“Time is money, track it wisely.”

I’ve recently had enough friends and colleagues ask how I track my time I thought I’d share it here. I spent the better part of two years trying out multiple CRM’s, project management, and time tracking software,  in search of a simple but effective app. that allowed me to quickly and effectively track my time and expenses, and invoice clients for a reasonable fee. Around the middle of 2008 I finally found Harvest Time Tracking – two years later I’m still using harvest and I’m as happy as can be!

It’s web based – location based applications require me to download, install and maintain a piece of software, it also requires me to physically be in one location to use it and if I want a remote employee or contractor to have access they also have to download install and maintain it. Web based not only simplifies my life, by being accessible from anywhere via the internet it allows me to be more effective in the use of my time.

It’s cost effective – Most applications have an arcane pricing structure geared towards large corporations with bizarre price steps that have little relationship to my needs and how their application meets them – typically these plans have steep setup fees and monthly plans around $10/user but they often require a minimum of 10 users which = $100/month which is a great price on a per user basis… but I don’t have 9 employees so for me that’s a waste of money. Harvest’s pricing is based on the number of users starting at $12 for a solo plan.

I can track my time on my terms – Several of the more expensive time tracking applications I used had prescriptive project workflows that were counter to the way I need to work. What an application doesn’t do is just as important as what it does do. Harvest is simple yet flexible – it allows you to enter your time in a number of ways different ways meaning you can make it work the way you need rather than be forced by the application into a rigid process that doesn’t do what you need and frustrates end users.

Third party integration – It also integrates well with many other useful productivity applications for small businesses like PayPal, Basecamp, Quickbooks, and your iPhone.

Great Design – The first time tracking application I used literally required a web based GoToMeeting with a trainer for several hours just to get up and running, which is partially why the setup fee was so expensive. No employee will consistently and effectively use a piece of software to track their time that requires hours of training. With Harvest the interface is so simple I was instantly able to create a project and start tracking my time and billing with no training or even reading any instructions. By simply designing their software better they’ve created a tool that costs me less money to use and more accurately tracks our time.

I’ve been using Harvest Time Tracking for over two years now and I can honestly recommend it without reservation!