In this case study, we spoke with Dr. Phil Mackensen about how he uses timeBuzzer as a freelancer and coach to track his time, and what tips he has for others getting started.

What do you do, and why do you track your time?

I work as a freelance consultant as well as an independent relationship coach for women, offering a male perspective.

For clients I work with as a freelancer, it’s essential to track the time I spend on their work accurately so I can bill them accordingly.

For coaching, on the other hand, time tracking gives me a general overview of how much time and effort I invest in each coachee.

What has improved since using timeBuzzer?

Especially as a consultant and freelancer, it’s essential to be able to track time quickly and easily.

The hardware buzzer with its push-dial makes this particularly simple and intuitive: select the client, select the project, and, if needed, select the specific task within the project.

The color ring, which lights up depending on the client, project, or task, makes it easy to check whether I’m currently tracking time to the right “account.”

Compared with manually entering time into a spreadsheet, it’s a world of difference.

The same applies to analyzing the recorded time. I can easily review it by client, project, task, or time period.

What tips do you have for others getting started with timeBuzzer?

1. Use the hardware buzzer: I definitely recommend getting the timeBuzzer hardware buzzer. Combined with a PC or Mac, it’s an unbeatable and very convenient setup for time tracking.

2. Structure your projects: Create different projects or tasks for each client, or, if you’re an employee, for different areas within your company. This allows you to analyze exactly how much time was spent on each client, project, or task afterwards.

3. Add short descriptions to your time entries: For each recorded time block, you can document exactly what you worked on, either while tracking or afterwards. For example, “Email for client,” “Analyzed documents,” or “Created/updated board presentation.” This means that if someone later asks, “What exactly was done for this client or project in March?”, you can provide a precise answer.