5/21/2023 0 Comments Officetime mac reviewBut back to the UX: most loggers make the assumption that you're happy to spend time switching apps, (or worse still going to a webpage), filling in stuff, and going back out to what you were doing before. I will say, that the developer has been very responsive with support including helping with workarounds for self-inflicted wounds (corrupted data, migrations etc), and dot level updates have been ongoing. Before another decade goes by would be good. Issues which could probably addressed with a dot level update in the meantime. The clunky feel of the UI, the lack of a practically usable unified window of multiple projects for many use cases - these are ghastly tradeoffs (beginning to be addressed in the pre-alpha version I've been able to test). Officetime can ask you after a preference settable time to choose one of 3 options: if you want to continue logging to the last timer, not log the time, OR (and this is I think unique) apply the time to a different project. And the way Officetime handles unattended time. So, why on earth have I stuck with this app for over 10 years (count 'em), awaiting a version 2.0 throughout that time? TWO things: how much muscle memory control is available WITHOUT SWITCHING APPS via the global menu - a menu that's practically an ecosystem in its own right. It's lean, and that helps to keep it easy to use and fast.Īll logging apps are awful - I've tried them all. Some people might complain that it doesn't have a few more robust project management features, but I think that's outside of what it's made to do. It's a simple, and thus fast, time tracking software. I do not use the software for invoicing so I can't comment on those features. It's also very easy to print out reports and charts. Projects can be color coded for a quick visual overview of what items in the list tie to which projects. Outside of that, it's very easy to add and adjust timing if you forget to start the clock on time. Officetime makes correcting those errors effortless. I can't tell you how many times I've walked away to go grab lunch or join a meeting and forgot to stop the clock. You can keep it as is, subtract "x" minutes based on how long the software has recognized you've been idle, or add "x" minutes to a different project. OfficeTime fixes that by paying attention to your computer interaction (mouse movements, keyboard typing) and if it notices inactivity for a preset period of time it pops up a small window that allows, with one click, the ability to go fix the clock. These were time consuming errors to backtrack and fix to the point where I'd get to the end of a project and feel that the calculated time wasn't very accurate. One of my biggest sticking points with time tracking solutions in the past is that I'd often walk away from my desk and forget to stop the tracking, or neglect to start it when I jumped into a project. It works wherever you are - on Mac, PC, iPhone and even Apple Watch. What steps of a project are taking the most time? Can you improve that time a step requires (and ROI) by implementing new software or hardware solutions that would speed that up? Does one client repeatably request change after change while another is typically one review and done? You can figure out all of this by tracking projects, clients, and time through OfficeTime. It's invaluable information when you have it available. This is a huge confidence boost in my ability to accurately quote out projects, which in the end, also makes my clients (and employer) happy. As a result, I am able to far more accurately predict the time and cost necessary to complete similar future projects. Officetime is ideal for being able to look back at how many hours a project took me to complete. I honestly have no complaints, and this is strange for me, as I am very hard to please, but OfficeTime is hands down the most brilliant piece of software is it fair to say it is too perfect? :) My only request is a simple button to add a lunch stop rather than pausing! I've used many timing apps, and they all have serious flaws, from day one, this app was simply perfect, everything I wanted was just there! Even down to creating invoices from within the app! And the ability to use this with my iPhone, is simply sublime! The syncing is superb, there have been a few issues, but the developer is pro-active, and will bend over backwards to help! CONS I recently had a stroke and lost my freelance business while I recovered, but this app came in handy again when I did a stint as a Hall Keeper (a glorified janitor) at my town hall, and I had to time my hours, the iPhone partner app made short work of that! Overall, this application is just very very good at what it does! PROS and in my home studio when working on projects to cost the jobs I work on. I used this when working onsite at companies to time my time there.
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