Keep it simple
Three totals once a day — making, admin, drift — is enough for most people. Logging every few minutes often raises stress and makes you quit.
How Long Do You Really Work?
Most of us guess high. Add today’s hours honestly, then plan tomorrow with clearer numbers.
Count Your Hours
Enter hours for a typical day. Decimals are fine (e.g. 1.5 for an hour and a half). This tool gives a rough split for personal planning only — not for tax, payroll, or legal records.
Why Honest Numbers Help
If you sit at the desk for eight hours but only four are real client work, your hourly rate is half what you thought. Office studies show people often overestimate focused time — freelancers without a timesheet do the same.
Use the split to cap your day: if admin is three hours, do it in one batch instead of all day. Tell clients realistic deadlines based on creative hours, not “hours at the laptop.”
- If admin is more than about a third of the day, raise prices or trim scope.
- Book only as many deep blocks as your notes show you can finish.
- Check again each Friday — small shifts add up.
Turn Numbers Into a Better Plan
Little client time? Try a morning block for making before email. Lots of distraction? Use short timed bursts with the phone elsewhere. Wrong hours for hard work? See our guide to planning by energy.
Structure is doing what you scheduled; creativity is what happens inside that slot. The numbers tell you whether you need tighter blocks or more protected creative time.
Plan My DayStaying Well While You Track Time
Your log should make the week clearer — not turn you into a harsh boss of yourself. When tracking supports rest and fair limits, the numbers help you work sustainably in Australia.
“Write it down to understand — not to punish yourself. A kind log beats a perfect spreadsheet.”
Many people start tracking after feeling “busy but behind” or running on empty. That is fair — as long as the habit stays curious, not cruel. Whether you work in a Newcastle studio or a kitchen table in Elermore Vale, movement, eye breaks, and a real finish time matter as much as billable hours.
Look after eyes and posture
Every 30–45 minutes, look far away for 20 seconds and roll your shoulders. A break timer can matter more than a “productivity” timer.
Protect sleep
If you often work past 10 p.m., treat that as a warning — not proof you are dedicated. Late nights steal focus from the next day.
Works well
- Log when you finish for the day, not during deep work
- Write one small win next to the numbers
- Look at the week, not every single hour
- Move before you feel stuck and sore
Ease off if…
- You dread opening the tracker
- You skip meals to “finish the log”
- You compare your hours to someone else’s social feed
- You stretch the day to hit eight desk hours for show
- Monday: Log one normal day without changing anything — just see the truth.
- Midweek: Add a five-minute walk between admin and creative blocks.
- Friday: Ask: did this help me plan, or mostly make me tense?
Common Questions
What counts as client work?
Work on paid jobs — design, writing, edits, filming. Proposals only count if you bill for that stage separately.
Do I need to track every minute?
Round to quarter hours for a week first. Detail can wait until a contract needs it.
Do you store my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser unless you email us.