Looking for a handy time tracking tool? Take a look at Yast.com. I wrote a couple of different reviews back in 2011 regarding the company’s use of social media, and about the product itself. Those reviews are still valid, except for the pricing. You can still use it for free for a single user with some limitations.
What I like most about Yast is the ability to keep a tab open in my browser and click the start/stop buttons to switch timers for different projects. So, when I get to work, I click open Yast in my browser and click the start button on the project I created to hold my “login, email triage, etc.” tasks and I’m off and running.
As I read through my email, if I come across a customer support email and I can take care of it quickly, I’ll switch over to the Yast tab and click the start button on the “Customer Support” project, immediately Yast closes out the previous timer and opens an entry for my current work. Yast allows you to enter notes when you start up a new timer making it super easy to log which client your working for. That’s exceptionally helpful if you need to work on multiple clients in a row. Just stop and restart the customer support project timer and note which client you’re switching to!
If you’re unable to switch the timer at the exact time you needed to – no worries! You can just drag the edges of the time blocks to make adjustment. Historical entries are easy to add, and time block specific notes can be written in after the fact as well.
Your time is summarized on screen in “today” and “week” totals, grouped by project. Super useful information, easy to access.