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How to Streamline Your Billing Process with Zapier and Timing
One of the most common questions we hear at Timing is: How can I bill my clients for the time I track with Timing?
Thanks to the Timing Web App and its Zapier integration, we now have a much better answer to this question. Our Zapier integration lets you send your times to hundreds of other billing and time tracking services, such as FreshBooks, Quickbooks, Toggl, and many more!
Zapier is a web service that lets you connect thousands of apps, sending data from one service to another. For example, you can use the Timing web app together with Zapier to automatically export tasks, create projects, and even post messages to Slack when you start a task. Zapier automatically processes your data in the background, so you can keep focusing on your work at all times. Simply set your “Zap” once and forget about it — no extra work on your end.
Read on for a step-by-step guide on using Zapier to send your Timing tasks to FreshBooks for invoicing. This process works just as well for a whole lot of other invoicing apps, of course! Plus, we’ll inspire you with several more ideas for integrating your Timing data with other apps.
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How to Identify Your Flow Using Time-Tracking
“Flow” is a term that you may have heard thrown around quite a bit, but are you sure you know exactly what it is? It sounds undoubtedly positive, suggesting a state of effortless output and profound enjoyment. At the same time, flow sounds a bit nebulous. What is it, exactly? And most importantly, how do you identify your flow?
Think of it this way: Some days, you are super-productive and hyper-focused, so concentrated that you seem to lose track of hours passing, mealtimes, and the need to sleep. Other days, you feel like you are grinding away, maybe even fighting distraction while you try to work.
The first scenario, of course, is you in a state of flow – accomplishing your goals, checking off tasks, and enjoying work so much that it doesn’t feel like a slog. The second is you outside of flow – grinding away at your checklist while you attempt to stay off your iPhone.
Of course, you can’t always be in your flow, ideal as that would be. Still, there are certain ways to identify your flow, foster a flow-inducing environment, and get your best work done while you’re focused, goal-oriented, and maybe even having fun.
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Automate Time Tracking on your iPhone with Timing and Siri Shortcuts
Two weeks ago, we covered how to use the Timing Web App to start and stop tasks on the go. Today, you will learn how you can use Siri shortcuts to start and stop tasks, without having to open the web app at all. This means you can start tracking even faster than before — without wasting time loading the web app.
You can even come up with a custom voice command to open your shortcut — “do work”, “get it done”, “every day I’m hustling” — are all perfectly acceptable options. Let your imagination run freely. There’s nothing like commanding your phone to “get er done” at the start of a meeting…
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A Breakdown to Setting Your Rates as a Freelancer
One of the most significant benefits of working for yourself is setting your own rates. One of the biggest drawbacks of working for yourself is also… setting your own rates. Setting freelance rates is both an advantage (hello, higher income!) and a burden (what the heck do I charge?!).
Charge too much for an hourly rate or a project, and you risk losing a client or a job. Charge too little, and you risk losing time and money on a project that doesn’t pay you what you’re worth.
We’re not going to sugarcoat it: Setting freelance rates is a challenge, and it doesn’t necessarily become easier as you advance in your career, gain experience, or increase your income. Still, there are a number of strategies and principles to keep in mind when setting your rates, so that you can strike a balance and get the most out of every client or project.
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10 Steps for Optimizing Your Time Tracking with Timing
If you’re a freelancer, you probably already know that time tracking is, well, worth your time.
On a micro-scale, time tracking gives you valuable insight into how long you spend on specific projects and activities; your most productive hours of the day; and what, if anything, may be distracting you from your priorities.
On a macro-scale, time tracking can help you develop greater time management skills, become more productive, and earn more cash (who doesn’t want that?).
That being said, there’s a right (and wrong) way to track your time. Tracking your time incorrectly, which often results from manual tracking or start-and-stop timers, can do you more harm than good by giving you an inaccurate picture of how you spend your precious minutes and hours.
But by following strategic steps in your time tracking, you can get the most out of this wise and productive habit – helping you to gain more detailed, in-depth knowledge of your own work habits, speed, and level of efficiency.
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How to Leverage Your Time-Tracking Data for More Earnings and Better Productivity
Congratulations! You’ve started to successfully track your time.
You’ve got the reporting to prove your productivity and effective time management. You know where and how you’re spending your precious minutes and hours, and at what points in the day you are most productive. You’re headed in the right direction towards effective time management.
Now what?
You’ve tracked your time. Now, you’re ready to leverage that valuable information to prove your worth as a professional resource, help you become a higher earner, and increase your productivity.
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Want to Boost Your Earning Potential? 4 Tips How
The average American earns $44,720 per year.
That doesn’t sound terrible – until you factor in the reality that younger workers (between the ages of 20–24) are making $28,000 per year on average.
No matter where you fall on the spectrum of pay in the U.S., chances are that you’d like to raise your own income up a couple of notches.
You want to boost your earning potential….but do you believe it’s really possible?
You might have a packed schedule, a limited educational background, or even work in a career field that doesn’t bring in a ton of cash.
We’re not intimidated by these barriers, and neither should you be. It is possible to boost your earning potential, regardless of the stage of life you find yourself in, your current income, or your (perceived) lack of resources.
Here are four tips on how to boost your earning potential without switching careers:
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The Surprising Ways in Which Insurance Can Help Freelancers
Ashley Baxter is building With Jack, a platform that helps keep freelancers in business. Ashley enjoys sharing her experience of bootstrapping a business as a solo founder in one of the least start-up friendly industries in the world. In this guest article, she outlines why having business insurance is crucial for many freelancers.
Insurance should be a vital part of every freelancer’s toolbox alongside invoicing and working with a contract. Despite this, I’d estimate only a quarter of freelancers are properly insured. This is because insurers do a terrible job of explaining how insurance is useful to you and the type of risks you face on a regular basis.
We’re going to cover some of the common problems freelancers face and the role insurance plays in helping you in these situations.
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Are You Prepared for the EU’s New Time Tracking Regulations?
Is your company meeting the new time tracking requirements set by the European court?
On May 14, 2019, the European Court of Justice ruled that European member states “must require employers to set up an objective, reliable and accessible system enabling the duration of time worked each day by each worker to be measured.”
The ruling comes after a lawsuit by the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), a Spanish trade union, against Deutsche Bank. CCOO requested the German bank set up a system for tracking time each day, to help ensure labor laws were being met. Deutsche Bank argued against recording time due to the fact that Spanish law didn’t require it.
Ultimately ECJ decided that, “…in the absence of a system enabling the duration of time worked each day by each worker to be measured, it is not possible to determine, objectively and reliably, either the number of hours worked and when that work was done, or the number of hours of overtime worked, which makes it excessively difficult, if not impossible in practice, for workers to ensure that their rights are complied with.”
This measure is essential to ensure the maximum weekly working time — including overtime and rest periods have been complied with. This protects both employers and workers by verifying whether those rights are complied with.
Now that employees are responsible for tracking their time, are you worried about how your team will comply? Timing is the ideal solution!
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Are You Setting Yourself Up for a Productive Day?
Do you ever have one of those days where you can’t seem to focus your brain?
You might find yourself trying to get started on a task, but other things keep disrupting you. Or you might just feel a little tired and foggy.
We’ve all been there, and we know how frustrating those days can be. After all, we all have a lot of things to accomplish! These tasks are often tied to work, which directly impacts our income. That’s why having a productive day isn’t just beneficial for our mental well-being, but for our quality of life as well.
Though there are some life factors that you don’t have control over, you do have a say in how you start your day every morning.
That’s why we’ve pulled together our recommendations for waking up on the right side of the bed, ready to take on the day.
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