The Value of Time Tracking, Even When You’re Not “Billable”

Atomic Object pays everyone hourly — even our Co-CEOs. As a result, we use internal custom software called Punchit for time tracking. Every Atom is responsible for using Punchit to track what they’ve done and for how long. We each track our own start and stop times and what we work on when, and leave comments about work done.

Time Tracking Benefits

Accurate time tracking is essential for billing client work. But it’s also invaluable for folks that aren’t working directly on creating software. Here are a few of the benefits.

• At Atomic, time tracking rewards the entirety of work done. There’s no pressure to put in unpaid hours because we track self-reported 15-minute increments.
• Tracking is not based on emotions. Have you ever been so immersed in a task that hours flew by in what felt like minutes? Accurate reporting takes the guesswork and emotion out of how much time you’ve spent on what.
• Keeping track of where you’ve devoted your time gives you data to reflect on. Are you spending as much time on priorities as you thought, for example?
• You can retrospect broadly over a given time frame. It’s valuable to paint a picture of how much time you’ve spent on a project, in meetings, or on smaller tasks you didn’t realize took up so much time.
• Accurate historical data helps estimate how long similar work might take in the future.
• Tracking facilitates reporting. When I’m at a standup meeting, I can refer to my hours and notes for the previous day to quickly sum up what I’ve done.
• Calculating actual cost is easier and more accurate. If I’m purchasing something as a marketer that requires my time to facilitate, the true cost of that product or service to Atomic should include my time.
• Tracking reminds you to work at a sustainable pace. At Atomic, we’re about excellent work sustainably done. Looking back over hours tracked allows you to create balance over time.
• Knowing where you spend your time helps with job crafting. Accurate data allows you to paint a picture of how much time you’re spending on what brings you satisfaction at work.

Trust-based and Transparent

Atomic’s time-tracking system is trust-based and transparent. This means anyone can run hours reports, which facilitates data sharing and project estimation.

Having real data is well worth the effort of keeping track. It creates accurate reports, paints a true picture of my time at work, and gives me confidence that Atomic will compensate me for every hour I put in.