Time-Tracking Tips
Oct 20, 2019
Becoming good at tracking my time was one of the most difficult transitions to becoming a successful Virtual Assistant.
After years of working in corporate, I was used to moving through my day hitting deadlines and getting my work done, but without paying attention to the minutes ticking by.
But as they say, time is money and nothing could be truer when you’re a VA. As a Virtual Assistant, the product I offer to my clients is my time and my expertise if I’m not paying attention to how much of that product I give my clients, I’m certain to leave money I’ve earned behind.
Here are some tips and tricks for successfully tracking your time:
- Use an online time tracking system. I use Toggl to track my time. I have it open in a pinned tab that I never close, so it’s always available.
- Do work for one client at a time. I literary say in my head, “Ok, I’m going to do John’s work now.” I take a breath, look at my notes, and get started. If the work is going to take more than an hour and I’m waiting for a time-sensitive email, I might check my email quickly from time to time. But if that email comes in and I need to shift my attention, I stop, look at the time, log it in Toggl, and then shift my focus to the new project.
- Round your time. It would be unreasonable to bill clients for the exact number of minutes that we’re working when working on quick requests. Decide ahead of time what your policy is for handling your time so you’re not questioning yourself each time. Here’s my rule – if it’s a quick yes/no reply to an email it’s 5 minutes. If I have to think about the reply it’s 10 minutes, and if I need to open an application, it’s 15 minutes. Anything beyond that is in 5-minute increments rounded up.
- Clean up before you stop the clock. If I’ve opened browser tabs and applications and have files open on my computer, I close them all and organize any necessary notes before I stop the clock. Keeping your client work organized is part of the work itself.
We are all grateful to our clients and want to be generous, but a little time here and a little time there can add up to hours of unbillable time. Remember, you’re running a business, and you are the product. Make sure you take the time to track every minute.
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