When it comes to tracking your time on the go, paper and pen aren’t or spreadsheets aren’t always the best options. Tracking time according to projects makes things even more challenging. Fortunately, tools like Timesheet Time Tracker for Android offer just enough features, without getting bogged down in too much extraneous business as to make the tool unwieldy.


Features

Here are some features you’ll find with the free Timesheet Time Tracker application:

  • Timetracking
  • Create/manage projects
  • Assign tasks to projects
  • Add tags, breaks, expenses, and notes
  • Export tasks to Excel (XLS, CSV)
  • Included widget
  • GPS-enabled location tracking
  • Automatic backup / restore
  • Dropbox embedded
  • No service to sign up for (unless you use the optional Dropbox feature)

Many users will appreciate the fact that data is not saved or syn’d to a service, which keeps your time tracking and location private.

Let’s install and use this helpful time tracking software.

Installation

The installation of Timesheet on Android is quite simple. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Open the Google Play Store
  2. Search for “timesheet” (no quotes)
  3. Tap the entry for Timesheet – Time Track (by rauscha.com)
  4. Tap Download
  5. Tap Accept & install

The application will require access to the following;

  • Your location
  • Full network access
  • Modify or delete files on SD card
  • Prevent tablet from sleeping

Once it’s installed, you’ll find the launcher in the app drawer or the home screen (or both — depending upon your device). You’re now ready to start using Timesheet Time Tracker.

First steps

When you first fire up Timesheet, you need to set it up according to your needs. From the main window (Figure A), tap the menu button (three vertical squares in the upper right corner), and then tap Settings.
Figure A

Timesheet running on a Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Tab.

From the Settings window, tap General and configure the following:

  • Location tracking Enable/Disabled
  • Currency (character to represent currency)
  • First day of the week
  • Project sorting
  • Default project tab (Details, Tasks, or Files)
  • Default task tab (Details, Breaks, Expenses, Notes)

Go back to the Settings window, tap Timer, and configure the following:

  • Rounding (exactly, nearest 5 minutes, one-tenth of an hour, nearest 10 minutes, quarter of an hour, half of an hour, hourly)
  • Alarm (Never, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 hours)
  • Check Overlapping Enable/Disabled
  • Edit View (Edit task after stop) Enable/Disabled
  • Sound Enable/Disabled
  • Notification sound (select sound from built-in Android sounds)
  • Vibration Enable/Disabled

Next, return to the Settings window, tap Breaks, and configure the following:

  • Automatic breaks Enable/Disabled
  • Add break every (30, 40, 45, 50, 60… minutes)
  • Pause time (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30… minutes)
  • Edit view (edit break after stop) Enable/Disabled
  • Sound Enable/Disabled
  • Notification sound (select sound from built-in Android sounds)
  • Vibration Enable/Disabled

Go back to Settings, tap Tags, and add create tags by tapping New Tag. Once you’ve added all the tags you’ll need, head back to the Settings window, tap Export, and configure the following:

  • Split tasks by breaks Enable/Disabled
  • Default period
  • Default type (.xls or .csv)
  • Exported fields (select which fields you want to export)
  • Export folder (where on the SD card to export)
  • CSV separator
  • Excel Date format
  • Excel Time format
  • Excel Duration format

Finally, the last piece to configure is the backup. You can set the backup to automatically dump to a Dropbox account, your SD card, or both. Tap on Backup, and set up the Dropbox authentication (if you use it) as well as the following backup settings:

  • Automated backup Enable/Disabled
  • Automated backup schedule
  • Automated backup destination (SD card, Dropbox, or both)
  • Backup folder
  • Show success notification Enable/Disabled

That’s it! You’re now ready to begin using Timesheet.

Usage

It’s time to start using Timesheet Time Tracker. The first thing you’ll want to do is create a Project. To do this, tap the Timesheet menu in the upper left corner. From the Projects window (Figure B), tap the New Project button and fill out the following fields:

  • Title
  • Employee/Client
  • Description
  • Location
  • Salary/h

You can also enable Automatic Tracking. Just know that this feature is in beta and might not be reliable. It’s also possible to tap the location button to use your GPS to automatically configure the location of the project.

Figure B

Tap a Project, and you can get a nice overview of that project’s status.

Now that you’ve created a project, you’re able to add tasks, which is done via the main screen. Tap the New task button, associated the task with a project, and fill out the necessary information (Figure C).
Figure C

Make sure to tap the Save button (upper right corner) once you’ve filled out the information for the task.

After you started entering tasks for projects, make sure to do a backup and export (unless you’ve set up automated backups). You can then take the exported spreadsheets and import them into other tools (you’ll probably have to do a bit of mapping to get the import to work).

If you’re looking for a solid time tracking tool, one that isn’t associated with a service, Timesheet Time Tracker is one that offers nearly everything you need, without being even remotely complicated.

Have you used Timesheet Time Tracker or another time tracking application? Share your experience in the discussion thread below.