Manual Time Tracking Pitfalls & Optimization Tactics

We love to hate on manual time tracking. But is it really that bad? And how come many people still use some variety of a manual time tracker to log hours or projects and tasks?

Short answer is, because it works. The clock, timer, or stopwatch are all extremely simple and reliable tools for tracking time. As long as you can use them as intended, i.e., before starting every new task.

But what if you’re a multitasking person? What if you get distracted a lot? Or jump from one browser tab to another, all while being in a meeting? These are not unlikely scenarios. In fact, for most of us, this is what a normal working day looks like.

This here is a definitive guide to manual time tracking. We’ll explore the ins and outs of it, the pros and cons, and try to be unbiased in answering the ultimate question: do pros outweigh cons?

Let’s get into it.

How can you track time manually?

For something as simple as manual time tracking, it has many varieties. Below is a brief recap of all the different ways of tracking time that can be considered manual.

Pen and paper

Before you roll your eyes at me, people love noting things down on a physical piece of paper. Whether it’s making lists, prioritizing tasks, or tracking work hours for productivity or billing – if you don’t believe me, go on Reddit and hear from real people in professional services who rely on manual time tracking using pen and paper (looking at you, accountants and lawyers).

Needless to say, the pen and paper method of tracking time is 100% manual. You manually set the timer, jot down task description on a piece of paper, and then manually calculate your total hours for the day.

Spreadsheet

Still a 100% manual time tracking method, spreadsheets are a step towards digitalization and future-proof record-keeping. The idea here is the same as pen and paper tracking, in that you still need a timer and dedication to jotting down all tasks throughout the day. Except your record is digital.

An obvious advantage of using spreadsheets over pen and paper is that calculating daily, weekly, or monthly totals is a lot easier. You can even use dropdowns to add your projects or clients and speed up the process of hour logging.

Stopwatch-based trackers

Now we’re stepping into the territory of time tracking software. Specifically the kind that offers a stopwatch for task tracking. Stopwatch-based time trackers preserve the simplicity of timing your work (as you still need to start and stop the timer on every task) while also offering additional features that advance your timekeeping workflow.

The main disadvantage of stopwatch-based trackers specifically is that the timer is running in the software interface, i.e., you need to keep an eye on yet another tool while you’re working in other environments. Reminders help remember about the running timer but many small tasks can easily slip through the cracks.

Embeddable timers

We’re still in the realm of time tracking software, and this time we’re looking at embeddable manual timers offered by many time tracking software companies. The idea is simple: a timer is added via a browser extension to the project tools you’re using already.

You still need to start and stop the running timer on tasks but you can do so inside the interface of your project tools. Because you track time on tasks inside task management systems, adding descriptions and logging billable hours can be made simple.

Semi-automated trackers

Last but not least, we need to mention semi-automated task trackers because they entail some amount of manual timekeeping. Specifically, clocking in and out or enabling and disabling automatic time tracking for the day.

Manual time tracking accuracy

Now that we’ve gone over the types of manual time tracking, let’s consider the accuracy aspect of it. After all, your time tracking is only as useful as the data it yields. The whole point of tracking time on projects and tasks is to get reliable utilization insights and precise billables.

Fundamentally, manual time tracking is as accurate as the person doing it. The timer doesn’t lie, it keeps running from the moment you set it to the moment you stop it. The only variable here is your precision as the time keeper.

Setting the timer is one thing; the other is logging hours on tasks and projects, i.e., assigning recorded times to projects and adding them to your billable timesheet. Most people in professional services do this retroactively, most commonly at the end of the day or week. If they were to do this throughout the day, there would be little time remaining to do the actual work.

Here’s what we know about logging hours retroactively while relying on memory.

• By the end of the day, you remember 67%.
• The day after, you only remember 55%.
• By the end of the week, it’s 36%.

Manual time tracking benefits

Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s important to highlight the benefits of manual time tracking. After all, there’s more than one.

1. Free or low-cost tools

The biggest advantage of manual time tracking is how affordable it is. Many manual time trackers are completely free for one-person use, and we’re not talking about pen and paper.

Time tracking software, especially stopwatch-based options and those offering a running timer, have free versions for freelancers and individuals looking to improve productivity through better time management.

2. Ease of use

Most of us understand a running timer. We understand pressing start and stop to measure how long it takes us to complete a task. This is the appeal of manual time tracking, as most of us find it straightforward and easy to use.

Embeddable timers are even easier to implement as they don’t require a separate interface, at least not for the timekeeping part. A button is added to the tools you’re using already, which makes the concept of tracking tasks so much more palatable.

3. Mobile solutions

Most manual time trackers that rely on a running timer have a mobile app and sync time data across devices. Setting privacy concerns aside, this is convenient for people who have in-person appointments or complete their tasks on the go in any shape or form.

Many people use their smartphones for work with mobile apps of their project software. They expect time tracking to be available on mobile as well and manual time trackers deliver on that expectation.

Manual time tracking disadvantages

We’ve briefly considered some pitfalls of manual time tracking earlier in this blog post. To get a quick understanding of hidden costs it creates, you can watch this video of our team member, Marita:

Now, let’s get into more detail on the cons you need to be aware of.

1. Lost time

The biggest and most prominent disadvantage of manual time tracking is how time-consuming it is. And from the point of view of an employee, this is useless unrewarding labor.

• 20-40 minutes per day are wasted on timers.
• 25 minutes are needed to regain focus after an interruption.
• More time is needed to come up with task descriptions and log hours.

2. Low data accuracy

Low data accuracy from manual time tracking, as we’ve established above, is due to the nature of modern work and how the human brain works. It’s unrealistic to remember to record every little Slack exchange, every meeting that went over the allotted time frame, and every quick revision from the client.

Since most teams log project hours retroactively, they fall into the memory trap. The longer you wait, the less you remember. As a result, team leads juggle unreliable project and utilization data. Time tracking does more harm than good.

3. Resentment from the team

As previously mentioned, manual time tracking is a distracting, unpaid, and unrewarding task. Because timers require constant attention and input, they can be really intrusive. Most people are not excited about the prospect of adding yet another piece of software to their tech stack, seeing how they get nothing out of it.

Manual time tracking will always be viewed as a burden by any professional who values their time and has real work to be done during the day. When it comes to project timekeeping, people’s tolerance is very low. Any amount of manual work is perceived as a chore and something that takes hours away from the workday.

4. Privacy concerns

Setting aside pen and paper as well as spreadsheets, time tracking software is associated with employee monitoring. Especially seeing how a web-based timer always means that your time tracking data is uploaded to the cloud and as a manager, you can’t guarantee data privacy to your teammates.

The only way to ensure privacy is to have all time tracking data stored locally on the user’s device. This is impossible with the absolute majority of manual time trackers and it’ll always be a disadvantage of these tools.

Manual time tracking alternatives

As an automatic time tracking company, we have a lot to say about alternatives to manual time tracking. I won’t be going into a frenzy here seeing how we explore the benefits of automated time tracking in depth every chance we get.

What I do want to emphasize is that manual time trackers have alternatives that address every disadvantage we talked about in this article. This is the reality of time tracking available to freelancers as well as teams of any size.

Final thoughts

Manual time tracking is not bad or wrong per se. In fact, many people enjoy its advantages like zero-cost solutions and ease of use. It would be wrong to say that manual time trackers are completely useless or detrimental to operations and project health.

At the same time, it’s fair to say that most people’s workdays are incompatible with manual time tracking. Unless your tasks are uninterrupted focus streaks of several hours (in which case, good luck with your memoir!) manual timers are not the perfect solution for you or your PMs.

Read on if you’re curious about automatic time tracking for projects and tasks. Or jump right into our 14-day free trial and see the difference first-hand, no credit card required.