Be more productive with RescueTime

Jacques Leemans · October 10, 2019 · 80/20 Rule, Pareto Principle, Productivity, RescueTime, Time Management

What did I do today?

This was a question I often asked myself at night while planning the next day.

As a freelance developer, I’m always searching for ways to gain more productive time so I can spend more of it with my family.

Back in 2015, I discovered a neat little tool called RescueTime.

RescueTime is an app that you install on your devices, and it tracks your activity. Don’t worry, it’s safe!

For example, it shows what you’ve been doing each day. Sometimes that’s good, and sometimes… not so much

Here’s an example of a good, productive day:

And here’s an example of a distracted day:

My key metric is the Productivity Pulse, which I aim to keep above 80%, thanks to the Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule)

This tool is mostly for personal use and should not be used as a monitoring tool for employees or family members.

Combining RescueTime with Apple’s Screen Time gives you a clear picture of where your time goes each day.

RescueTime has been useful for my productivity as a freelance developer. By tracking where my time goes and using the insights to stay focused, I’ve been able to balance work and family time more effectively. If you’re struggling to stay productive or curious about how you spend your time, I highly recommend giving it a try.

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