{"id":134121,"date":"2019-05-15T16:27:29","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T16:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=134121"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:57:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:57:35","slug":"best-time-tracking-productivity-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/best-time-tracking-productivity-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Boost productivity with the best apps for time-tracking"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lady<\/p>\n

There are a lot of factors in the mix when it comes to your productivity<\/strong>. There are external factors \u2014 the emails, notifications, and whether your colleagues are being especially chatty today. Also, there are things like whether your pants are comfortable or whether there\u2019s a fresh cup of coffee to keep you company.<\/p>\n

Sometimes you have trouble focusing or want to manage your output. Experts, bloggers, and productivity hackers alike recommend implementing some kind of schedule for \u201cgetting things done.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most popular approach is the Pomodoro Technique<\/a>, which breaks your time into a series of 25-minute chunks. But, we were curious, are there other approaches to blocking off time?<\/p>\n

Over and over, the app 30\/30<\/strong> came up \u2014 but it turns out, it\u2019s been discontinued.<\/p>\n

What is 30\/30?<\/h2>\n

\"Time<\/p>\n

The 30\/30 app was an iPhone app made by Binary Hammer<\/a>. Weirdly, it still comes up a lot when you search for the best time-tracking apps, despite being discontinued a few years back. There is an app on the Play Store with a similar name, but it does not have the same functions.<\/p>\n

The underlying concept was, you’d assign yourself a set of to-dos to work on in 30-second increments.\u00a0The idea was that you can plan out your entire day<\/strong>, and can customize intervals ahead of time.<\/p>\n

This means you’re not resetting a timer over and over, which is the basic premise behind the Pomodoro technique.<\/p>\n

How is 30\/30 different than the Pomodoro technique?<\/h2>\n

Well, classic Pomodoro is done with a simple egg timer.<\/p>\n

Today, there are several options out there like TomatoOne<\/a> which lets you customize your intervals. However, most don’t allow you to plan out your day and sort of “flow” through different tasks.<\/p>\n

Some people like the simplicity and use the popular method to stay on task<\/strong>, not so much track their progress.<\/p>\n

If that’s you, TomatoOne is a basic app you can download for your desktop or smartphone.<\/p>\n

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What are the best apps to track your time?<\/h2>\n

PomoDone<\/h3>\n

\"PomoDone\"<\/p>\n

PomoDone<\/a> is a productivity app built for Todoist users<\/a>. The idea is that you can connect the two accounts and track the time spent on your to-do items.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s cool about PomoDone is that it allows you to drag your to-dos into the app and assign them by category. You can categorize your errands, emails, or work projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, you can also break out of the Pomodoro 25-minute cycle and assign time limits based on what you\u2019ll need for each task.<\/p>\n

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Focus Booster<\/h3>\n

\"FocusBooster\"<\/p>\n

PomoDone and the Pomodoro technique can work for anyone with a to-do list and the willingness to track their output. However, Focus Booster<\/a> is built for freelancers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It comes with the standard timer app fare but allows you to break up your time-tracking by client or project. You can adjust the length of your sessions and turn your data into timesheets.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Focus List<\/h3>\n

\"FocusList\"<\/p>\n

Focus List<\/a> is another solid option for helping you plan your day, track your time, and review your progress.<\/strong> This app is something of a natural successor to 30\/30, as you\u2019ll \u201ctime box\u201d your day. After using the app, you\u2019ll start to understand how long it takes you to get things done.<\/p>\n

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60-60-30 by Timerro<\/h3>\n

\"Timerro\"<\/p>\n

The 60-60-30 technique is simple<\/a>. You spend 60 minutes on one activity, then work for another 60 minutes followed by a 30-minute break.<\/p>\n

Like Pomodoro, the hard part is getting used to staying on one task for an entire 60-minute block.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re supposed to take a 10-minute break between the two-hour-long chunks, which does make things slightly easier.<\/p>\n

What we liked about 60-60-30 is that it allows time for more sustained blocks of focus than the 25 minutes Pomodoro blocks. Whether that’s invigorating or exhausting depends on how your brain is wired.<\/p>\n

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TL\/DR: find a workflow that works for you<\/h2>\n

\"Stress<\/p>\n

Working on a timer-system does come with some key benefits.<\/p>\n

Short breaks<\/strong> can help you refill your creativity reserves and stay more productive<\/strong> throughout the day.<\/p>\n

As you get used to working in a series of sprints, blocking out distractions will become second nature.<\/p>\n

Over the long term, you\u2019ll start to get better at managing your time. For instance, you\u2019ll start to get a sense of how many sessions it takes to write an article, put together a report, or get through your inbox.<\/p>\n

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Complete guide to self-improvement: mind and body<\/p>\r\n Read Now \u25ba<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

An article from Quartz article\u00a0highlights an important point. Time-tracking is valuable, but you need to experiment with different intervals until you find what works for you.<\/a><\/p>\n

Behavioral neuroscience professor from McGill University\u00a0Daniel Levitin told Quartz that there\u2019s no one workflow that suits every \u201cneural style.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, some people are able to focus for hours on end. Others depend on short bursts and are followed by short breaks to sustain energy throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Levitin acknowledges that it’s a trial-and-error process, and it might take a while to find your ideal workflow.<\/p>\n

Even Mr. Pomodoro himself, Francisco Cirillo, says it takes between seven and 20 days<\/a> to master the system.<\/p>\n

Find what works for you.<\/strong> The best method for your friend or coworker may not be what works best for you. Try a few different options, and stick with what fits you and your lifestyle.<\/p>\n

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More about productivity<\/p>\r\n

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5 best time tracking apps \u2014 and why you need them \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n \r\n

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Trick yourself into better time management \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

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How your diet can affect your productivity \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n \r\n

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These are the best apps and online tools to stay focused and be more productive \u25ba<\/p>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Find the best app to help you manage your time and boost your productivity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9161,"featured_media":134381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[3150],"tags":[1082,1734,1405,1921,1386],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-134121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-android","tag-apps","tag-iphone","tag-lifehacks","tag-stress-relief-apps"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326054,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134121\/revisions\/326054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134121"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=134121"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=134121"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=134121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}