Recording time at work

PaulStat · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:08

How do you take a note of how much time your spending on each piece of work? I must admit I suck at it, I leave it for a few weeks then complete all of it by basing my time on what's in my sent mail, and then filling it in on journyx.

Of course sometimes this unfortunately means my timesheets aren't up to date at the end of the month and I get a **********. So I need to find a way of being more accurate and doing them daily.

So how do you record your time.

neil3k · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:09

i use an excel spreadsheet

LizardKing · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:10

Sharpowl can do this, probably a bit overkill mind

Vonhelmet · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:11

We have to do it each week, so it makes sense to keep a daily tally of it.

GravyMonster · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:13

PaulStat said:
How do you take a note of how much time your spending on each piece of work? I must admit I suck at it, I leave it for a few weeks then complete all of it by basing my time on what's in my sent mail.

Thats exactly what I do.

So far I've managed to wing it and got away with it. Actually, you've just reminded me I havent done my timesheets in a month.

I wonder if I can get acounting to create a job number for 'Browsing OcUK'.

Zogger · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:14

We use SharpOwl and I often end up just putting 7 in for the same thing every day. Mainly because it's true most of the time.

Rich_L · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:21

We have a time recording program (timeslips) which makes it quite easy. Still a PITA though

WillyNelson · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:34

neil3k said:
i use an excel spreadsheet

PaulStat · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:34

I don't really mean what software you use.

I mean how do you do it? Do you note down the start and end time of everything, or do you guestimate? The former just sounds way OTT and a right PITA.

Despite the fact that my timesheets are submitted up 3-4 weeks late, my guestimates are relatively accurate.

EffBee · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:38

This type of thing is an absolute PITA I agree.

From experience I know that leaving it for weeks and doing it retrospectively is a very bad idea. From experience I also know nobody seems to care much about the accuracy of what is keyed in so long as it looks OKish.

The way I got it to work best was to carry around a printed spreadsheet and fill it in daily daily on the way home on the train - collating it all up for entry to whatever system weekly. It does literally take only seconds if done daily while its all fresh in your mind.

scorza · 3 Nov 2008 at 16:42

We do monthly timesheets however I do it every week or I forget what I've been doing. Generally speaking I can remember what I've been working on the past week - I have an outlook reminder popup on Friday afternoon to tell me to do it. Usually I book half a day to X, half a day to Y etc - accuracy isn't vital in my business, it may be different for you. If I have a complicated day where I'm booking to three or more accounts I write down how many hours I spend on what in my day book.

Ethics · 3 Nov 2008 at 17:13

We are forced to do them on a friday, or the admin girlies get most upset (and we dont get treats on Monday!!).

We use Timesheet pro which isnt bad, but i leave that till Friday lunchtime, in the week its a combination of a notepad and an excel spreadsheet timesheet we knocked up for simplicity.

it is ALWAYS a good idea to write down what you do, the amount of times ive seen the boss ask someone and they "ummm and errr"

Guv · 3 Nov 2008 at 17:43

Timesheet has to be completed at the end of each day. I update mine throughout the day as I move onto different clients work. The only way for it to be accurate is to do it each day.

memyselfandi · 3 Nov 2008 at 18:08

Ballpark guestimate normally, I know when I got to work and when I went home and what I did during that day .... I don't normally have that many different codes to use that it gets too complicated (we use a web-based system which is very very poor).

Biggest problem is service managers who give you a code to do some work for them and then reject your timesheet when you actually use it ... I find that telling them where they can place their system in the future focuses them on sorting out the right code (not that I wasted several hours sorting this out the other week ... made worse by the idiot involved saying that he had the impression that I thought he was wasting my time (too right))

:rolleyes:

Dj_Jestar · 3 Nov 2008 at 18:25

I used to just guestimate. Spent a majority of the morning working on 'x'? 3.5hours. Quick fix on 'y'? 0.5hours. Etc.

Begbie · 3 Nov 2008 at 18:39

We are meant to fill in a timesheet after every piece of work. Stuff that I fill in a excel sheet.

gumbald · 3 Nov 2008 at 20:05

Ours have to be done weekly, mine are mostly just whole days of something though.

Vonhelmet · 3 Nov 2008 at 21:39

Dj_Jestar said:
I used to just guestimate. Spent a majority of the morning working on 'x'? 3.5hours. Quick fix on 'y'? 0.5hours. Etc.

I do that to a degree. Our system can divide an hour up in into 20 lots of 3 minutes. As if I can be arsed! I deal in quarter hours, minimum. Anything less and I usually don't log it.

KaHn · 3 Nov 2008 at 21:43

I just make mine uop and charge it to a project im on, it puts things in perspective when your time is against a project which is hiring a vessel for 3 month at 300k a day.

KaHn

paradigm · 3 Nov 2008 at 21:49

So glad to be in a position where I no longer have to fill those cruddy pointless wastes of time in.

When I had to, I made it up as I went along.