ManicTime

What do you like best?

This software automatically tracks the time you spend on your computer. When you step away from your computer for a certain length of time (set by user), it will prompt you to tag that time. For example, if I'm getting coffee and have a 20 minute chat about the weekend, I tag it as personal. But if I have a chat about an upcoming or existing project, I tag it about that project. For the tasks you do on the computer, it can save screenshots every X seconds (again, set by user), so that you can have a reminder when you go to do your billing what each task was for. Now, I work with sensitive data, so those screenshots gave me pause... but you can also password protect the program, and/or turn off screen shots! Once you have your time all tagged, you can just generate a time sheet! You can also mark some tasks as billable and others as not, so that you can generate a time sheet of ONLY billable tasks. Oh, and you can export it as well, in case you use something else for invoicing.

Also:

They have a portable version in case you can't install locally (full functionality)

License is per user, not per machine (they kick you out if you are on two machines at the same time, I think)

All the data is stored locally, so you're not putting your whole life out there (there is a cloud version, though, if you prefer)

OH! And they offer a killer student discount!

What do you dislike?

I have not really figured out the Auto Tagging feature. It should be relatively easy, but ...

Recommendations to others considering the product:

Their free trial period offers full functionality, and does not require payment up front. After that you can switch to free with limited functionality or buy a 1-year license. I needed some of the professional features, so I bought the license, but the free version is pretty good as it is!

What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?

I used to have to estimate my time, including how much time I spent per project, per role. I am a graduate student with multiple RA-ships, one of which is a single, grant funded project, and the other of which involves multiple projects. I also have research projects ongoing with different professors. For my work, I need to track my time for accounting. For the other stuff, it's nice to know what I"m spending on things (and motivating to know when I've spent less time than usual dilly-dallying).