Update - must have just been problems with it before - i just tried again and it worked! Now to play with it - thanks again!

I just added time tracker to my google page. I'm anxious to try it out. Thanks for sharing!

Just a word of caution. When I went online to look at this is does caution that it can access your Google cookies. You don't to be loading spyware on your computer. I think I'll pass and use something with a little more security.

That looks awesome! Thanks for the link!

Does anyone know if there is there a way to add your google docs page to your igoogle page?

Wow ... I don't mind providing the client with a breakdown of what I've done, and even an occasional time sheet so they can re-evaluate the things we're doing in their businesses, but I doubt seriously if I'd ever agree to a minute-by-minute accounting. I'd probably have to charge extra for the extra time it takes to switch back and forth with my timer all of the time ... and definitely let them know they are being charged for the "extra" bookkeeping procedures.

__________________
Terry Green, MVA, GVA
Fastype VA Services, Inc.
http://www.fastypevaservices.com

Thanks for sharing - looking forward to testing it

Originally Posted by KandiceKing

I am looking for something that is very easy and I think this google thing is just what I am looking for. My current client wants me to not only keep track of my time actually working (which is a given) but he wants me to break it down as to what exactly I am doing by the minute! So, if I am updating some notes in the CRM and I get a phone call, I have to quick switch my tracking. It's very hard and confusing to keep track of it all because I'm constantly switching back and forth within minutes. I think this google thing will help!

Hi, Kandice

Although this client may want you to keep track of your time this way, it doesn't seem very efficient because you're more worried about clicking the buzzer than getting work done (or at least that's how I'd be...lol). Maybe you should explain to your client that this form of tracking isn't doing either one of you very good and come up with a more viable solution. Maybe you could hold off answering the phone until you hit a good stopping point and then you can spend a few minutes returning messages (a lot of VAs do this type of thing). Or you could keep track of the main block of time you're spending and subtract however many minutes for your "distraction" time. I can understand your client wanting to know how much time you spent on a certain task (i.e. you spent 1 hour work working on a report) but if he's expecting you to tell him what you worked on each and every minute (from 9:00 to 9:05am I did this, from 9:05 - 9:21am I did this etc.), it seems a bit controlling to me. I don't know about you, but my JOB boss isn't even that controlling. I definitely won't let a client tell me how I should spend my time when I'm running my own business (at least not to that extent). Just something you might want to think about.

__________________
Stephanie
New VA in the research phase

Kandice,

I agree with Stephanie. As a business owner you have your own policies and procedures and although we all want to be invaluable to our clients, we are not employees. We have to be able to convey to them that we understand their need for value in securing our services, however we have our policies/procedures in place so we can provide the same level of service and value to ALL our clients. Just my perspective; hope it helps.

Jennifer

Originally Posted by AmberStar

That looks awesome! Thanks for the link! Does anyone know if there is there a way to add your google docs page to your igoogle page?

I have two different ways of accessing my Google docs on my iGoogle page. On my personal iGoogle, I have a gadget that is just a box with links to ALL of Googles services, so from my home page I can go right to Reader, Gmail, Analytics, AdSense, whatever.

Then on my Google Apps account, which I use for my business, I have a gadget that's strictly for Google Docs.

Originally Posted by KandiceKing

I am looking for something that is very easy and I think this google thing is just what I am looking for. My current client wants me to not only keep track of my time actually working (which is a given) but he wants me to break it down as to what exactly I am doing by the minute! So, if I am updating some notes in the CRM and I get a phone call, I have to quick switch my tracking. It's very hard and confusing to keep track of it all because I'm constantly switching back and forth within minutes. I think this google thing will help!

If you're going to comply with this client's request, I would suggest either searching for or creating your own "time sheet" like the ones lawyers use. Most lawyers bill in 6 minute increments and I've worked for attorneys who use both an online time tracker and a paper tracker. If you use a paper one, its easy to just mark off your start and end times for each task, then you can go back and enter your time into your billing software later. That was one of my duties as a legal assistant.

I bet if you do a search for "attorney time sheets" or something similar, you could find one online, or even just create one in MS Word or Excel.

Great news, i'm very curious to try it!!! Thanks for sharing

Looks like a decent way to get started with time-tracking. I haven't really ever kept up with how long it takes me to complete a task and this will help me get started.

Thank you for this information I look forward to giving it a try.

I have been looking for time-trakcing software but not wanting to spend to much $$. I will give this a try. Thanks for the information!
VIckie

This is fantastic. I am going to have to track my time spent playing with this

This is the one that I use. It's quite efficient. It breaks your time down into minutes as well as fractions of an hour (ex., 3 minutes = .067).

-Alice