There are some free programs that allow you to calculate the working time in an accurate and indisputable way. This type of software, free of charge also for commercial use, is used above all by consultants and professionals who must quantify the hours worked to accurately calculate the compensation due to them by the customer. Some of these free tools, so simple to use, can also become useful for calculating the time spent on the computer, perhaps for study or for other types of activities. In addition, there are excellent tools for keeping track of work progress for some projects even if, for this purpose, Gantt diagram programs such as Microsoft Project are probably already used.
1) True Time Tracker is a small but powerful computer activity monitoring and work time manager software.
This program, which can be useful to everyone, collects information on the sites visited and the applications used to clearly measure the time spent working, distinguishing it from the rest time. It records incoming and outgoing internet traffic and the time the computer remains idle and active. New projects can be inserted divided by timelines. Since it is a product created for professionals, it has features that allow you to register a database of customers, give a price for each hour worked and generate invoices automatically. The invoice contains all the information about the customer, the author of the project, the number of hours spent, the hourly rate, the rate of tax deduction and so on. From the statistics, you can generate a comprehensive productivity report report made up of pie charts and bar charts representing time worked, programs used, websites visited and Internet traffic. The report can be saved in PDF / HTML format. This program works on Windows 10 and Windows 7.
2) Klok is a different Adobe Air application because it does not do automatic monitoring but is a flexible project management tool on a time basis, as simple as it is powerful. Each project can be divided into sub-projects and each action can be done by dragging the elements on the program interface. You can view and analyze the total time spent on each project with a pie chart which can be accessed by going to the Reports tab. Projects can be archived and exported to Excel.
of Klok there is a free and a paid version from 15 dollars that offers other types of additions.
3) Grindstone is a productivity measurement program that includes a list of tools useful for generating an overall report of the work carried out. It is used to simplify scheduling and time management to make the user more effective in planning projects. Grindstone works in the background on the computer and records the up and down time up to functions for a calculation of the fees due on an hourly, daily or weekly basis and the possible issue of the invoice .
The use is complex for beginners as it includes many options and features. To start, from the Activities menu, you can start a new operation and add all the required information with the duration of time. Automatic alarms and notifications can also be set, for example if you are wasting too much time on activities not related to the work to be done, you can have reminders, create different activity profiles and the data can also be exported.
4) Time Clock MTS is the program that tracks the working time of employees or members of a project in order to determine the compensation due to each one.
This program is free to record the work of three people; for larger companies, you have to pay for the product which expires after 30 days. It therefore becomes an excellent professional and free product for self-employed workers, professionals and consultants who need to check themselves. In Time clock there is an administrator who is responsible for creating and maintaining all records in the employee database. By clicking on the Employee tab, you can add the employees whose work you want to check with personal and tax data. The main function of the program, however, is not to have a simple database but to keep track of the hours spent doing a specific task. The jobs are cataloged with a code and then associated with each employee.
5) If you wanted something more specific, you could look at monitoring programs that monitor everything that is done on the computer.
Alternatively there are some professional web applications for managing activities and time in projects.
