The Best Time Management Apps to Tame the Chaos

Tracking time across multiple devices and the web couldn’t be any simpler, whether you want to press Start and Stop buttons as you go through your day or fill out blocks of time manually. Your time can be split into different projects and have different tags attached, which lets you see which blocks of time are linked to which work or nonwork activities.

Once you’ve built up some stats, there are a number of useful reports you use to get a breakdown of how you spent your time. There is a standard calendar view too. The app makes a lot of its features available for free, but you can opt to pay ($5 a month and up) to get more customization options and features, like the ability to split times and add breaks.

Timelines

Timelines is well worth looking at for your time-tracking solution, as long as you’re using an iPhone or an iPad—it’s not available for Android or the desktop. If you do want to log time using a mobile Apple device, then you’ll find this a flexible, intuitive option, which mostly sticks to the basics in terms of features but does all of them well.

All you have to do to get started is tap the Add Timeline button: Your “timelines” can be socializing, working, relaxing, studying, or whatever you like. Then you simply start and stop timers as needed, and the app gives you reports as you go. You can also set goals for how much of something (like exercise) you want to log during a day, a week, or a month.

The app quickly builds up a comprehensive picture of how you’re spending your time, without overwhelming you with different screens and features. You can get started with Timelines for free, with extra features—such as multi-device syncing, long-term trend reporting, and unlimited time tracking categories—available for $4 per month.

Simple Time Tracker

Simple Time Tracker isn’t complex—but offers a lot.David Nield

Having mentioned an app exclusive to iPhones and iPads, it’s only fair we mention an app you can only get on Android. Simple Time Tracker, as its name suggests, tries to stay out of the way as much as possible when it comes to monitoring where your time goes. You can get time slots started and stopped with a tap, and everything in the app is well laid out.

There’s a lot to dig into here beyond the basics. Different activities (like reading or playing sports) can also be split into different categories (like work or fun) and customized with their own colors and icons. You can set goals for yourself to meet certain time thresholds and get reports in real time of how the hours in your day are being spent.

The app works really well in the way it lets you choose how simple or detailed your time tracking gets. You can really dig into individual days and timings if you want, or stick to a broader overview. Perhaps best of all, the app is completely open source and free to use, though I’d recommend sending a donation to the developer if you find the app helpful.