It has become all to easy to think "there's an app for that" when it comes to time tracking. The problem with these apps is that there is just too much set up and nothing that will fit your exact workflow for tracking your time or invoicing. I have tried a lot of them. None of them are simple and none of them do exactly what I need.
I charge by the hour, and bill every two weeks. For a while I would use google calendar to note the amount of time worked on a project, using different calendars for each project and using this tool, http://gtimereport.com/ , to turn it into a spreadsheet. This seemed really cool at first, but again, just took too much time to manage.
I eventually turned to google drive and use a simple spreadsheet. I use tabs for different projects, and created a layout where I can enter time, notes, and even have it tally up my rate/time to see how much I am earning for each billing period. This also allows me to have historical data on everything I am doing.
As for invoices, I remember this article from smashing magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/11/05/invoice-like-a-pro/ - After seeing some of the invoice designs there, I decided to create my own. I manually add the few specific details for each, items such as invoice number and date to the spreadsheet, along with marking which dates I am invoicing for. I then save those invoices as PDFs and email them to the client. ( I know this seems like some of the extra work I was trying to avoid. ) However, having my brand on a professional looking invoice, customized for the client, felt like I was legitimizing my one man design studio to those who used my services.
It has become all to easy to think "there's an app for that" when it comes to time tracking. The problem with these apps is that there is just too much set up and nothing that will fit your exact workflow for tracking your time or invoicing. I have tried a lot of them. None of them are simple and none of them do exactly what I need.
I charge by the hour, and bill every two weeks. For a while I would use google calendar to note the amount of time worked on a project, using different calendars for each project and using this tool, http://gtimereport.com/ , to turn it into a spreadsheet. This seemed really cool at first, but again, just took too much time to manage.
I eventually turned to google drive and use a simple spreadsheet. I use tabs for different projects, and created a layout where I can enter time, notes, and even have it tally up my rate/time to see how much I am earning for each billing period. This also allows me to have historical data on everything I am doing.
As for invoices, I remember this article from smashing magazine: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/11/05/invoice-like-a-pro/ - After seeing some of the invoice designs there, I decided to create my own. I manually add the few specific details for each, items such as invoice number and date to the spreadsheet, along with marking which dates I am invoicing for. I then save those invoices as PDFs and email them to the client. ( I know this seems like some of the extra work I was trying to avoid. ) However, having my brand on a professional looking invoice, customized for the client, felt like I was legitimizing my one man design studio to those who used my services.