Time Tracking & Work Analytics: Measure What Matters
Time is your only non-renewable asset. Yet most developers have no idea where their day actually goes.
Traditional time trackers are clunky, expensive, or invasive. They feel like “admin work.”
Super Productivity treats time tracking as a natural byproduct of doing the work. Because the timer lives next to your Jira tickets, GitLab issues, and GitHub tasks, you generate accurate logs automatically – without friction.
Super Productivity is an alternative to tools like Toggl, Harvest, and Clockify, but private by design and free forever. Explore the Time Tracker features.
Download Super Productivity – Free & Open Source
Why Time Tracking Matters for Developers
Accurate time data helps you understand where your focus goes, when you do your best work, and which tasks drain your energy. This isn’t surveillance – it’s personal analytics for improving your engineering workflow.
Why Track Locally?
| Feature | Super Productivity | Toggl / Harvest / Clockify |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free & Open Source | $10–$15/user/month |
| Data Privacy | 100% Private (Local) | Data stored on external servers |
| Integration | Native (Jira / GitLab / GitHub) | Browser-extension integrations |
| Granularity | Subtasks + native Pomodoro | Basic task hierarchy; no native Pomodoro |
1. The Quantified Developer: Tracking for Improvement
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Use time logs to:
- Identify your peak energy hours
- Spot recurring “time vampire” tasks
- Improve estimation accuracy
- Plan sprints with realistic effort forecasts
Related:
- The Anti-Context Switch Toolkit
- Deep Work for Developers: The Ultimate Guide
- The Psychology of Work
- Best Time Tracking Software for Developers 2025
2. Integrated Tracking (Stop Toggling Windows)
The biggest friction point in time tracking is remembering to start the timer.
Super Productivity eliminates this through native integration:
- Click a Jira/GitHub/GitLab task and start its timer with a single click
- Pause or switch tasks manually with minimal friction
- Logs stay local unless you export them
- Tighten the loop with native Integrations so tracking stays in the same place you ship code
Related:
3. Freelancing & Billing Workflows
For contractors, accurate logs directly impact income. Stop guessing hours at the end of the week. Explore our Freelancer Time Tracking features.
Super Productivity allows you to:
- Export logs to CSV / spreadsheets
- Build clean invoicing workflows
- Track billable vs. non-billable time
- Maintain complete control over your data
Related:
4. Reporting That Respects Privacy
Most analytics suites feel like surveillance. You still need insight – just without compromise.
- Stay local by default. Reports are generated on your device and export only when you ask.
- Export only what you need. CSVs keep the schema simple for clients or scripts; no proprietary formats.
- Compare plan vs. reality weekly. Use estimates vs. actuals to improve forecasting and capacity planning.
- Spot patterns, not individuals. If you share reports with a team, anonymize by project or epic to avoid surveillance culture.
Related:
5. The Pomodoro Hybrid Method
Most trackers are just stopwatches.
Super Productivity combines:
- Time Tracking
- Pomodoro focus sessions
- Time Boxing workflows
Use Pomodoro for structure. Let the app handle the work logs in the background.
Related:
Track Time Locally. Export Globally.
Stop guessing. Start measuring. Get accurate work logs without subscription fees or privacy compromises.