35 Time Management Resources for Designers

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Working at home isn’t exactly the most productive place to get things done. Thanks to the wonder that is the internet however, we have a number of online applications to help us manage our time better. 35 such applications to be exact. Here is a list of “To-Do List”, “Time Management Software”, and even some “Break Reminders.”

14 Online To Do Lists

Backpack

Backpack is a web-based service that makes organizing your information incredibly easy. Backpack lets you make pages which can contain any combination of notes, to-dos, images, files, etc. You can keep these pages to yourself or share them with colleagues, co-workers, friends, or family.

Ta-Da List

Ta-da List is the web’s easiest to-do list tool. Make lists for yourself or share them with others. It couldn’t be simpler.

Remember the Milk

Manage tasks quickly and easily.
An intuitive interface makes managing tasks fun. Set due dates easily with next Friday or in 2 weeks. Extensive keyboard shortcuts make task management quicker than ever.

Online CEO

The Online CEO task management is currently a free (and unsupported) service of the Topfunky Corporation. There may be a small charge in the future, but there will always be a free plan, so try it out. Inspired by The Printable CEO.

Toodledo - Use folders, subtasks, due-dates, priorities, tags, contexts, goals, notes, time estimates and other information to easily organize, search and sort through your tasks.

Task This - TaskTHIS is a modern, so-called “Web 2.0”, application for managing task lists. You can create tasks with notes and publish them via RSS, or share them so that others can add/complete tasks on your list!

Blah Blah List - Bla-bla List makes it easy to make a list of things to think about later when you’re not so busy and share your lists with others even if they don’t have an account.

ToDoist - Todoist is a popular online task manager that’s useful, fast and easy to use.

Task Freak - TaskFreak! is a simple but efficient web based task manager written in PHP.

Sprout Liner - Sproutliner is a free web service that helps you manage your projects and ideas (think of it as a supercharged structured to-do list).

TuDu List - Tudu Lists is a very simple application, which you can start using in seconds - but with some advantages over your home-made Excel todo list.

Time Tracker To-Do List - Time Tracker is a simple tool to keep track of the time you spend on any task. Think of it as a to-do-list with a clock.

Tasks - Tasks™ is a powerful web-based task manager to help you manage your personal and professional projects effectively.

TaskToy - Todo list service with note taking, bookmarking, and projects. Also gives a lot of options for list items.

12 Time Tracking Tools

Rescue Time

Effortless Time Tracking with no data entry, know exactly what software and sites you’re actively using. Beat Interruption Overload by clobbering procrastination with Goals & Alerts and watch your efficiency grow. Compare your productivity and see your whole team, only exposing what you want with assorted privacy options.

SlimTimer

Open the SLIMTIMER and click on a task to start the clock and click again when you’re finished. If you’ve completed the task click the checkbox to mark it off. Close the browser when you’re done. Run reports of not only your time but also that of your coworkers and reportees. You can export any report to CSV(Excel), subscribe to its RSS feed*, or email it to a colleague*.

Tick

Tick is a simple and friendly time tracking application to help you stay on budget.

Get Harvest

Track time, log expenses, invoice clients, keep track of account receivables and revenue. Harvest lets you do it all, so you can run your business with style and ease.

Punchy Time

PunchyTime is a simple time tracking tool for creatives (ad agencies, web-dev shops, etc). It makes it really easy for your team to enter time “as they work” instead of letting it all pile up till the end of the month (which is how billable hours get lost).

Keep Tempo - Track budgeted hours, projects, and people. Generate invoices to Blinksale and Quickbooks.

@Task - @task is project management software that helps companies get work done. With scheduling power superior to industry standards like Microsoft Project,

YaTimer - yaTimer is fast, easy to use and efficient - that way you don’t have to waste time managing your time, for example, all common operations are just one click away from the main task list display.

Easy Time Tracking - Easy Time Tracking is a powerful, yet extremely easy-to-use time management and customer billing application.

Time Panic - TimePanic is an award-winning application for tracking time spent at the computer.

Time Meter - Time Meter is an expansion module for Microsoft® Outlook® that allows systematizing current projects, timelines, hourly rates and employees’ assignments basing on live time and expenses tracking model that enables automatic calculation of HR costs involved.

Time Assistant - Time-Assistant is professional timesheet software for your business.

9 Take-a-Break Reminders

Time Out

Time Out has two kinds of breaks: a “Normal” break, typically for 10 minutes after 50 minutes of work, so you can move about and relax, plus a “Micro” break: a very brief pause of typically 10 seconds every 10 minutes, so you can remember not to tense up too much for long periods.

Desk Doctor

Desk Doctor first guides you through an on-screen medical assessment. Then with your results, Desk Doctor uses its built-in reasoning to compile the optimum exercise program to keep you healthy.

MacBreakz

MacBreakZ is a sophisticated Personal Ergonomic Assistant designed to promote healthy and productive computer use.

Workrave

Workrave is a program that assists in the recovery and prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). The program frequently alerts you to take micro-pauses, rest breaks and restricts you to your daily limit.

Break Reminder - Break Reminder is designed to prevent and assist convalscence of OOS/RSI. Runs in the background monitoring computer use, giving appropriate pause and/or break reminders.

RSI Warrior - Rest break reminders that are timed based on how hard you actually work at the computer, and designed to be as unintrusive as possible.

Stop Now - topNow! gives you the reminder you need to take that RSI prevention break.

Screen Rest - ScreenRest helps ease your discomfort and keep you refreshed by reminding you to take regular rests from your computer–right when you need them.

WorkPause - WorkPause can help you reduce the risk of developing RSI or other computer-related illnesses by reminding you to make regular breaks.

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About Danny Outlaw
Danny is currently living the freelance dream in sunny (and very hot) Costa Rica with his old lady. You can read some of his freelance work at Costa Rica Travel Scout. He has an obsession with LOST, toys, and Sharpie markers.

14 Responses to “35 Time Management Resources for Designers”

  1. Michael Martin
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 8:05 am | Permalink

    Great list. I use Todoist and SlimTimer. Do you use a Take-A-Break reminder? When I’m working well on a project, I’m happy to stay at it. But if I know I’m not working well, I’ll know to take a break.

  2. John
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:04 pm | Permalink

    Designers who bill hourly for their time should check out Intervals - web-based time tracking and task management, with invoicing capabilities and thorough reports. It’s a great tool for keeping your mind free to focus on the creative work while keeping clients off your back.

  3. Not A Niche
    Posted July 1, 2008 at 1:53 am | Permalink

    Great list Danny, I also put a collection of 21 To Do programs together. There might be some listed, you don’t know about. There are sooo many out there I didn’t even list all of them.
    http://afrison.com/16-free-online-to-do-programs-in-a-great-overview/557/

    http://afrison.com/and-5-additional-to-do-programs-for-free-part-ii/583/

    I definitely will check out the time tracker list. Thanks a lot!

  4. Leandro
    Posted July 1, 2008 at 11:58 am | Permalink

    Great list, If you couldn´t find any resource that fits to your needs I just want to add an other source of great online time management tools that is http://www.toptoolsreview.com.

    Congrats for the post, that´s great!

  5. Steven Snell
    Posted July 2, 2008 at 4:22 pm | Permalink

    I have to admit that I haven’t given these resources a fair chance. This is a nice list - thanks for doing the research for us.

  6. Derek Organ
    Posted July 3, 2008 at 1:29 am | Permalink

    Check out 1time (http://1timetracking.com )

    It is specifically built for designers with a need to bill time out or track against project estimates.

  7. ravaza
    Posted July 3, 2008 at 9:24 am | Permalink

    There is also LazyTodo, which is open source and you can install on your own server or personnal computer.
    It is based on GTD and have a no-clic navigation which saves you a lot of time.
    Have a look on lazytodo official site.

  8. Wouter Van den Neste
    Posted July 5, 2008 at 5:07 pm | Permalink

    Very nice list of tools. I think I’m going to inspire myself with some of these :)

  9. Angela Stringfellow
    Posted July 5, 2008 at 5:46 pm | Permalink

    What about emplooyer of record services, like MBO Partners? They offer a time-keeping system for their associates that is very easy to use…not to mention all the other time-saving benefits that you get when you use a company that handles all your back-office operations, like invoicing.

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