There’s never enough time, is there? Between work, family and socialising it can be hard to keep track of what needs to be done, and when you have to do it. If only technology had the answer…
1) Focus Booster
Price: Free or £1.70 per month
Platform: Web browser, Windows or Mac
This app works on the premise that work is best done in short bursts, with 25 minutes of work followed by five minutes of break, or whatever is preferred. Once the timer has been set up users can work until it beeps, with the results logged so they can be viewed later.
2) Toggl
Price: Free or £3
Platform: Web browser, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone
Another time tracking app, Toggl lets you keep a log of what you are doing throughout the day through a simple interface, presenting you with a bar showing how the day was spent. Data is stored offline and online, which will come as a relief to those with poor connections, and can be manually entered if you have forgotten to queue up a task.
3) ManicTime
Price: Free or £39
Platform: Windows
ManicTime sits in the background, quietly logging your activities and presenting you with an overview of your day. While it may not be quite as pretty as some of its competitors, the interface is clean and easy to use.
4) MyLifeOrganized
Price: Free or between £6 to £30
Platform: Windows, Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, iPod and PocketPC
An extensive personal organiser, MLO allows you to outline and organise tasks so you can keep on top of your life. After you punch in what you need to do this programme will create a to do list for you, based on time and priority. Information can also be synched between devices so you can manage it wherever you are.
5) Rescue Time
Price: Free or £5.25 per month
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux and Android
Available as a web app and also on your phone, Rescue Time logs how you spend your day and sends you a report showing how you can improve your productivity. User can also block distracting websites, set alerts to let you know how long you have spent on an activity, and set goals to complete.
6) Klok
Price: Free or £12
Platform: Windows and Mac
Klok is aimed squarely at the professional market, touting itself as a means of eliminating inefficiencies in a business, or calculating how much of your time is billable. Like other products on this list it allows you to log what is happening during your working day, and spews out graphs at you to ensure you make the most of it. The same company offers a team version of the software at a higher price, so you can manage your staff as well.
7) Project Hamster
Price: Free
Platform: Linux
Project Hamster is one of the few open source programme on this list, and the only one available exclusively for Linux. While its considerably less flash than others on this list, the open nature of the code will appeal to those savvy enough to hack software.
8) TimeCult
Price: Free
Platform: Windows and Linux
Another tool designed to work on Linux and distributed as an open source programme, TimeCult is more feature rich than Project Hamster, collecting time metrics and linking up with Microsoft Excel and Open Office. The software also allows you to write comments on the tasks you have done.
9) DeskTime
Price: Free month trial, then £5.30 a month
Platform: Windows, Max, Linux and Chrome
Unlike other programmes on this list, DeskTime requires no input from the user beyond turning it on. Throughout the day it collects information on your activities and then reports back to you, hopefully allowing you to improve your working habits.
10) Remember The Milk
Price: Free
Platform: Web browser, Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android and Blackberry
Remember The Milk is a snazzy to do list app that works on just about every conceivable platform. Lists can be organised into categories, arranged based on priority, and you can see which tasks can be completed nearby. The list can also be synched to an online backup, ensuring you never forget what needs to be done.
