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If you are like me, you probably spend your days working on a number of different tasks. But how much of my day is spent doing things that I should be doing? It can be difficult to keep track, so I was intrigued when I heard about a program called RescueTime that promised to help me better understand where I am spending my day. You can install the application on your computer and mobile devices to monitor how you are spending time. The goal is to rescue time that is being wasted. So I hopped over to RescueTime’s website, created an account, and downloaded their free RescueTime Lite.
The program runs on any Windows client from XP on. You can also download clients for Linux, Mac OS X 10.6 or later, and Android 2.1 or later. There are also extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
The RescueTime setup screen. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
Selecting option to automatically start RescueTime after computer boot. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
Entering email address to activate RescueTime. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
RescueTime logging schedule. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
RescueTime logging details. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
RescueTime consumes little resources to run. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
The RescueTime dashboard. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
RescueTime lists time spent on different activities in a bar chart. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
Track offline time with RescueTime. (Image Credit: Jeff Hicks)
RescueTime is an easy to use and unobtrusive monitoring solution. The free version is admittedly broad in scope but can be quite informative on how you spend your day. RescueTime can also integrate with a number of applications, and you can even download your data. The premium edition will even help you be focused by blocking out distracting sites and activities if you lack the willpower yourself. As far as cons go, I’m not a big fan of browser-based dashboards, where I’d much rather have a stand-alone client.
If you are struggling to figure out where your day is going, or why you aren’t getting as much done as you’d like, RescueTime can give you the data you need. The free version is a great way to get started and if you want to actively be in control of your time, the premium edition appears to offer the tools you need.
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