Internet and computers are addictive. In a survey, 65 percent of Americans said they spent more time with a computer than with their spouse.
So how do you exactly spend your time at the computer ? Are you doing something productive or just whiling away time that could otherwise be utilized for better things. What apps are you using most frequently ? What websites and blog consume most of your time ?
You will get answers to all these questions and more through RescueTime, a free tool for PC and Mac that’s more like having Google Analytics for your computer.
RescueTime is a free tool that runs in the background and keeps a track of all your computer activities. Privacy experts may frown but all this data is uploaded every 30 minutes to the web and you can check your computer usage reports online from any computer. (see screenshot)
Since RescueTime is web+desktop solution, it can be used to track usage across computers (like home and work).
You can also selectively delete certain websites and software apps from your usage history. Or just add them to the ignore list and RescueTime would stop monitoring them.
Related: Shut Down Websites That Waste Time
Update: If you are worried about data that RescueTime is transferring from your computer to the web, check the log files available at the following location:
Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\RescueTime.com\logs\pending
Windows Vista:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\RescueTime.com\logs\pending
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/software/organize/track-computer-usage-at-office-and-work/1817/
Tags: feature, gtd, monitor, productivity, track, Organize, Software
Reader Comments
Amit, I know two utilities that allow me to do the same without transferring information. You might’ve featured them before, but just letting you know,
pageaddict is a firefox extension that tells you how long you’ve been on each page. you can also tag the sites you visit and it gives some in depth information.
timesnapper is another tool which not only tells you what programs you’ve been working on the most, but also takes a screenshot every few seconds so you can play it back like a movie.
You’ve probably heard of these already, but maybe your readers will find it helpful.
Anirudh
Written by Anirudh on 11.20.07
Thanks Anirudh – Good suggestions if someone is not too happy with RescueTime’s approach of uploading usage data online.
I think even the Web history option in Google desktop search can also be used for generating snapshots of your Internet usage.
Written by Amit Agarwal on 11.21.07
Amit, I’ve been using Rescuetime for over a month now ever since I signed up for the beta and pageaddict even before that but they both leave me neither shaken nor stirred:-) In other words, I’m yet to get a proper picture of how exactly I spend my time on the computer, partly because they . On top of that, pageaadict has stopped working now that I’ve installed Firefox Beta 3:-(
Written by Cherian on 11.22.07