) personal commitments to accommodate the new work schedule.
• Wants to find a substitute or trade shifts (you can either let employees trade shifts or have a system for substitutes).
• Wants to talk to you about the days or times they work (perhaps you’re always scheduling employee X on times and days that never work for them).

#7: Avoid common scheduling errors

When scheduling, make sure you don’t:

1. Double-schedule employees who have dual responsibilities, but in same shifts

Example: A person who works as both the hotel hostess and a busser accidentally getting double-scheduled.

2. Schedule staff for the position they were not trained to fill

Example: A Pantry Chef in a luxurious restaurant being scheduled to perform the duties of the Roast Chef.

3. Under-schedule or over-schedule your employees, in terms of their work hours

Example: A part-time employee being scheduled with too many shifts, or a full-time employee being scheduled with too few shifts.

4. Under-schedule or over-schedule your employees, in terms of the expected workload

Example: Realizing that a cocktail bar is understaffed during happy hour.

#8: Honor work preferences and requests for time off as much as you can

High employee satisfaction means higher productivity. And, the best way to get high employee satisfaction is to let the employees know that they are being heard by the management.

So, if certain employees prefer to work on certain hours or days, accommodate them if you can.

Or, when an employee asks for time off, try to agree to their request whenever possible. 

Moreover, you should always implement a clear system for employees asking for preferred times and time off. This way, you’ll make the request approvals/denials transparent, making it clear there is no favoritism.

If you and your team are using Clockify to track work hours and plan tasks in advance, you can set a time off policy and approve your team’s time off requests on-the-spot. 

Using Clockify as a time off and vacation tracker also gives you accurate insight into everyone’s availability and upcoming leaves so that you can schedule their work time accordingly. 

#9: Schedule at least one top-notch employee per shift

If your business operates in shifts, make sure that each shift features at least one of your top players in terms of relevant employee skills, expertise, experience, and personal qualities. This will largely improve the quality of the shift, but also the customer experience. Moreover, the less-experienced employees (especially the newly hired ones) will have someone to look up to in terms of work standards or turn for support when needed.

Having one of your best employees is especially relevant during busy times when you want someone reliable at the scene to “pull” the workload and inspire other teammates to keep up the pace.

Example:  Scheduling a reliable food service specialist to operate the cash register, serve customers, and stock supplies during lunchtime in a city’s business district.

#10: Involve the employees in the scheduling process

You probably don’t want to waste time on constant work schedule updates because your employees are always asking for shift swaps or deadline extensions.

To minimize this, you can aim to involve the employees in the process of creating work schedules as much as you find suitable.

1. Have someone assist you in scheduling

Colleagues are more likely to understand what their co-workers think about their schedules, so having someone from the “inside” directly assist you with the schedules is optimal. This way, you’ll find out whether members of your team:

• Are satisfied with their appointed times
• Want more or less time scheduled per week
• Prefer other days or times for their schedules

2. Have the team fill out availability charts

With an availability chart, all employees need to do is mark the days when they are available to work during a certain week. Later on, you’ll use this data to create feasible work schedules.

Example: You schedule someone for the first shift, but that someone isn’t available to work during this time. You glance at the availability chart and find the next suitable employee who marked his/her availability during the required time. You may even find that you’d have a backup for your backup if a larger number of employees is available.

3. When scheduling outside the available times, consult first

Sometimes, despite all the efforts the team has made with the availability chart, you’ll still need to schedule someone outside their availability times.

Example:  Perhaps, there’s a big celebration being hosted at your restaurant and you’ll need all hands on deck. Or, perhaps, there’s an unexpected bug in your app, and you need to call in your full-stack engineer to assist you from her vacation.

Emergencies happen, but it’s important how you approach them. If possible, always try to find the person who’d be the least inconvenienced by working outside his/her ideal availability times.

Example: If you have to choose between two options, always go for the person who is unavailable because of their spa appointment instead of calling a team member who is at the hospital worried about their family member. 

Either way, it’s always best to call up the person in question, explain the situation, and be courteous about the request. A reliable, conscientious employee will oblige to your request if it’s possible and will appreciate having a say in this.

Still, try to be understanding if an employee is genuinely not able to agree to your request, e.g. they have a doctor’s appointment. 

#11: Use work schedule templates to speed up the scheduling process

The previous 10 points are designed to help you effectively schedule employee time — but, schedule templates will help you make the scheduling process faster and more accurate. Here are 6 work schedule templates you can use now, for free: 

• Employee Availability Form Template 
• Daily Work Schedule Template 
• Weekly Work Schedule Template 
• Bi-Weekly Work Schedule Template 
• Monthly Work Schedule Template 
• Yearly Work Schedule Template 

Employee Availability Form Template

What’s it about?

The Employee Availability Form Template gives your team the option to share their available hours with you — so that you can schedule their work time accordingly. 

The employees should mark the time they can come to work and/or be on-call duty with checkmarks (Google Sheets) or “X” (Excel). 

Alternatively, you can print out the forms and have the employees fill them out with a pen.

Later on, you can use these individual employee availability forms to create feasible schedules.

Who is it for?

This scheduling form is perfect for any type of business that revolves around scheduling.

Download the classic Employee Availability Form Template in Excel

Download the online, shareable Employee Availability Form Template in Google Sheets

Download the printable Employee Availability Form Template in PDF

Daily Work Schedule Template

What’s it about?

The Daily Work Schedule Template lets you schedule both work hours and tasks for each workday.

Simply insert the employee’s name, their department, the date, and add a checkmark (Google Sheets) or “X” (Excel) next to each hour they’re scheduled to work.

Alternatively, you can print out the schedule and fill it out with a pen.

Who is it for?

This template is perfect if you prefer to schedule work hours and tasks on a daily basis. 

In case you need to stay compliant with the rule of scheduling work at least 7 days in advance, you can combine this more detailed, task-oriented schedule with schedules that cover a larger time period.

Download the classic Daily Work Schedule Template in Excel

Download the online, shareable Daily Work Schedule Template in Google Sheets

Download the printable Daily Work Schedule Template in PDF

Weekly Work Schedule Template

What’s it about?

The Weekly Work Schedule Template lets you schedule the employees’ work days and shifts on a weekly basis. 

Simply add the employee names and an “X” or a checkmark under each day they are scheduled to work.

The Google Sheet and Excel versions of the template also calculate the daily statistics per employee, in terms of:

• How many times individual employees have been scheduled to work per week
• How many times they were scheduled to work the First, Second, Third, or Split shift (if applicable)

Alternatively, you can print out the schedule and fill it out with a pen.

In case your employees work different split shifts, work overtime, or have specific requests regarding their schedules, you can clarify this below each employee row.

Who is it for?

This template is perfect if you prefer to schedule work days on a weekly basis, and/or pay your employees on a weekly basis.

Download the classic Weekly Work Schedule Template in Excel

Download the online, shareable Weekly Work Schedule Template in Google Sheets

Download the printable Weekly Work Schedule Template in PDF

Bi-Weekly Work Schedule Template

What’s it about?

The Bi-Weekly Work Schedule Template gives you the option to schedule both the employees’ work days and shifts on a bi-weekly basis. 

Simply add the employee names, and add an “X” or a checkmark each day they are scheduled to work.

The Google Sheet and Excel versions of the template also calculate the daily statistics per employee, in terms of:

• How many times individual employees have been scheduled to work per two weeks
• How many times they were scheduled to work the First, Second, Third, or Split shift (if applicable)

Alternatively, you can print out the schedule and fill it out with a pen.

In case your employees work different split shifts, work overtime, or have specific requests regarding their schedules, you can clarify this below each employee row.

Who is it for?

This template is perfect if you prefer to schedule workdays on a bi-weekly basis, and/or pay your employees on a bi-weekly basis.

Download the classic Bi-Weekly Work Schedule Template in Excel

Download the online, shareable Bi-Weekly Work Schedule Template in Google Sheets

Download the printable Bi-Weekly Work Schedule Template in PDF

Monthly Work Schedule Template

What’s it about?

The Monthly Work Schedule Template lets you schedule both the employees’ work days and shifts for each date on a monthly basis. 

Simply add the employee names, and an “X” or a checkmark under each date they are scheduled to work.

The Google Sheet and Excel versions of the template also calculate the daily statistics per employee, in terms of:

• How many times individual employees have been scheduled to work per month
• How many times they were scheduled to work the First, Second, Third, or Split shift (if applicable)

Alternatively, you can print out the schedule and fill it out with a pen.

In case your employees work different split shifts, work overtime, or have specific instructions regarding their schedules, you can clarify this below each employee row.

Who is it for?

This template is perfect if you prefer to schedule workdays on a monthly basis, and/or pay your employees on a monthly basis.

Download the classic Monthly Work Schedule Template in Excel

Download the online, shareable Monthly Work Schedule Template in Google Sheets

Download the printable Monthly Work Schedule Template in PDF

Yearly Work Schedule Template

What’s it about?

The Yearly Work Schedule Template lets you schedule 5 employees over the course of one year (or several weeks or months). 

Simply name your employees and associate each with a symbol (“x1”, “x2”, “x3”, “x4”, “x5”).

Write the appropriate symbol (e.g “x1” for employee 1) next to the suitable date to schedule an employee.

Who is it for?

This template is perfect if your team operates on a rotating schedule, or you manage seasonal workers. It can also be a great choice if you prefer to view and plan the workweeks on a larger scale.

Download the classic Yearly Work Schedule Template in Excel

Download the online, shareable Yearly Work Schedule Template in Google Sheets

Download the printable Yearly Work Schedule Template in PDF

Wrapping up

Scheduling employee time effectively should not be a challenge — if you implement the right scheduling system that involves:

• Understanding your team and the workload
• Having employees track their work time
• Making sure you schedule work fairly and in a timely manner
• Communicating everything
• Avoiding common scheduling errors
• Honoring work preferences and time off requests to the best of your ability
• Building shifts around the best employees
• Involving employees in the scheduling process

If you add a scheduling template to this equation, you will both speed up the entire scheduling process and ensure that tasks always go as planned. 

In the end, no matter whether you work on a fixed, flexible, floating, or any other type of schedule, if you schedule properly, you’ll improve:

• Business operations
• Time management
• Employee work-life balance
• Employee satisfaction
• Customer/client satisfaction

As a result, the employee turnover rate will start declining, while transparency will almost instantly become the norm.  

That’s a lot of money that could have been saved by properly tracking and managing your project from your client — especially if you perform freelance work, or work in an agency.

But, what exactly should you track for your projects and tasks? And how should you approach the process?

In this blog post, we’ll cover:

• How you can properly set up your projects and tasks, in order to make tracking them easier.
• How you can track time spent working on the projects and tasks.
• How you can track your progress and performance on the tasks and projects.
• How you can track and distinguish between billable and non-billable activities.
• How you can track estimates and deadlines.

Why should you track projects and tasks?

According to the 3rd edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge, a project is a “temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end and it must be used to create a unique product, service, or result”.

In project management, each project consists of a series of tasks that you need to accomplish with a given time period or before a deadline in order to complete the product, fully provide the service, or reach the desired result.

So, considering that a project is a “temporary endeavor” that consists of tasks that need to be accomplished in a “given time period”, both are easily trackable by definition.

And, tracking projects and tasks has several tangible benefits:

1. It will help both you and the client understand whether the project will be completed on time.
2. It will help both you and the client understand whether the project will be completed within budget.
3. You’ll get a clear project overview you can later analyze to see whether similar projects would be profitable for you in the future.
4. You’ll get the documentation that helps you understand whether and how you could perform better on similar projects in the future.
5. You’ll get tangible proof of your work to send to the client — this will increase client satisfaction, in addition to your chances of getting paid on time.

How to set up and track projects and tasks

Before you can start tracking your projects and tasks, you’ll first need to embark on an even more important quest — making sure you properly set up the said projects and tasks.

To properly set up, you’ll need to go through the following steps:

1. Creating a project outline
2. Breaking the project into tasks
3. Deciding what billing approach you’ll use
4. Deciding how you’ll approach hourly or flat fee billing
5. Deciding what tasks will be billable or non-billable
6. Defining estimates for task and project completion
7. Defining the final project and task deadlines

Each step will have its own elements you should track.

1. Setting up and tracking project outlines

How to create a project outline

A clear project outline can tell both you and the client what you can expect to accomplish with the project, as well as what you should pay attention to when working.

First, you’ll need to ensure everyone involved in the project understands what needs to be achieved at the end of it — i.e. what are the project goals.

Example: The goal of the project is to build and maintain a fitness app, within a specific time frame and a client-approved budget.

Next, you’ll need to establish several project milestones after each set of related tasks, in order to pinpoint and track important achievements in the project.

Example: One of the design-related project milestones you can follow for the fitness app can be the different phases of the app design:

• MS 1: different design concepts completed
• MS 2: the final design concept approved
• MS 3: approved design implemented
• MS 4: version launches

Afterward, you can establish the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to measure how well you or your team are performing with the work.

Example: The KPIs for your fitness app can be:

• KPI 1: the user rating
• KPI 2: the conversion rate
• KPI 3: the revenue per user

In the end, you can also establish the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) you’ll use to define and track project objectives and their outcomes.

Example: The Objective for your fitness app can be to “Improve the quality of product releases” and it’s related Key Results can be to:

• KR1: reduce the number of bugs found during the development process by 30%
• KR2: improve unit testing coverage from 60% to 75%
• KR3: increase sprint capacity from 80 to 100 SP

How to track a project outline

Tracking project goals and milestones

To keep track of project goals, first, plan and organize the time you’ll spend on the project in a scheduler.

Account for all the resources you’ll need, whether it’s additional team members or equipment, or simply extra time, so that you don’t go over the budget. If you come close to exceeding the budget, notify the client about possible changes.

You can associate project milestones with specific dates or sets of tasks. Once you reach a project milestone, review the upcoming workload. This will help you better understand whether you need to change your workflow to accommodate your current pace or direction of work.

Tracking Key Performance Indicators

When it comes to your chosen Key Performance Indicators, their type will determine how you can track them.

Example: You can track the user rating for your app on Capterra, or a similar website.

You should also differentiate between your weak points (i.e. lagging KPIs) and strong points (i.e. leading KPIs) in project work.

You can then try to learn from your leading indicators (e.g. how you can best build apps that attract great user reviews). But also, you can work on improving your lagging indicators (e.g. how you can improve the conversion rate of the apps you build).

In the end, save summaries of your project KPIs, for further analysis, comparisons,  and conclusions.

Tracking Objectives and Key Results

When it comes to your chosen Objectives and Key Results, their type will also determine how you can track them.

Example: You can track the reduction of the number of bugs you find during the development process by 30% with a bug and issue tracking tool, such as Jira.

Then, you can connect the data, and compare your actual results with your expected Key Results to see how successful you are.

In the end, you can once again save and further manipulate summaries of your project OKRs.

2. Setting up and tracking time and progress on projects and tasks

How to break a project into tasks

Next, to make it easier to track the project, you’ll need to break it down into tasks. The type of project will help you decide how you can best do that:

• Tasks = different phases of the project

Example: A software developer can use the different phases of development (e.g. planning, analysis, design, development, etc.) as tasks.

• Tasks = different categories of the project

Example: A professional party planner can use different categories of party planning (e.g. catering, decoration, entertainment, etc.) as tasks.

• Tasks = different parts of the project 

Example: A housekeeper can use different rooms in a house he or she cleans (e.g. kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc.) as tasks.

How to track time on projects and tasks

When approaching time tracking your projects and tasks, you’ll first need to choose the time tracking method to use. And, you’ll need to think about how best to implement the said method in your workflow.

Choosing the time tracking method

There are four distinct time tracking methods you can rely on to track the time you and/or your team spend working:

• The paper method — You measure the time you spend working on the project and tasks via a stopwatch and write the results down with a pen. 
• The honor system — You don’t measure, but merely estimate the time you will spend working on the project and tasks.
• The spreadsheet method — You measure the time you spend working on the project and tasks by manually entering the hours and minutes you spend on them in a spreadsheet you’ve created or a simple spreadsheet template.
• Time tracking software methods — You measure the time you spend working on the project and tasks by using an app specialized for time tracking.

The first 3 listed methods have their cons, though.

Nowadays, the paper method may be viewed as somewhat unprofessional, inefficient, and lacking in accuracy. In the same line, the honor system relies too heavily on the client trusting that you’ve done the work you claim to have done, which may be too much to ask — especially when you’re looking to attract new clients.

The spreadsheet method, on the other hand, may prove problematic for you and/or your team. Namely, the fact that it requires you to manually enter time increases the chances that you’ll eventually make a costly mistake. Both the spreadsheet and the paper method can be time-consuming processes, especially if you’re working on multiple projects.

In the end, the time tracking software method emerges as the best option due to its currency, professional appeal, speed, and accuracy. So, let’s see how you can best use such software to track project and task time.

Implementing the time tracking method

To help understand and implement the concept, let’s take a look at our own time tracking software, Clockify.

First, within the app, you can define your projects, tasks, and their clients.

Then, you can choose the time tracking solution that suits you — you can:

1. track time as you work, with a timer
2. add time manually
3. enter time in a timesheet

If you want to track time with a timer, you’ll just need to enter the “Timer mode”, write a description for the activity you’re working on, and select its project and task. Then, start the timer, and let it run until you’re done with the activity — once done, stop the timer, and the system will add the newly-created time entry to a list of time entries below.

If you want to add time manually, just switch to “Manual mode”, and follow the same write description-specify project-specify task pattern. Afterward, you can add the duration for the task, without having to bother with the start and end times.

If you opt to enter time in a timesheet, you’ll just need to populate the timesheet rows with the projects and tasks you’re working on, and then add your time in corresponding cells.

Once you’re done tracking time, you can make use of the Reports section of the app. Here, you’ll be able to view the amount you’ve earned for a particular project and/or task by filtering results.

Afterward, you can export a PDF or Excel report of the hours and minutes you’ve tracked on the project and tasks, and send it to the client to serve as an invoice.

How to track progress on projects and tasks

In addition to tracking the time you spend working on the project and its tasks, you will also benefit from implementing a progress tracking system.

Tracking progress with apps

To start tracking progress, you can try a Kanban-based system, like Trello or Asana.

Both apps are based on a similar principle:

1. Create a board that represents your project
2. Create several cards that represent your tasks
3. Name columns so that they represent the status of all the tasks placed under it (e.g. “Backlog”; “Design”; “To do”; ”Doing”; “Code Review”; “Testing”; “Done”)
4. Move the cards/tasks across the columns, to symbolize their progress status (e.g. is the said task in the “Backlog”, related to “Design”, ready “To Do”, currently ”in Progress”, currently in “Code Review”, under “Testing”, or already “Done”?)

Trello also offers an option to add “Observers” to your boards/projects — so, you can add your clients to their respective boards, who, unlike the members of your team, will only be able to view your progress with individual tasks, download attachments, add comments, as well as export the board.

In Clockify, your client will be able to track project progress in terms of time, via a shared report. Just, share a report you’ve filtered by the correct parameters, copy its link, and send the link to the client who can then view changes in real-time.

Making progress tracking easier

Apart from using a Kanban-based app to track project and task progress, you can also use various templates to speed up the said progress:

1. If most of your projects follow the same structure when it comes to tasks (e.g. all projects involve the tasks of analysis, design, development, content, and administration), you’d be wise to create a project template that helps you duplicate the same set of tasks for each new project you take on.
2. To better organize your time (and speed up project work as a result), you can use a suitable to-do list template to serve as a reminder of what exactly you need to do.
3. To help you save enough time for priority tasks (and minimize the time you waste), you can use a suitable time blocking planner template.

3. Choosing a billing approach and tracking its efficiency

How to decide what billing approach you’ll use

Now that you’ve created your project outline and defined your project-related tasks, you’ll need to decide how you will bill the said project and tasks:

Will you bill work by the hour? 

Or, will you charge a flat fee? 

If you bill by the hour, you’ll base your bill solely on the clean number of hours you put into your work.

If you charge a flat fee, you’ll base your bill on the scope of work you complete, regardless of the number of hours it takes you to finish the project.

No matter the billing approach you choose, you’ll need a comprehensive list showing:

1. The tasks you performed for the project.
2. The time you’ve spent on the individual tasks and the project in total.
3. Some indication of whether the tasks are billable or not. This way, in case you bill by the hour, you’ll always get a clear amount your clients owe you for your work.

On the other hand, in case you charge a flat fee, you’ll still be providing your clients with proof of what exactly you worked on (and what exactly they are paying for).

How to track the efficiency of your billing approach

When it comes to tracking the efficiency of your chosen billing approach, if you’re having doubts, it’s best that you play around with the two main choices you have.

Try implementing an hourly approach or a flat fee approach first. Perhaps you’ll eventually find that the alternative approach to the one you initially choose suits your type of projects or workflow better.

Or, you may find that one type of your projects is better suited for an hourly approach while another type is better suited for a flat fee approach.

4. Setting up a billing approach and tracking its accuracy

How to approach billing by the hour or charging a flat fee

Once you’ve selected the ideal billing system for you, it’s time you decide how exactly you’ll approach the billing process.

If you bill a specific price by the hour, there are four efficient types of hourly rates you can implement:

One hourly rate on all projects. Great if: 

• Your team usually works on one type of project
• Your team consists of one type of professionals
• You work alone

Example: A freelance team of two designers ($35) who specializes in logo design.

Specific hourly rates per team members. Great if: 

• Your team usually works on one type of project
• Your team consist of professionals with different skills, experience, and expertise

Example: A freelance team of one designer ($40) and three developers ($65) who specializes in creating landing pages for fashion websites.

Specific hourly rates for specific projects. Great if:  

• Your team works on different types of projects
• Your team consists of one type of professionals

Example: A freelance team of three developers ($65) who build custom apps.

Specific hourly rates for each team member working on specific projects. Great if: 

• Your team works on different types of projects
• Your team consist of professionals who possess different skills, experience, expertise

Example: A freelance team of two artists ($50), four developers ($70), two designers ($55), one audio specialist ($45), and two video game producers ($35) who create strategy and puzzle games.

Alternatively, if you’re charging a flat fee, you’ll likely want to base your prices on the scope of individual projects — which can revolve around specific tasks or sets of tasks.

Example: A freelance team of one designer, two developers, and a copywriter who creates websites views each element of the project as a separate task with its own fee:

• Setup: $170
• Design and building $3,500
• Content creation: $550
• Client training: $700
• Website maintenance: $600

How to track the accuracy of your billing approach

When it comes to tracking the accuracy of your billing process, a comprehensive invoice with a clean list of completed tasks is always key. It will help the client better understand the value (and, subsequently the accurate price) of your work.

Of course, you’ll also need to ensure your prices are accurate in itself:

• If you charge a flat fee, make sure the prices you quote to the client match the ones you’ve listed on your website or used for previous clients.
• If you work for an hourly rate, make sure your calculations are correct. If you track time in Clockify, you’ll have your earnings per project automatically calculated for each minute you track, based on the hourly rates you’ve previously entered.

5. Setting up and tracking billable and non-billable tasks

How to distinguish between billable and non-billable tasks

Now, it’s time to decide what tasks you will directly bill for? And, what tasks will you leave out of the invoice?

You’ll definitely want to mark primary, project-specific tasks as billable and add them to your invoice. For example, software developers will bill for all development-related tasks.

But, software development is a complex process that also requires certain secondary, recurring tasks. You’ll likely need to hold team and client meetings, communicate with the client and team members via email or chat, as well as manipulate project-related data on a regular basis.

Although these tasks are crucial for the development project, you should probably refrain from marking them as billable and adding 20 separate “Daily meeting” items in your official invoice.

Instead, you can have the time you spend in meetings, on emails, and manipulating data be reflected in the hourly rate you’ll use for the development tasks — i.e. make your hourly rates higher.

How to track billable and non-billable tasks

When tracking time in Clockify, you can specify whether activities (or even entire projects) are billable or non-billable.

If you’ve marked a task as billable, its amount will be added to the total amount for that project.

Alternatively, by marking a task as non-billable, you’re excluding it from your direct earnings.

The key here is to maximize the time you spend on billable tasks, in order to increase the value you’ll personally get out of the project. So, consider whether you are wasting time on some tasks and should instead allocate this time to more important (and more profitable) tasks in the future.

Example: You’re a freelance team of 5 people who find that they spend 1 hour on daily meetings, but could instead cut this time to half — this way, you could be saving 2.5 hours per day, or 12.5 per week, in total.

6. Setting up and tracking estimates for task and projects

How to define estimates for task and projects

Some of the most important questions you’ll need to answer for your client are the following:

• When will the project be done? 
• How much will it cost?

If you charge a flat fee, you can base your price estimate on your ready-made price-list. You can then base your time estimates on experience with similar projects you’ve completed in the past.

However, if you price by the hour, clear time estimates will give you clear figures about how much your client can expect to pay.

Example 1: The freelance team of two designers ($35) who specializes in logo design can quote a $700 price estimate for a 20-hour time estimate.

Example 2: The freelance team of one designer ($40) and three developers ($65) who specializes in creating landing pages for fashion websites can quote a $4,450 price estimate for an 80-hour time estimate (e.g. $40 x 30 + $65 x 50)

Example 3: The freelance team of three developers ($65) who build custom apps can quote a $31,200 price estimate for a 480-hour time estimate.

Example 4: The freelance team of two artists ($50), four developers ($70), two designers ($55), one audio specialist ($45), and two video game producers ($35) who create strategy and puzzle games can quote a  $54,100 price estimate for an 1,000-hour time estimate. (e.g $50 x 200 + $70 x 300 + $55 x 200 +$45 x 160 + $35 x 140)

How to track estimates for tasks and projects

If you’re tracking time in Clockify, you will be able to set up time estimates for projects and tasks, and then track them against your real-time results.

As you progress with the project, you’ll see the estimate bars for the project and tasks fill up. So, you’ll be able to tell when you’re dangerously close to breaking your time estimates, and, indirectly, your budget.

7. Setting up and tracking project and task deadlines

How to define project and task deadlines

In relation to other projects you’re working on, the resources you’ll use for this project, as well as the number of tasks you’ll have, you need to set some clear project and task deadlines.

The task deadlines will directly relate to the project deadline, and, all of them will relate to the project estimates you’ve just set.

For example, if you’ve defined a 480-hour estimate for project completion per three developers, that means you’ll need about one month for completion (if all three of you will work on the project for 40 hours per week).

However, your team may work on two projects estimated to take 480 hours, at the same time, meaning one developer will likely only be able to work 20 hours per week on the first project. In such a case, a deadline of two months may be the first realistic date you can quote to the client.

In this example, we had all three members of the freelance developer team start working on the project at the same time.

But, in reality, it’s rarely that simple — because of something called task dependencies.

Task dependencies dictate in what order you can work on tasks. And, one task may depend on the other in such a way that you need to:

1. Finish Task A before you can start Task B
2. Start Task B at the same time as Task C
3. Finish Task C before you can finish Task D
4. Start Task D before you can finish Task B

Now, the listed tasks may amount to 480 hours of work together. But, their type of task dependency (as well as who is assigned with them) will also influence the realistic end completion date you can quote to your client.

How to track the final project and task deadlines

If you’re tracking your project and task progress in Trello, you can define separate deadlines for each card/task you have planned.

These individual task deadlines will help you determine whether the project deadline is realistic. Now, if you keep missing task deadlines, it’s a sure bet you should eventually negotiate a deadline extension for the project as well.

Wrapping up

Projects and tasks are seemingly complex notions with various important elements you need to consider and track.

With project outlines, it’s vital that you track the project goals, milestones, Key Performance Indicators, Objectives and Key Results.

With projects in general, it’s vital that you break them down into tasks whose time and progress you can easily track. Moreover, you should define price and time estimates, as well as clear deadlines.

When it comes to your billing approach, you should track its accuracy, efficiency, as well as distinguish between billable and non-billable tasks.

In the end, tracking the various aspects of projects and tasks may seem like a complex process, but, it’s rather simple, once you’ve defined and organized everything you need.

For instance, in terms of business, calculating FTEs may be of great use when determining how many hours part-time employees should work to equal the number of hours full-time employees work. Such calculations facilitate accounting processes such as estimating wages, payroll, costs, etc.

In this article, we’ll talk about:

• FTE basics,
• Purpose of calculating FTEs, 
• How to calculate FTEs (+ examples), and
• Why businesses need FTEs.

We’ll also show you how to perform various calculations that involve FTEs, and provide you with automatic calculators that will help make the process easier.

What is the full-time equivalent (FTE)?

A full-time equivalent (FTE) — also known as a whole-time equivalent or WTE — represents the sum of all full-time hours employees work in a certain company. Along with counting the hours worked, FTEs show how many full-time employees a particular company employs within a fiscal year or needs to employ to carry out a project.

The calculation is straightforward — divide the employee’s scheduled hours by the number of hours that represent an official weekly full-time schedule in a company (e.g., 40 hours per week).

Employee’s scheduled hours / official weekly full-time workweek = FTE

Outside the business environment, this unit of measure is also used to measure a student’s class load or involvement in a school project.

What is a full-time equivalent employee?

Considering that the FTE unit of measure is based on the total number of hours worked — it may not indicate the actual number of people working in a company.

Here’s how full-time and part-time employees may equal 1 full-time equivalent employee in your company based on the formula we’ve provided above:

Scenario #1:

1 full-time employee working 1 official full-time schedule = 1 full-time equivalent employee:

1 x 40 hours worked / 40-hour workweek = 1.0 FTE

Scenario #2: 

2 part-time employees working exactly half of the company’s official full-time schedule = 1 full-time equivalent employee:

2 x 20 hours worked / 40-hour workweek = 1.0 FTE

Scenario #3:

4 part-time employees working exactly a quarter of the company’s official full-time schedule = 1 full-time equivalent employee:

4 x 10 hours worked / 40-hour workweek = 1.0 FTE

What is the purpose of FTE?

Businesses use the FTE calculations for a variety of purposes, and the most common ones are presented below.

1. FTEs in the workplace

While hiring part-time employees often turns out to be less expensive than hiring full-time employees, sometimes it’s hard to determine their effectiveness in a company. For that purpose, FTE calculations help businesses to:

• Determine hours worked (either by full-time or part-time employees),
• Calculate profits per each employee, 
• Determine wages based on hours worked,
• Calculate the number of accrual hours for PTO per employee,
• Calculate expenses, and more.

Moreover, project managers and budget analysts also use the FTE unit of measure to estimate how many hours (i.e., full-time schedules) it will take to finish a project and whether the said project will require full-time or part-time employees (and how many of each). They also use it to calculate labor costs for the expected project workload and subsequently define the funds needed to finish a project.

2. FTEs for federal programs and benefits

What’s more, FTE calculations help determine eligibility for different federal programs and benefits such as:

• Eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — Eligible employers may receive limited financial aid (of up to 8 weeks) to cover payroll costs, benefits, utilities, rent, or mortgage interests. Such financial aid is subject to forgiveness if the borrower makes a request for it within 10 months of the end of the covered period.  
• Eligibility for the Small Business Tax Credit Program — Applies to small businesses whose revenues have decreased or who have been shut down between the period of March 12, 2020, and December 31, 2020. If eligible, employers may receive a tax credit of up to 50% of the wages paid. For the year 2021, the maximum benefit equals $28,000 for the entire year.
• Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program — State-employed workers with 10 years or more of work experience have the opportunity to be relieved from their student debts under this program. This is applicable if an employee has made 120 qualifying monthly payments while working as a full-time employee (at least 30 hours of work per week). Calculating the FTE may help you receive forgiveness regarding your student loan debt. In this particular case, your FTE must be 1.0 (working 40 hours a week) or 0.75 (if you work 30 hours a week) as the minimum requirement.

3. FTEs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Applicable Large Employers (ALE) who employ at least 50 full-time employees (full-time equivalent employees) per year are subject to the shared responsibility provisions, which require an employer to:

• Provide their full-time equivalent employees and their dependents a minimum health insurance coverage, and
• Regularly report information on minimum health insurance coverage to both employees and the IRS as part of their responsibilities under the ACA.

Therefore, eligible employees may obtain affordable and minimum health insurance coverage thanks to FTE calculations under the Affordable Care Act. Any employee having at least 30 working hours per week (or 130 a month) is considered a full-time employee under this act.

To help you determine if you qualify for an Applicable Large Employer, visit this website.

What is a typical official full-time schedule?

The expected length of a full-time schedule has changed a lot throughout history — full-time employees now work about 20 or 30 hours per week less than they did in the 19th century.

Even today, these numbers greatly vary across countries. According to OECD statistics on average weekly hours worked on the main job from 2021, Denmark has an average of 33.7 hours per week compared to Columbia and its average of 47.8 hours during a workweek. The US falls somewhere in the middle when compared to other countries, with 38.8 hours of work time per week, on average.

However, the IRS mandates only 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month for an employee in the US to be considered full-time in terms of the type of employment.

In practice, these numbers still usually fall somewhere between 32 and 40 hours per week, with 40 hours per week (8 hours per day, 5 days per week) being a common norm for a full-time schedule.

What is 100% FTE?

A 100% FTE is the same as a 1.0 FTE — it may point to one person working a full-time schedule or several people fulfilling the duties of one full-time position.

In one company, a full-time schedule may be 40 hours per week. In another, it may be 37.5 hours per week. Since both are considered to be full-time schedules in their respective companies, both count as a 100% or 1.0 FTE.

An FTE calculation for all employees in a company needs to be rounded down to the nearest whole number (usually, 1.0 FTE or greater).

On the other hand, the FTE for individual employees may be:

• 80% (0.8) FTE,
• 75% (0.75) FTE,
• 70% (0.7) FTE,
• 50% (0.5) FTE, or
• Any other FTE equivalent of a shorter work schedule than 100% FTE.

How to calculate FTE for individual employees (+ examples)

To calculate the full-time equivalent in your company for each employee, you’ll need to account for:

• The hours of a full-time weekly schedule, and
• The actual hours your employees are scheduled to work.

Example #1

Let’s say that a full-time weekly schedule in your company is 40 hours per week, and your employees are scheduled with 40 hours of work a week. This is a straightforward example since each employee who works 40 hours per week in your company has a 1.0 FTE.

40 / 40 = 1.0 FTE 

Example #2

What about the employees whose contracts mandate they work less, such as part-time workers?

Say that a worker named Karen works 20 hours per week in the same company. To calculate her FTE, simply divide the actual hours Karen is scheduled to work by the full-time weekly schedule of your company:

20 / 40 = 0.5 FTE 

Example #3

The same would go for Arthur, who works 25 hours in a company where, this time, 38 hours is considered a full-time schedule:

25 / 38 = 0.6 FTE

What is 75% FTE? When is 75% FTE or higher considered full-time?

An employee with a regular budgeted assignment of 75% of a full-time job position has a 0.75 FTE. 

This usually amounts to:

• The total of 28 hours per week for non-exempt positions who work 37.5 hours per week under normal conditions, or 
• The total of 30 hours for exempt positions who work 40 hours per week under normal conditions.

However, temporary job positions are excluded from this rule.

Whether an FTE of 0.75 is considered full-time will depend on the company policy made by the employer. If 0.75 FTE is considered full-time in a company, such employees may qualify to apply for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, as stated above.

However, bear in mind that this only applies to positions that work 30 hours per week when assigned a 0.75 FTE position, i.e., the IRS minimum for a full-time definition. In contrast, non-exempt positions who typically work only 28 hours per week on a 0.75 FTE schedule do not qualify, even if the employer policy defines them as full-time.

What is an FTE salary? How to calculate an FTE salary?

An FTE salary is an employee salary converted into a full-time equivalent salary within a full year, regardless of whether the said employee holds a full-time or part-time position. The actual workload is not taken into consideration for this calculation.

Example: Let’s say that an employee has held a job for 6 months (0.5 time of a full year) at an FTE of 70% (0.7) and earned $12,000 during this time.

The FTE salary calculation for this employee goes as follows:

$12,000 / ( 0.5 x 0.7 ) = $34,285 per year

FTE salary calculator

To easily convert an employee salary into a full-time equivalent salary within a full working year, you can use the following calculators free of charge:

Download the FTE salary calculator in Excel

Download the FTE salary calculator in Google Sheets

How to convert FTEs to work hours? (+ FTE hours requirements)

We already discussed how to use work hours to calculate FTE for individual employees. But what if we start from an FTE to calculate work hours?

For example, you may want to do this when you want to make an FTE offer to a new employee during a job interview. And the actual number of hours attached to an FTE will also depend on your organization’s policy.

For inspiration, let’s look at a chart compiled by Northern Michigan University.

Here’s how they classify working hours for different assignment lengths based on predefined FTE measurements within a fiscal year in 2022 (ended June 30, 2022) and 2023 (ends June 30, 2023).

When classifying FTEs and working hours in your company’s policy, you can follow suit, or define your own FTE measurements.

How do you convert FTE to hours?

To calculate the number of hours your employee is expected to work based on their FTE, you’ll need to reverse the previously mentioned process of calculating FTE based on the number of hours worked.

Example: Let’s say you have an employee named Olivia who has a 0.7 FTE in a company that counts 40 hours as a full-time schedule. How many hours does Olivia work per year?

If Olivia has a 0.7 FTE on a yearly basis, you’ll need to multiply her FTE with the average number of hours worked for a full-time work schedule in your company a year (40 hours per week x 52 weeks per year = 2,080 average number of hours per year):

0.7 x 2,080 = 1,456 hours per year

Bear in mind that this is just the expected number of hours Olivia may work with a 0.7 FTE — she will likely use some of these hours for PTO.

Why is FTE important for PTO?

FTEs may also influence how many hours employees can accrue for PTO. The actual PTO an employee can accrue may depend on several factors, including years of employment that dictate an employee’s hourly PTO accrual rate. These rates will depend on the PTO accrual rate policies of a company, organization, or institution.

For example, at the University of Utah Health, eligible hospital and clinics staff members who work the equivalence of 0.50 to 0.74 FTE of a full-time schedule will accrue at 50% of the full-time benefit rate (distributed based on their FTEs).

Examples of how to calculate FTE for all employees

To calculate the FTE for all employees in your company, consider the full-time and part-time employees you employ.

Example #1: 1 full-time employee / 40-hour workweek

A full-time employee working 40 hours in a company that views 40 work hours as a full-time schedule is counted as having a 1.0 or 100% FTE (40 / 40 = 1.0 FTE). In line with that, you may have 10 full-time employees, who’ll equal 10.0 FTEs in total (1.0 FTE each).

However, if your company employs part-time employees as well, several of them together may equal 1.0 FTE.

Example #2: 1 part-time employee / 40-hour workweek

A part-time employee working 20 hours in a company that views 40 work hours as a full-time schedule is counted as having a 0.5 or 50% FTE (20 / 40 = 0.5 FTE). Two such part-time employees together equal one full-time employee equivalent (0.5 + 0.5). In line with that, if you have 20 part-time employees, they will once again equal 10.0 FTEs (0.5 FTE each x 20).

Now, this was a simple calculation, but what if your part-time employees are NOT working exactly half of your company’s official full-time schedule?

Example #3: 2 full-time employees and 5 part-time employees / 40-hour workweek

Say you have 2 full-time employees and 5 part-time employees, out of which: 

• 2 work for 23 hours, 
• 2 work for 25 hours, and 
• One works for 28 hours per week.

The simplest approach to calculate the FTE for part-time employees is to add up the listed hours (2 x 23 + 2 x 25 + 28 = 124) and divide that total by the number of hours that mark a full-time schedule in your company (once again, let’s say that that’s 40 hours per week):

124 / 40 = 3.1 

In the end, round this down to the nearest whole number (3 FTE), and add the 2 full-time employees (2 FTE) to get the final FTE in this scenario:

3 FTE + 2 FTE = 5 FTE

FTE calculator for all employees

To easily calculate the FTE for all your employees — part-time and full-time — use our free calculators provided below:

Download the FTE calculator for all employees in Excel

Download FTE calculator for all employees in Google Sheets

Simply enter the number of full-time employees, then add up all the hours worked by part-time employees (for the previous week), and don’t forget to enter the hours of your standard workweek (which is generally 40). This way, you will be able to determine the number of full-time equivalent workers in your company even when you have part-time workers on-site. 

Bear in mind that these are just simple FTE example calculations — project managers approach FTE from a different angle while federal programs use different FTE calculation methods.

How to calculate FTEs to determine the headcount needed for a project?

Say that you want to determine your resource requirements for a project estimated to take 600 hours to complete and on which your team will work 8 hours per day. To calculate how many days your team will need to work to accomplish this and how many people in the team you need to begin with, first, divide 600 by 8:

600 / 8 = 75 hours per day

So, 75 is the number of hours needed per day to finish the said 600-hour project. However, it will be up to you to decide how many people you’ll want to employ to carry this out and what type of employment you will offer them.

Take a look at the following solutions that we’ve provided for you:

• Suitable Solution 1: You can choose to employ 10 full-time employees (10.0 FTE) who will finish the job in 7 and a half days (75 / 10).
• Suitable Solution 2:  You can choose to employ 7 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee (7.5 FTE) who will finish the project in 10 days. In this case, we’ll take the number of hours a day needed to finish the project (75) and divide it with the part-time employee’s FTE (7.5) to get 10 days (75 / 7.5).
• Suitable Solution 3: If you’re looking to speed up the process, you can also choose to employ a team of 15 full-time employees (15 FTE) who’ll finish the project in 5 days (75 / 15).
• Suitable Solution 4: If you’re less concerned about the speed, you can employ a team of 5 full-time employees (5 FTE) who will finish the project in 15 days (75 / 5).

As evident, once you have the total number of hours per day, you’ll be able to pick whatever days/employees ratio you want to carry out the estimated workload.

FTEs calculator for project managers

To easily calculate how many full-time equivalent employees you need to finish a project, you can use the following calculator free of charge:

Download the FTE calculator for project managers in Excel

Download FTE calculator for project managers in Google Sheets

As you can see from the example above, you can easily calculate how many full-time equivalent employees you need to hire to successfully complete a project. All you need to do is enter how many hours of work are required to complete the whole project (estimated time), and then how many hours a day your employees will work on that specific project.

FTEs calculation methods for federal programs and benefits

The FTE calculation methods we’ll discuss here are concerned with calculating FTEs for:

1. Business owners who want to determine the size of their business and understand whether they count as Applicable Large Employers for the year,
2. Small business owners who want to understand whether their business is eligible to apply for a tax credit in the amount of 50% of employer-paid health care premiums, and
3. Business owners who want to understand whether their business is eligible to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program.

The role of FTEs in determining whether an employee qualifies as an ALE

In the context of the Health Care Reform Act, the Affordable Health Care Act requires the calculations that determine whether a business is classified as owned by a large employer or a small business. These calculations are used to clarify the company’s obligations regarding employee health benefits.

How to use FTE to determine whether you are an ALE?

Since we’ve already explained which specific requirements an employer must meet to qualify as an Applicable Large Employer (ALE) in the FTEs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) section, here is how you can use FTE to determine whether you are an Applicable Large Employer:

• To calculate the full-time equivalent for the actual full-time employees, simply do a headcount.
• To calculate the full-time equivalent for part-time employees, add up their work hours and divide that number by 120.

Example: You have 50 full-time employees and 50 part-time employees. Out of the 50 part-time employees: 

• 10 work 20 hours, 
• 10 work 22 hours, 
• 20 work 25 hours, and 
• 10 work 28 hours. 

Here is the calculation that shows how many full-time equivalent employees they represent:

50 (full-time employees) + (10 x 20 + 10 x 22 + 20 x 25 + 10 x 28) / 120 = 60 full-time equivalent employees

If your final FTE for all your full-time and part-time employees shows 50 FTEs or more, you are an Applicable Large Employer for the year.

However, here’s who you DO NOT include in the calculation:

• Partners in a partnership,
• Company employees who work outside of the US (regardless of whether they are US citizens or not),
• Shareholders of an S corporation who hold at least 2% of the said S corporation,
• Real estate agents (or direct sellers of real estate), and
• Employees leased from leasing agencies.

FTE calculator for ALE

To easily calculate whether you are an Applicable Large Employer for this year, you can use the following calculators free of charge:

Download the FTE calculator for ALE in Excel

Download the FTE calculator for ALE in Google Sheets

The calculation is straightforward — enter the number of full-time employees together with the total number of hours worked by part-time employees per week. The calculator will tell how many full-time employees that represents and whether or not you are an Applicable Large Employer. 

The role of FTEs in calculating eligibility for a tax credit

As stated in the Eligibility for the Small Business Tax Credit Program section above, small businesses are eligible for such a tax credit if they employ less than 50 full-time equivalent employees (and subsequently have less than 50 FTE for all employees in total).

If you are such an employer, then you are eligible to apply for a tax credit in the amount of 50% of employer-paid health care premiums.

To help you determine if you are eligible for a small-employer healthcare tax credit, you need to count the number of employees employed in your company throughout the year.

However, here’s who you DO NOT include in the calculation:

• Owners (sole proprietors included),
• Partners in a partnership,
• Shareholders of an S corporation who hold more than 2% of the said S corporation,
• Shareholders of a corporation who hold more than 5% of the said corporation,
• Family members or relatives that work for you, and
• Seasonal workers who work less than 120 hours during a year.

How to use FTE to help you determine whether you qualify for a tax credit

There are three methods to calculate FTEs for a healthcare tax credit for small businesses. Each requires that you divide the number of hours by 2,080 to get the employee’s FTE:

• Method #1: The actual hours worked,
• Method #2: Days-worked equivalency, and
• Method #3: Weeks-worked equivalency.

The first method uses the actual hours worked.

Within this method, you add up all actual hours worked (including PTO).

Example: An employee worked 2,000 hours within a year and spent an additional 80 hours during that year on time off:

2,000 + 80 = 2,080 hours of service / 2,080 = 1.0 FTE

The second method is based on the days-worked equivalency.

Within this method, the employee is credited with 8 hours for each day they would be required to work at least 1 hour (including PTO).

Example: An employee worked from 7.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. every day for 100 days (5 hours worked per day for 130 days = 130 days an employee was required to work at least 1 hour):

8 x 130 = 1,040 hours of service / 2,080 = 0.5 FTE

Finally, the third method is based on the weeks-worked equivalency.

Within this method, the employee is credited with 40 hours for each week when payment was due (including PTO).

Example: An employee worked for 37 weeks, took 2 weeks for a paid vacation, and took 9 weeks of unpaid leave (you only count 37 weeks worked and the 2 weeks of paid vacation, without the unpaid leave):

(37 + 2) x 40 = 1,560 hours of service / 2,080 = 0.75 FTE

Whatever method you choose, repeat it for each employee, and add up the numbers to get the final FTE (round the number down). Alternatively, add up the hours of service for all your employees, and divide that number by 2,080. For example, 15,600 hours of service equals 7 FTE (15,600 / 2,080 = 7.5, rounded down).

FTE calculator for the small businesses tax credit program

To easily calculate the hours of service per employee in your small business and see if you qualify for a tax credit, you can use the following calculators free of charge:

Download the FTE calculator for small businesses tax credit program in Excel

Download the FTE calculator for small businesses tax credit program in Google Sheets

To calculate FTEs and see if you qualify for tax credit, you can choose one of the said methods (we’ve provided calculators for each). If you, for instance, choose the first method, enter all the actual hours worked (including PTO) and divide that number with 2,080 to get the final FTE.

The role of FTE in calculating eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

As we’ve already mentioned, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established by the CARES Act, provides funds to small business owners to help them keep their workers on payroll or cover other costs such as utilities, rent, and more (up to 24 weeks).

How to calculate FTE for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)?

To make sure you are eligible to have your loan fully forgiven due to maintaining the FTE in your small business, you’ll need to calculate your FTEs according to the calculation methods prescribed by the Small Business Administration (SBA):

SBA calculation method #1:

• For full-time employees — Each employee who worked 40 or more hours per week on average, during a specific calculation period counts as 1.0 FTE. No employee can be greater than 1.0 FTE, as overtime is not counted for this calculation. 
• For part-time employees — Employees who worked less than 40 hours per week on average during a specific calculation period will have their average hours worked on a weekly basis added together. Divide this total number by 40, and then round the total to the nearest tenth to get the total FTE. 

Example: You have 5 full-time employees who work 40 hours per week and 8 part-time employees who work 25 hours per week.

5 + 8 x 25 / 40 = 10 FTE

Note: This method is the same as the example of how to calculate FTE for all employees discussed earlier.

SBA calculation method #2: (the simpler alternative)

• For full-time employees —  Each employee who worked more than 40 hours per week on average during a specific calculation period counts as 1.0 FTE.
• For part-time employees — Each employee who worked less than 40 hours per week on average during a specific calculation period counts as 0.5 FTE.

Example: You have 7 full-time employees who work 40 hours per week and 8 part-time employees who work 28 hours per week. In numbers, that would be:

7 + 8 x 0.5 = 12 FTE

Note: Whatever SBA calculation method you choose to use, you’ll need to use it consistently for all calculation time periods. 

FTE calculators for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

To easily calculate FTE to check eligibility for full forgiveness in the Paycheck Protection Program, you can use the following calculators free of charge:

Download FTE calculator for PPP in Excel

Download FTE calculator for PPP in Google Sheets

Calculating employee rates with Clockify

Want an easy way to track your actual labor costs?

With Clockify, you can easily track your cost rates per employee and then compare and contrast them with employee billable hourly rates. 

Follow the steps below to keep track of the cost of services that involve human resources in Clockify:

1. First, define cost and billable hourly rates for each employee (or for your project or workspace on the whole),
2. Have your employees track the time they spend working on projects, and
3. Finally, run reports to see what you charge your clients, what you pay your employees, and whether you are making a profit (or have costs that exceed revenue).

Checking an employee’s FTE with Clockify

To see your employees’ FTEs, you can view their daily/weekly/monthly assignments in Clockify.

Then, as people track time on their assignments, you can run the Assignments Report that shows you tracked vs scheduled hours.

Summing up: FTE may serve in a variety of different contexts

FTE has several different uses and several different calculation methods, depending on why you want to calculate it. It will help you plan your project work, set deadlines, and work out your budget. 

Moreover, having accurate FTEs for all employees will also help employers determine responsibilities towards them, their PTO rates, and whether the business is eligible for certain federal programs. Once you decide why you want to use FTE, identify the appropriate calculation method, and follow it through.

Have you ever heard about the FTE? In which context do you often make use of it? Let us know at blogfeedback@clockify.me so we can try out your technique next. And, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone you think would be interested in reading it.

So, how do you get in the freelance gig industry and partake in this business trend?

How to start freelancing (or moonlighting)

To start freelancing while you already have a full-time job, you’ll have to consider the following steps:

Define your business goals

Before you start freelancing, you’ll have to be honest with yourself, and answer an important question:

• Is freelancing just a side gig? Or do you plan to expand it to a full-time business?

The answer to this question will determine your next steps, considering that you’ll either aim to balance your full-time and freelance work, OR aim to work your way out of your current job to pursue a full-time freelance career.

The answer to this question is your long-term goal. To pursue it, you’ll have to set a number of short-term goals and answer questions such as:

• What niche will you specialize in?
• What services will you offer?
• What amount do you want to be earning on a monthly basis to decide to quit your full-time job (if applicable)?

These are just some of the vital questions and short-term goals you need to work through to take your freelancing career off the ground.

Find a perspective niche (and stick to it)

No matter whether you’re a graphic designer, copywriter, developer, or anything in between by vocation, it’d be best if you were to specialize in a particular area of work:

For example, If you’re a content writer, don’t aim to write about any topic under the sun, from Top 3 Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Spring to Taxation Laws in all 50 US States Explained.

Sure, you may start by writing various topics, to find your ideal niche, but eventually, you should pick one, and stick to it.

But, Cryptocurrency or Technology content writer always sound much better in your CV than General content writer. Moreover, they inspire more confidence in you on the part of the clients who’ll always be looking for specific, and not general content.

The same is true if you’re a graphic designer:

• consider your level of experience
• your current pool of connections
• your natural inclinations to a particular design niche

Then, make your pick — focus on delivering interface design for apps, creating new custom logos, devising layouts for books, or any other specific design work.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should downright refuse to work on anything else. But, you will be building your experience, skills, and reputation in one specific line of work, which will increase your likelihood of getting hired to do side gigs for reputable companies looking for experts in a particular niche.*

*You should check with your employer on what’s the company’s policy of working on such side hustles. Perhaps your contract forbids you from accepting freelance work in your respectable niche, outside of the company.

Identify target clients

Just like you shouldn’t aim to cover every niche in your industry, you shouldn’t aim to cater to the needs of the entire industry’s market.

Small businesses, teams, remote workers, or even other freelancers may all require the same type of service you’re looking to offer. But, you’ll need to target one or two types of clients especially.

Say you want to start a blog about everything related to working remotely. There are freelancers, teams, but also entire businesses working remotely, and they can serve as your starting point.

But, just like with choosing a niche, specific is always better.

Think about the age of your desired readers. Perhaps you’re a Millennial, so you can write a blog about working remotely for Millennials?

Think about the location. Perhaps you want to cover predominantly the US market?

Think about the education level. Perhaps you want to cover newly independent remote workers, who’re just starting out their careers?

Think about income. Perhaps you’re looking to write for people with a limited budget, but who would like to move to a digital nomad visa country?

Think about gender. Perhaps you want to predominantly target women freelancers?

These are only some questions you should ask yourself, but they reveal a lot. For example, that you can write for fresh-out-of-college female Millennials from the US looking to start and cultivate a remote career while traveling abroad with a limited budget.

This is specific enough to draw in the right crowd, but general enough not to alienate other remote workers. After all, you’ll still mostly write about challenges, tips, and hacks of remote work, which will likely interest all remote workers.

But, you’ll get a more specific idea where and how to market your blog, and what kind of copy you should write for your Landing page and subsequent pages.

Set your freelance rates

Setting your freelance rates always seems like a challenging point, but it’s a lot more straightforward when you list the necessary parameters that help determine your ideal (and realistic) pricing:

• Experience (if any)
• Education level
• Supply and demand for your services
• The prices in your industry
• The average freelance hourly rates in your niche
• Your location

Once you have all this data, you’ll need to calculate your hourly rate based on it — higher education, experience, and demand for your niche will mean you can set higher prices. If you’re based in the US, you’ll likely be able to command higher rates than if you’re based in the Philippines. Of course, your living standards and expenses will be higher, so you’ll also need to command higher rates.

In any case, you shouldn’t price yourself too high in relation to the listed parameters — because you’ll become too expensive to clients when compared to the competition.

But, even more importantly, you shouldn’t sell yourself short either. After all, you’ll need to think about covering your freelance expenses and making a profit. However, once you price your work too low, it’ll be difficult to increase your prices later, even if you find that you need to.

Create a website (and portfolio)

Once you’ve defined your business goals, found a niche, identified your target clients, and set your prices, you’ll want to create an online presence. And, the best way to do so is by creating your own website with a portfolio showcasing your previous work, skills, and expertise.

Creating a website for free through a website builder like Wix is fine, but you’ll be better off if you were to buy a domain name from a hosting website. You’ll get a unique name for your online presence and a customized email address, so you’ll look much more credible and overall more professional to potential clients.

Regardless of what your industry is, it may be best if you were to choose your own name for the domain, especially when you’re mostly looking to showcase your portfolio. You’ll stand out better, and it’ll later be easier to switch to a different industry (or niche) if you find that you want to.

Once you’ve selected a host and domain name, you can install WordPress to your website, and choose the website’s theme. Then, you can add a landing page describing your services, and prices, maybe even a separate page for a blog where you’ll write about industry-related topics.

Don’t forget to optimize your website for search engines. Include the most common industry-related keywords in your copy, to help Google position you better, and clients find you easier.

Most importantly, create a separate page just for your portfolio — depending on your industry, this can be:

• a video reel (if you’re a video producer, 3D, or 2D animator…)
• a selection of your best photographs (if you’re a photographer)
• an overview of your best articles (if you’re a writer)

Find your first client

Your first client may contact you because of your personal website portfolio, but you should also actively pursue your first gig bearing in mind what employers look for. There are several ways you can do this:

Get involved in your industry’s community

Join a forum catering to your industry, offer opinions on pressing issues and questions, and partake in discussions.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions yourself. If you see a wall mural, application, logo design, or any other industry-related work you like, contact the client who commissioned it and ask what he/she requested from the person who delivered the work.

Ask how they found the freelancer they hired, and why they hired him/her. After all, clients can best tell you what they want from the professionals they hire.

Learn how to pitch through email

Knowing how to pitch your expertise and skills is as important as having said expertise and skills. And, sending cold emails to potential clients is a good way to start. So, identify potential clients in your industry (a simple Google search can suffice), and start crafting your emails:

1. Personalize emails. Make sure you address the person in your email (avoid the popular “To Whom It May Concern” phrasing).
2. Make sure you pitch the email to the right person. If you’re pitching an online magazine to land a writing gig, make sure you send the pitch to the magazine’s editor, and not the magazine’s Art Director, or any other person unrelated to the field of writing.
3. Create a thoughtful proposal. Do your research, understand what the company or website you’re pitching to is looking for, and understand how your services tie into that.

You’ll probably need some practice with email pitching, but you’ll get the answer to how efficient your emails are soon enough. If no one replies to you, you’re likely doing something wrong and need to rethink your approach.

Finding your first client is the most difficult, especially if you haven’t yet made a name for yourself in your industry/niche. But, your first client (if he/she is satisfied with your work) can give you a referral to serve as your credibility among future clients.

Look through freelance job platforms/websites

You can go through general freelance job platforms, but also those aimed at developers, designers, virtual assistants, writers, translators, etc

Specifically, you can start with:

• Simply Hired, CareerBuilder, and FlexJobs (general)
• Github Jobs (development)
• If You Could Jobs (design)
• ProBlogger Job Board (writing)

Then, work your way from there.

Expand your network

Once you’ve landed your first client, you’ll need to work on finding recurring clients. Perhaps your first client will become a recurring one. And, perhaps the referral you’ve been given by said first client will inspire others to contact you and provide a steady stream of work.

In any case, it’s best that you expand your network — and here’s where the famous Pareto principle comes in handy. According to it, cultivating a good relationship with 20% of your clients will help you find 80% of new work through their referrals. Moreover, each new 20 referrals increase your chances of getting new projects by 80%.

To expand your network, you can:

• partake in industry webinars
• attend events
• join Facebook groups and communities
• streamline your LinkedIn network
• send out invites to professionals in your field (or a field that often requires your services)

Also, don’t be shy about asking people you know in person (not just existing clients, but also your friends and family) to introduce you to new people. After all, you never know where you’ll land your next gig, and it might even be in the local pub where the people from the neighboring marketing agency like to hang out.

Balance your full-time job with your part-time freelancing side gigs

All this talk about freelancing almost made you forget about your full-time job, didn’t it?

Well, it shouldn’t.

If you’re working both full-time and on side freelance gigs, it’s usually your full-time position that’s covering your taxes, healthcare, retirement fund, and other subsequent expenses, most likely your bills too. So, it should remain a priority when compared to a string of part-time jobs.

Make sure you keep in mind your deadlines, both at your full-time position and on your freelance projects — define your priorities, and make a schedule you’ll stick to. If a fun freelance project overlaps with an important and urgent deadline at the office, you may want to pass on the opportunity.

Bear in mind that one survey about how freelancers spend time shows that as much as 28.60% spend more than 30 hours per week on their freelance work. So, when you work full-time and take on part-time gigs, you may sometimes even work 80+ hours per week.

In such cases, always make sure you take care of your health, and leave sufficient time for meals, sleep, exercise, and leisure time with friends and family.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to become a full-time freelancer, then you should provide an answer to the previously mentioned question:

What amount do you want to be earning on a monthly basis to decide to quit your full-time job?

Your best bet is to pick a number that covers your current bills and the equipment you need for work, but also leaves enough for you to pay self-employment taxes and cover other expenses.

How to start freelancing with no experience

The previous section of this post covered the steps you should undertake if you’re already working in the industry you have a passion to build a career in. But, what if you’re a graduate economist covering the finance section for a local newspaper just to pay the bills, and don’t see yourself pursuing a long term career in finances?

If that’s the case, then you’ll need to do some soul searching to find your true (freelance) calling — and, deal with the fact that you’ll most likely be a newbie with no official experience competing with a number of seasoned professionals.

But, there are ways to approach the matter:

Choose what you’re passionate about

First, identify your passions and interests. For example, if this happens to be a programming language, you’re off to an excellent start. But, there are lots of profitable industries you can check out other than programming.

So, list 10-15 of your interests and passions — after all, if you work in an industry you love, you’ll be less likely to quit it when times get tough.

Next, identify the most searched problems and topics within each listed industry/niche. You can do this by using a simple keyword analysis tool that tells you how many times a certain term is searched per month.

Now, go through industry-related forums, to read what problems and concerns real people have in a particular industry. Do you know how to solve their problems and answer their questions? Then you might just have the means to fill a gap in the market.

The last (and perhaps crucial) matter you need to consider when choosing a career is the competition — has the industry problem you’re looking to address already been covered? If so, was it covered in a satisfying, quality way? If not, perhaps you’ve just found your true calling.

Consider some best second jobs you can take on without experience

Having a passion is great, but maybe you’re just looking for a side gig you can start work on immediately, with no official experience?

If that’s the case, you’ll have plenty of opportunities, so take your pick:

• If you’re a great typist, you can take on data entry work in your spare time
• If you’re a skilled researcher, you can help take the load off of teams working on a project by conducting their internet research
• If you’re proficient in a language or two, you can apply to transcribe audio to text (bear in mind that you’ll still need a transcription certification to work as a transcriber in the field of medicine, for example)

These positions are great if you’re looking to find quick part-time gigs — although, they may be harder to find, due to larger competition.

Don’t work for exposure

This is a common pitfall for most newbie freelancers with no experience — you’ll feel tempted to work pro bono to gain exposure and experience you can later list in your CV.

But, you should be very careful about working for free.

On one hand, having no finished projects to showcase your talent usually means you’ll be less likely to get hired — free work is easier to get (as you’d expect), and you can build a portfolio through it.

However, the problem here is that people may hear that you work for free, and it’ll get harder for you to land paying gigs later — “You worked for company X for free, why can’t you work for me for free too?”

So, don’t take on free work just to build a reputation — remember, if your work is good enough to help you build a reputation, it’s good enough for you to get paid.

The nail in the coffin for free work is that the very things you’re looking to gain — respect and recognition — are the very things you’re likely to lose.

People won’t value your work nor respect you as credible professionals if you work for free because people are generally wired to think that there’s something wrong with work they get for free — even if there isn’t.

And, if you work for free, potential clients won’t take you as seriously as they take professionals who price their work from the start — these professionals show they always value their work and time, which prompts clients to do the same.

In conclusion, you should always look for paying gigs — you’ll just need to build your expertise, skills, and whatever you lack through online or in-person classes first.

Which brings us to the next point.

Work on your freelance skills

When you have no official experience, but also lack the necessary skills to create full-quality work, the only efficient solution is to learn, learn, learn, and practice, practice, practice.

Now, this may not be practical when you’re working full-time, but if this particular industry/niche is a passion of yours, then you’ll probably have no problem exchanging leisure time for some learning time. Just make sure you always leave room for sleep, rest, and other necessities.

You can enroll in a class in your city to learn more about the most sought after programming languages or cutting edge practices in graphic design.

Or, you can try Lynda Online Classes in design, web development, software development, photography, or one of 600+ other courses.

Udemy is another option if you’re looking to expand your skills online.

You can learn practical knowledge by frequenting various niche-oriented websites that talk about the theory. Then, you can practice on your own, by coding, drawing, writing, researching, or otherwise expanding on your skills in your free time.

Work on additional skills

Apart from your core, industry-related freelance skills (i.e., your hard skills), you’ll need to work on some additional skills — your soft skills.

Soft skills are more personality-related: communicativeness and critical thinking are probably the most important traits to pursue, but, you’ll also need to be persistent, good at handling stress, an efficient scheduler, and skilled in time management.

You’ll also need to be confident, to persuade your potential clients that you possess the skills and experience they’re looking for.

In the end, perhaps most importantly, you’ll need to nurture and get accustomed to discipline. After all, you will likely have to balance between your full-time job and freelance side-projects (not to mention your personal errands), and this takes some practice in planning.

*Some pointers from the previous section of this post are required even if you don’t have experience — defining your business goals, choosing a niche, creating a personal website, and identifying target clients is always mandatory, so make sure you look into these points.

How to start freelancing in a particular niche

The previous sections of this post covered how to start freelancing in general (no matter whether you have experience or not, and regardless of the industry). But, there are also some pointers you should have in mind when looking for work in specific industries, such as programming, design, or writing.

How to start freelance programming

Your best chance to start a career in programming is to:

• Find an experienced programmer to pair program with.
• Block time in your calendar for coding every day (remember, you won’t get far without constantly practicing your skills).
• Develop apps, tools, and code, before showcasing your work on Github and similar places to market your skills to potential clients.
• Work on open source projects.
• Contact startups and local organizations to see whether they require software development services (chances are they will).
• Create a business eCard and send it to all your email contacts to announce what services you’re offering.
• Apply to write technical guest posts about coding, or start a YouTube channel where you’ll talk about various programming languages.
• Go through job boards and websites for freelance developers, such as Scalable Path.

How to start freelance graphic designing

Your best chance to start a career in graphic design is to:

• Pay special attention to your personal website design. Make it look like a brand, and include an appealing logo, to make you stand out among the competition.
• Create new, innovative graphics and showcase them in your online portfolio in an appealing way.
• Join a community of freelance designers and partake in community discussions and events, to impose yourself as a knowledgeable designer.
• Work on cultivating a partner network. Find freelancers who have skills that complement your own, and build a relationship with them. Eventually, you may start working as a team on jobs or refer each other to clients.
• Hold regular consultations (either face-to-face or online) with the client, to negotiate the price, requirements, and final product (if you don’t initiate such consultation meetings, the client may start dictating these terms for you).
• Create an intro design package of services you’ll offer as a paid trial period. It’s a great solution if you’re unsure of how to price your services and tempted to offer free work for exposure.
• Stack up on equipment and software you need, and always create mockups before going all-in on a final design solution.
• Go through job boards and websites for freelance designers, such as Dribble.

How to start freelance writing

Your best chance to start a career in writing is to:

• Write every day. Work on your writing to expand your skills and keep them sharp on a daily basis (try the Seinfeld productivity method to help you with that).
• Run a blog. A personal blog is mandatory if you’re looking to make a name for yourself as a writer.
• Aim to publish guest posts on reputable blogs in your respective niche.
• Stay informed about the trends, innovations, and news in your niche. You’ll likely find ideas for your next writing pitch this way.
• Learn the basics about editing and managing images. Images break up the text (thus making it easier to scan), and clients may require you to add images to posts they commissioned you to write.
• Be extra careful when crafting your cold email pitches. These pitches are usually the potential client’s first glimpse into your skills as a writer. If your pitch is unconvincing and filled with grammar mistakes, the addressee will likely assume your content won’t be any better and decline your proposal.
• Go through job boards and websites for freelance writers, such as the Problogger Job Board.

Conclusion

Entering the freelancing business may sound overwhelming and complicated, but it’s actually pretty straightforward, once you follow the right steps.

Starting work in a particular industry requires that you focus on improving and expanding your primary skills — so,  you should:

• code as much as you can if you want a career in programming
• sharpen your writing skills if you want to be a writer
• build an attractive portfolio as a designer

But, there are steps all freelancers need to undertake, no matter their particular industry:

First, you’ll need to define your business goals and find and stick to a perspective niche within your industry. Then, you’ll need to identify target clients and define the prices for your freelance services. It’s also important that you create an appealing website, and highlight a list of your best work there.

Now, finding your first client may be the most challenging step. But, once you establish a relationship with your first client, others will follow once you start expanding your network and list of referrals.

In the end, it’s important that you set your limits and lay down some basic rules that help you balance your full-time job with your freelancing gigs.

On the other hand, if you want to start freelancing with no experience, it’s best that you choose to work on something you’re passionate about. Alternatively, you can select a line of work that doesn’t require official experience, such as data entry.

You should also work on your freelance hard skills, and pay equal attention to your soft skills — this will help you get ahead in work.

And, most importantly, make sure you never work just for exposure and to build a reputation — if you’re good at what you do, you’re always good enough to get paid.

In this article, you’ll learn the following information that will help you grasp the concept of Key Performance Indicators and inspire you to consider how best to define them in your own organization:

• What are Key Performance Indicators (KPI), in simple terms and in more detail?
• What is the purpose of KPIs?
• What are the benefits of KPIs?
• How do you set your own KPIs (and track and measure them from an Excel dashboard)?
• And, finally, what are some KPI examples you can use as inspiration when defining your own performance indicators?

What is a KPI, in simple terms?

In the simplest terms, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) represent a way of measuring how individuals, teams, or entire companies are performing compared to the objectives they have to reach.

To help grasp the concept, let’s look at a simple, illustrative example: 

Imagine a ship sailing from Hull to Amsterdam.

The ship is expected to carry its passengers and cargo to the destination in 12 hours.

Throughout the voyage, the captain and crew will need to keep an eye on:

• the weather information
• the state of the sea
• the friction of the water
• the ship’s fuel levels
• the ship’s average speed

The listed components are all KPIs — they will help the captain and the crew understand whether the voyage is progressing as planned, or whether they need to make some adjustments:

• to their plan (such as move the expected time of arrival forward due to rainy weather)
• to the KPIs they have control of (such as refill the ship’s fuel levels, or speed up)

What is a KPI, in more detail?

Adding more detail to the Key Performance Indicator definition, they are usually described as quantifiable performance measurements that indicate how well an organization is progressing towards a predefined business objective.

We recognize 2 main divisions in terms of the types of Key Performance Indicators, based on:

1. Who they apply to
2. How they help contribute to an organization

The division of KPIs based on who they apply to

According to this first division, we typically distinguish between 2 types of Key Performance Indicators, based on the different levels of organization they apply to:

• High-level KPIs — they track the overall performance of the organization
• Low-level KPIs — they track the performance of separate organization departments, such as marketing, sales, human resources, development, etc.

The division of KPIs based on how they help contribute to an organization

According to this second division, we distinguish between 5 different types of Key Performance Indicators, based on how they help contribute to an organization: Input, Output, Process, Project, and Outcome KPIs.

Let’s illustrate each type based on an example of a trendy tea bar you’re running.

1. Input KPIs — They measure the amounts, type, and quality of resource attributes needed to produce certain outputs.

For example, these performance indicators may be the:

• efficiency of the suppliers who supply you with different types of tea
• quality of the tea
• quality of the storage rooms where you keep the tea
• water and other bills
• cost of employees who work in your tea bar

2. Output KPIs — They measure what is produced as a result of Input KPIs.

For example, these performance indicators may be the:

• taste of the tea
• temperature of the tea
• strength of the tea

3. Process KPIs — They measure the quality and efficiency of equipment and processes involved in the production of certain outputs.

For example, these performance indicators may be the:

• efficiency of the equipment used to make the tea
• efficiency of the tea-making procedure

4. Project KPIs — They measure and track the status of deliverables and the progress towards milestones in projects.

For example, these performance indicators may be the:

• marketing campaign that advertises your tea bar

5. Outcome KPIs — They measure the accomplishments that come from your efforts towards an objective.

There are 2 sub-types of these performance indicators:

• Intermediate outcome KPIs (e.g. establishing better brand awareness)
• End outcome KPIs (e.g. establishing a higher level of customer satisfaction as a result of the better brand awareness)

What is the purpose of a KPI?

The main purpose of Key Performance Indicators is to show exactly where your organization stands when compared to what you want to accomplish:

• Are you on track?
• Are you lagging behind?
• Are you ahead?

For example, say that your goal is to reach a total of 50,000 pageviews on your blog 6 months after first going live.

The first 4 months pass, and you find that you have only reached 5,000 pageviews during this time.

By simply glancing at these numbers, you’ll know that you are lagging behind with what you want to accomplish, and that you need to assess your work and make plans for the future accordingly (e.g. change your strategy, lower your expectations, or simply work harder).

If you attach certain Key Performance Indicators to all your business objectives, you’ll make it easy to track and assess them in this easy manner as often as you’d like, and change your approach to work accordingly.

What are the benefits of setting KPIs?

Key Performance Indicators have several vital benefits for an organization:

✓ They clarify the current position of an organization and the expectations in terms of future performance.

✓ They serve as a point of reference you can use to compare past and present performance and draw apt conclusions for the future.

✓ They outline what is important in a business, thus helping employees focus on achieving this.

✓ They imply a consistent approach you need to implement in order to achieve a goal.

✓ They increase employee engagement and motivate them to pursue the goal.

✓ They make employees more accountable with their work by illustrating what represents a good performance and what represents underperformance.

✓ They help maximize resource use and eliminate inefficiencies.

✓ Employees feel better connected with the company’s purpose.

How do you set KPIs? An eleven-step guide

Now that you understand what Key Performance Indicators are and why they’re important for reaching business objectives, let’s see how you can best set them for your organization, teams, and departments.

1. Define relevant objectives for your KPIs

First, before you even start thinking about your performance indicators, consider and define the precise business objectives you’ll link them to.

Make sure that these objectives are important for the success of your own business, not just random goals you copied from a famous company you look up to for inspiration.

Remember, unless your chosen objectives are relevant to your own organization, you’ll either be achieving nothing with your efforts, or worse, wasting time and money.

2. Decide how many KPIs should you have

Now that you’ve ensured your company objectives are relevant and clear, it’s time to decide how many performance indicators you’ll want to attach to them.

Stacey Barr, a Performance Measure Specialist, suggests no more than three KPIs per goal in her article at The KPILibrary, in a 3-step process that’s easy to follow:

Step 1: Link your goals with your KPIs

Each performance measurement should serve as a means to get to a certain goal, and should, as such, be connected to that goal. All KPIs that don’t serve as a means towards a specific goal are KPIs you should eliminate.

Step 2: Choose your 3 priority goals

If you’re looking to achieve excellence with your goals (which is usually the case), then 3 goals are the maximum you should set at a time. Once you’re done with your first 3 most important goals, you can shift your focus to another set of goals.

Step 3: Set no more than 3 KPIs for each priority goal

If a goal needs only 1 KPI, then you’re on an excellent start. However, in case you need more than 1 KPI to measure your success towards a goal, then a maximum of 3 KPIs is optimal for you to stay focused. In line with that, it’s best that you track no more than 9 Key Performance Indicators at a time (3 goals x 3 KPIs at maximum).

3. Define the components of your KPIs

Now that you understand the maximum of KPIs you should have, it’s time to think about the 4 main components you’ll need to consider when setting any KPI: its Measure, Data Source, Target, and Frequency.

Step 1: Choose the KPI Measure 

The KPI Measure clarifies what you want to measure and how you can measure it.

For example, the measure you may want to track can be the traffic that comes to your website.

Step 2: Choose the KPI Data Source 

The KPI Data Source clarifies how you will be gathering the data you need to track and analyze your desired KPIs. For this purpose, you will likely find great value in specific software, depending on what exactly you want to track and analyze.

For example, to track the traffic to come to your website, you can use Google Analytics.

Step 3: Define the KPI Frequency

The KPI Frequency clarifies how often you are going to pull data from your KPI Data Source and review your performance indicators. This frequency can be on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis, depending on your business type and the nature of the Key Performance Indicators you’re measuring.

For example, you can pull and compare the data about the traffic that comes to your website in Google Analytics on a monthly basis.

Step 4: Define the KPI Target

The KPI Target represents the desired value you want to achieve.

For example, the traffic target you may want to reach can be 20,000 viewers on a monthly basis.

Make sure your KPIs are well-defined and S.M.A.R.T.

When defining your Key Performance Indicators and its targets, make sure they are well-defined and in line with the S.M.A.R.T. criteria.

Well-defined Key Performance Indicators are those that are:

• Well-researched, i.e. they are based on feedback from analysts, managers, and department heads who are capable of identifying relevant KPIs.
• Objective, i.e. they are capable of providing clear, objective evidence of progress.
• Well-targeted, i.e. they measure exactly what they are supposed to measure.

• Comparable, i.e. it’s possible to track how performance levels change over time.
• Well-directed, i.e. they track at least 1 of the following parameters: team efficiency, work. quality, project performance, personnel performance, speed, compliance, utilization of resources, or economics.
• Balanced, i.e. they represent a balance between the lagging and leading indicators.

S.M.A.R.T. KPIs are those that are:

• Specific, i.e. clearly defined, straightforward, and precise.
• Measurable, i.e. it’s possible to measure progress towards a goal with them.
• Attainable, i.e. it’s an attainable performance indicator for your business.
• Relevant, i.e. it’s relevant for your business.
• Time-bound, i.e. there is a specific time frame within which you want to accomplish the goal related to the performance indicator.

5. Answer the basics for each KPI

To make sure your KPIs are defined in accordance with critical (key) business objectives, answer the following questions for each:

Q1: What is the outcome you want to achieve?

Q2: Why is this outcome important?

Q3: How can you have an influence on this outcome?

Q4: Who is responsible for the outcome?

Q5: How are you going to measure progress towards the said outcome?

Q6: How will you know you have achieved the outcome?

Q7: How often will you review your progress towards the outcome?

Here’s an example of a KPI you’ve defined by answering these questions:

“I want to increase sales revenue by 10% in the first quarter of the year.”

A1: Increasing revenue by 10% in the first quarter of the year.

A2: The business will become more profitable.

A3: By reaching out to new customers and having existing customers buy more products.

A4: The Sales Team Leader will be responsible for this KPI.

A5: An increase in money customers spend on our products will mean progress.

A6: Revenue will increase by 10% in the first quarter of the year.

A7: The progress will be reviewed on a biweekly basis.

6. Set short-term KPIs to complement your long-term KPIs

Your long-term Key Performance Indicator is the overall vision of your strategy, i.e. your main target. In order to reach that main target, you’ll also need to pursue several relevant short-term targets.

For example, say you want your company to earn revenue in the amount of $150,000 within the first 6 months of its existence (say you started working in June). This is your long-term KPI target.

In order to reach it, you should go one step at a time, and reach a certain revenue figure each month. So, to reach $150,000 from June to December, you should earn revenue in the amount of $25,000 per month. These are your short-term KPI targets for each month.

If you manage to gain revenue in the amount of $25,000 per month during the first 3 months, this is a good indication that you will also reach your long-term KPI target by the end of December.

However, if you are falling short of $25,000 for the first 3 months in a row, perhaps it’s time to rethink your long-term KPI target (e.g. prolong it to 9 months, or decrease the total revenue you want to reach in the same time period).

This actually brings us to the next point, i.e. to how you can approach improving your performance.

7. Support your KPIs with OKRs

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a popular performance, goal management, and strategic framework that is often confused with Key Performance Indicators.

But, in truth, they are actually two separate frameworks that should be used to complement each other.

The main difference is that Key Performance Indicators measure the process of your efforts, while Objectives and Key Results measure the outcome of your efforts.

In line with that, your KPIs may keep you in check about your goals and measure performance over time, but your OKRs will align your company’s priorities and measure your progress towards your goals over time.

Your OKRs can also help you improve performance on your KPIs, once you realize you are not reaching your targets.

For example, you have a Key Performance Indicator target to reply to each support ticket in 15 minutes. But, your real-time time tracking results show it actually takes you 20 minutes to do so. In light of this knowledge, you can define the following Key Result to encourage you to improve your performance: “I will decrease the amount of time I spend on one support ticket from 20 minutes to 15 minutes within two weeks.”

8. Make sure you communicate the KPIs well

Now that you understand how to create efficient Key Performance Indicators and obtain the data to set these KPIs into motion, you’ll need to make sure they are clear, straightforward, and easy to understand by all relevant parties.

So, make sure you always provide context to your employees and stakeholders about the Key Performance Indicators you find relevant in your organization:

• explain why you are measuring this type of indicator, and not another type (e.g. sales-related KPIs instead of HR-related KPIs)
• explain why you are measuring this particular indicator, and not another one (e.g. sales per rep instead of sales per department)

Always make sure you answer all your employees’ and stakeholders’ questions — if a lot of people are asking why certain KPIs are being pursued instead of other KPIs, that’s a sign that you are likely undercommunicating the relevance and importance of the chosen KPIs, and need to work on your approach.

Here’s another reason why you should make sure you communicate your Key Performance Indicators well — the better employees and stakeholders understand the chosen KPIs and why they are being pursued in the first place, the better insights they will be able to offer, and the more relevant and potentially efficient your KPIs will become as a result of their suggestions.

9. Create a KPI dashboard in Excel

Creating a Key Performance Indicators dashboard in Excel can be a great and easy way to track your performance against relevant KPI targets.

But, how do you create a KPI dashboard in Excel?

Well, there are several methods and YouTube tutorials you can use for inspiration, and here’s one easy and efficient tutorial about creating and analyzing such a dashboard, made by Dr. Eugene F.M. O’Loughlin, Lecturer in Computing at the National College of Ireland:

Step 1: Define the KPIs you want to measure (and what you want to measure against them)

In the tutorial example, Dr. O’Loughlin uses the 6 Key Performance Indicators he has previously defined in his book An Introduction to Business Analysis: Problem Solving Techniques and Strategies:

• Time
• Cost
• Quality
• Resources
• Efficiency
• Reliability

In the example, he uses these performance indicators to track the performance of products.