The Best Way to Make a Time Log on your Palm II
Shortly after my last post I realized I needed to update it and add today’s post to make a clarification. This realization came by being reminded that Natara also has a time log program. My update included a rewriting of the title for yesterday’s post with the inclusion of one word - free. Natara has a time log program called Quanto as in “how much” of your time are you spending doing that? One of the key differences between this and Timesheet besides price is that Timesheet is made for a work schedule. There are features tailor made for tracking overtime and it caters to the punching in and out model of the workplace. My updated article on Timesheet reflects this. What does Quanto do?
Quanto is made to analyze your entire time whether it is work related or not. You have the freedom to create as many categories and activities as you would ever need. Tracking time is simple and there is a pleasant and reassuring interrupt feature not that any of us would experience that in our daily lives. You can export your results to your SD card as a CSV too. Now, this program is not free but I have heard the phrase time is money, so better management may be worth the price and then some. Many of the wonderful features of a time tracking program are duplicated in both. The advantage of Quanto is more freedom about what is being tracked. Click here to check it out. Unlike other trial periods you have 3 days which makes sense to me. If I were them I wouldn’t want you to waste any time either before committing to using it in your life.
April 27th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
This is a great app. You’ve really got to be dedicated day in, day out to logging in your activities for this app to have any meaning in your life. I’m not ready ;^)
April 27th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
You bring up a good point. However, I would like add how you are always ready. In this case, you are ready to say you are not ready. If not now, when? If not you, who?
I say this knowing I am guilty myself but when I am reminded of the futility of arguing for my own unconsciousness of my very own life time and therefore possible future I can get ready pretty easily.
It is there as a tool. If we don’t use it and if we are not able to say we are spending time exactly the way we want then we will have to come to terms with what we are avoiding when we are given something to help us do that.
April 28th, 2007 at 1:34 am
I’m sure there will be a time. I have a new job, learning new responsibilities in a new city with new surroundings. I’m still acclimating. It’s good to know that this type of software is out there when that time arrives.
April 30th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Speaking for myself, and echoing a little bit your comment Kevin…There is something good and something not so good about time management programs for the Palm.
I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the activity of ongoingly , moment by moment, measuring my time.
It’s a bit like going on a reasonable healthy diet, where a good start is counting the calories I am consuming… or the use of a money program like Adarian money, measuring those dollars I spend.
Ultimately there is this beneficial. self assessment process that gets added to the mix.
Looking forward to your suggestions Fox.
July 3rd, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I’m trying Quanto right now. It is quite simple and very useful, but I am not quite getting the hang of switching tasks and will need to read the documentation again.
It appears that Quanto has no way to stop it, it just keeps running behind the scenes - must I measure everything I do? I don’t need to log my sleep hours or my personal free time.
Is there a way to shut this app off?
Shelley
Fox: In answer to your quesiton: “must I measure everything I do?” Yes and you should eat your vegetables too. Sorry, you got me in an authoritative mood. I think it is a good thing because time is constant. If you don’t want to track certain time create a Activity called “Classified” and put all that time you don’t want to track there. You could also call it Alien Abduction, Wasted, Denial, or Criminal Activity. This could actually be a fun way to manage what you don’t what to track. Since I am in the FBI “Classified” is my favorite.