CDPUG BlogSphere

OfficeTime is advertised as “Simply the Best Way to Track Your Time.” I concur. This an excellent program and has made my work time more productive and simplified the process of generating an invoice. This program is easy to use with literally no learning curve. A free 30-day trial is available at OfficeTime.net. I downloaded the program with no hassles and started using it immediately with no research. Recently, an updated version became available and I downloaded it with no trouble. OfficeTime works for both PC and MAC and will sync with ical (and thus with iPhone). Other calendars are not supported.

The interface is clean and straightforward and utilizes three main terms: projects, sessions and categories. The user defines these terms, and to maximize the function, the user should take care in the set up. ”Projects” are individual windows that represent a project to be worked on. To be most effective name your projects to include client name. Such as: “ACME newsletter,” “ACME brochure,” “ACME website.”

“Sessions” are a subset of “projects” where the timing actually takes place and where you can makes notes. ”Categories” is where you assign the hourly rate. If you charge multiple rates, to be most efficient, you should name your categories to include the rate. Such as: Design $75, Consulting $45, Courtesy $0.

To begin using OfficeTime create and name a project, create and name a session, create and select a category, then hit the start button. When you are finished hit stop. If you get interrupted hit pause. If you need to work on a different project for a few minutes simply open that project and hit the start button. Its easy to have multiple project windows open to track your time on phone calls or other interruptions or to work on another project.

OfficeTime also allows you to enter expenses so that you can generate complete invoices and reports. The function of this feature is fine but the interface could be better. An expense “looks” just like a session in the project window. When creating the categories for expenses use descriptive words and  assign a color so you will be able to easily see what is an expense verses what is a timed work session. For example: “EXPENSE: postage” OfficeTime has a feature to give a “tip of the day” each time the software opens. This was enough information for me to learn what I needed to know. There is also a short tutorial. The “help” is a FAQ that is easy to understand and fairly comprehensive. However, it is not searchable. I copied and pasted to TextEdit to use “find.”

OfficeTime allows for multiple employees but I did not see any FAQ on this subject.

OfficeTime is able to seamlessly sync with ical–information entered in either program appears in the other program. OfficeTime is able to manage time tracking on multiple computers by importing the data file. It updates the projects and does not duplicate sessions. The software license allows for multiple installations for a single user.

All of the sessions in Office Time are fully editable. If you forgot to hit start you just change the time. This feature would be a negative if you have dishonest employees, as you can change any number. To generate an invoice you first create a report and can include sessions and expenses from multiple employees, and multiple projects. If you choose to, the sessions are then grayed out in the project window to indicate that they have been invoiced. When generating the invoice OfficeTime gives you a very handy drop-down window to Address Book. The OfficeTime invoice is a 2 page .rtfd that opens in TextEdit or WordPad. The invoice template allows for rudimentary customization and you are able to insert a logo.

The file would not open or import into Word or InDesign however copy and paste works fine and the text comes in with tab stops. The export feature creates an Excel file. This is a great program and I recommend it for its easy to use, non-fussy interface, and powerful data gathering and processing.

By: Carolyn K Lewis, I Design, 3353 West 95th St., Cleveland OH 44102. idesign@cklewis.com 216-631-1112

OfficeTime is a timeKEEPER!

So I’m all in with Office Time. I’ve got the OS version for the desktop as well as the iOS version on both the iPad and iPhone. …and I love it!

For over thirty years I made valiant attempts to accurately record the time spent on creative projects whose ultimate billing was a reflection of and dependent upon my time expended. In some cases I would record the time on each successive draft, on others I would create a recap sheet and at other times I’ve tried to keep a spiral notebook with running record of all projects in one place. All of these options had their pros but they also had their cons. If this sounds familiar to you you’ll very much enjoy Office Time.

The need to write both starting and ending times and then do the math to turn the minutes into billing based on the applicable hourly rate was a time waster. Backing out the un-billable time occasioned by a phone call or other unplanned interruption was more guesswork than anything else. Was the guess short changing me or the client? Then there were the times when work was done on a project when the applicable time sheet was not in hand. Many a time the scribbled “note on a napkin” accounting for the time spent never ended up getting entered in the proper timesheet.

Enter Office Time (insert drum roll here). Simple. Effective. Pays for itself quickly.

Now, no matter where I am, I can accurately track the time I spend on anything and everything. I may not be in front of my iMac but likely will have the iPad nearby. If not, I’m never without the iPhone. Since Office Time syncs between its desktop and mobile apps I never lose track time earned nor bill for more time than spent. No guessing or reconstructing necessary unless I’m doing a lot of creative in the shower.

Everyone keeps track of time for different reasons. Some need to track billable time while some have an interest in recording time donated to a community project. – yet some do both.

Office Time allows you to create as many “projects” as you like and apply any number of “categories” to the time spent. While writing this review I stopped for a conference call and a simple click stopped the timing. On return another click to start session number two. The next interruption was unplanned taking me away from the iPad, leaving it idle for 15 minutes, although the timer kept running. On my return to the iPad I was reminded it had been idle for 15 minutes and given the option to deduct that time from the timer. Another simple but great feature.

Relying on reviews, however thorough, is not necessary since Office Time offers a fully featured 30 day demo.

This review took exactly 51 minutes to write. I know this because I use the iPhone App to record the time as I penned it on the iPad.

Start a new session by choosing your Project, designating the category of work and optionally entering notes to more fully describe the work you’re doing. Hit the start button and your time is recorded until you click the stop button.

Now keep in mind that after you have pre-entered the various categories of work all you do is click a start button and a stop button. You do this each time you work on theta project until your either finished or ready for an incremental billing. When ready for billing you SIMPLY go to the report section (more robust options with the OS X version) and your total billing is automatically calculated for you.

It is easy to appreciate how this app can pay for itself many times over, making you more conscious of accurate time keeping but with less effort than conventional pencil and paper methods.

Adam and Tonya Engst, Take Control: “Take Control of MobileMe, Second Edition” demystifies Apple’s online service.

We’re pleased to bring you Joe Kissell’s new “Take Control of MobileMe, Second Edition.” Whether you already use Apple’s MobileMe service or are considering adding it to your online toolkit, this e-book will ensure that you get the most out of your subscription.

MobileMe’s e-mail, calendaring, and online storage features help extend your Mac and iOS devices to the cloud, and to view, share, access, download, mix, and mingle your data in many ways once it’s there. All these options give you a lot of power, but figuring out how everything interacts is non-trivial! Joe spent many hours carefully researching all the details, and the e-book was edited by the ever-knowledgeable Dan Frakes.

You can buy Take Control of MobileMe, Second Edition” for $10 at:

Questions answered in the book include:

* What are MobileMe’s primary features?

* How do I set up MobileMe syncing on my iPhone, iPad or iPod touch?

* How quickly should I expect MobileMe to sync my data?

* Which types of data sync only between Macs and which can sync across platforms?

* How do I configure my e-mail software to use MobileMe?

* How do I access my iDisk from Windows?

* How do I add movies and photos to my Web Gallery?

* Where in my MobileMe account does my iWeb-created site go?

* What should I do to host a non-iWeb site in my MobileMe account?

* How can I configure my AirPort Extreme to work with Back to My Mac?

Joe has been running the Red Queen’s race in his attempt to finish the book. Each time he thought the book was ready for release, Apple moved the finish line by announcing a new feature or a major service change. Just a week ago, for example, Apple totally changed the way MobileMe calendars worked and released the MobileMe-savvy iLife ’11 application suite. By burning gallons of midnight oil, Joe succeeded in rolling information about these and all other changes into this new edition.

Thanks for your support of the Take Control series. We couldn’t do it without you!

cheers…

-Adam and Tonya Engst, Take Control publishers