# Can someone recommend a time keeping app?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 13, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441 "2007-08-13T15:19:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441/1 "2007-08-13T15:19:15Z")
I need to keep track of time spent on various projects. A typical day might be:
- 1.5 hours spent on Project A
- I get a phone call about Project B. I spend 30 minutes talking about it.
- I get an email about Project C. 15 minutes spent reviewing it.
- another 2 hours on Project A
- Project B phone call: 15 minutes
- Back to Project A
etc. etc.
I’d like something that maybe sits in my task tray and lets me easily switch between tasks. Like, I get a phone call, and it takes me just a couple clicks to switch from “Project A” to “Project B”
Integration with Excel would be a plus, but not required.
I know there’s a lot of little freeware apps out there on the web. I’m looking for recommendations from people who’ve actually used one of them and liked it.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441/2 "2007-08-13T18:00:53Z")
If you’re looking for a commercial application, Timeslips is the name that keeps popping up - pretty much every law firm I’ve worked with uses it - if anyone knows about billing a multitude of clients for little slivers of time throughout the day, it’s lawyers.
It’s not cheap though - a single-user license will set you back $500.
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441/3 "2007-08-13T18:15:20Z")
I’m not looking for anything as full featured as TimeSlips. What I’m really looking for is a small app, either free or ShareWare. If it costs much more than $30 I’d probably just write my own.
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### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441/4 "2007-08-13T18:35:37Z")
Boy, for a second there I thought you said “a time keeping ape.” Shucks.
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441/5 "2007-08-13T18:42:48Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus]
Boy, for a second there I thought you said “a time keeping ape.” Shucks.
[/QUOTE]
That would work, too, as long as it’s under $30 and won’t bother the pugs…
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### Author:  [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-recommend-a-time-keeping-app/415441/6 "2007-08-13T22:12:30Z")
There are a number of recommendations here: [Ask the Readers: Time tracking?](http://lifehacker.com/software/time-tracker/ask-the-readers-time-tracking-191552.php)