Time tracking blog

Feedback. It’s what gives your business the ability to break-through it’s barriers. As a customer or as a team member, one of the most powerful tools we possess is the willingness to give and receive open and honest feedback. It’s how we evolve and move forward together.

Now, simply talking about this subject and actually doing it correctly in the midst of delicate office and personal politics are two very different things. Yes — giving feedback is scary and risky. Even receiving feedback is scary! It’s only when we face that fear that we move beyond it and become a better team for it.

So let’s do feedback right. Let’s practice. Answer me this: If you were CEO of TSheets for 1 day/month/year, what would you change as it relates to the software, features, strategy, marketing, etc…? Email matt@tsheets.com.

I’m sincere in getting your open and honest feedback, so I commit to personally responding to all comments (even it if takes a while due to quantity of responses).

A sense of humor, besides being a sought-after trait in online dating profiles, is also an essential ingredient to a tech business with tenacity and wit. I know, I know, “a sense of humor” probably sounds a little too simple to be an ingredient in the Secret Sauce, but it’s more important than you may think (kind of like salt, right?).

At TSheets, we can laugh at ourselves. That means our team is allowed to make mistakes, then find the lesson/hilarity in them. And whenever there is an environment that enables individuals to fail, learn, move forward and smile, then, and only then, confidence builds and individuals start taking risks. This has produced a culture where team members are passionate and excited about the challenges that they face every day.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, seems insurmountable to this team because they believe in themselves, they believe in each other, and they know how to laugh (especially, at me).

A base ingredient to a brilliant tech business? Brilliant software engineers. We didn’t hire “C” players and expect “A” work. We hired “A+” players that have architected and built some of the largest systems for the largest companies in the world, and we expect “A+” world-class deliverables.

The back-end of TSheets is ridiculously complicated, so that the front-end can be crazy simple. It’s unusual to see a calloused-thumbed, technophobe of a construction worker and a white-collar executive in a Fortune 500 firm use the same app in different ways, but with equal effectiveness. Legions of quick-off time tracking companies out there have chosen the programming and strategic path of least resistance, leading to sub-par end results. In contrast, TSheets operates with a 20+-year plan, so we treat our customers and our employees with that level of commitment.

We treat these developers like the brilliant professionals that they are. We have NEVER had one of our developers leave us, and don’t plan on that happening in the near future. I was recently asked in an interview, “Why would someone want to work for TSheets?” My answer, “Because it will probably be their last job.”

Can you articulate your secret sauce and its ingredients?

Lately, I have been consumed with thoughts about what’s in the TSheets “secret sauce” (SS). Since this is the sixth company that I have built, I know how important it is to have, know, and be able to communicate your SS to your customers, friends, waiters, and the rest of the world. Admittedly though, uncovering and understanding the ingredients to our SS at TSheets has only come as a result of spending tremendous amount of time “slaving over the hot stove” so to speak.

I’ll be sharing the ingredients with you over the next few months, but I’d like to share one first.

Ingredient One
Customized by and for our Customers. From the first inklings of TSheets’ inception, our company came to bear because of a customer saying, “I want it work like this…”
Every feature we’ve built originated from a request from a real, living, paying, breathing customer. Now our features are too long to list here.

So here’s the real added something-something that sets TSheets apart. Our features, however customized and lengthy, are built from a base of practicality. They are not the hazy late-night dream of a geek developer in the backroom hyped up on RedBull, wanting to develop a reputation for coolness and test coding skills. Our features reflect the real world of business. And many, many different ways of doing business.

But how does this get translated into our Secret Sauce? (I’m glad you asked.) When our prospects take the time to actually try our software and use the features that have been built for and by our customers, they see the business benefits immediately, and even get a little mad at themselves for not having found us years before. They actually take the time (on their own!) to send us “Thank You” letters just for creating an app that is designed for real live business use.

You may be thinking to yourself, because I know that I did, how could someone get so excited over a “time tracking” application? Just wait until you hear the next ingredient in the Secret Sauce…

To be continued…

Across industries and in businesses of all shapes and sizes, time management makes a big factor in bottom-line numbers. Even when employees dutifully come in on time and leave on time, how time is actually spent in an average workday has always remained unclear. That is, until now, and until TSheets.

To stay on top of employee time, some businesses employ spy-level tactics, like web activity tracking or monitored computer use. While these methods work to some degree, they take a stick rather than a carrot approach. They leave employees feeling watched and restricted rather than empowered. We have a better idea. Guess what?

The fact is no one, not even employees, really knows where time goes. Good work habits and intentions can be sidelined by minor yet never-ending distractions. TSheets puts the workday on a more productive course.

Think of it this way. With TSheets, high-level tasks or clients are assigned a job code. Those job codes can have individual tasks assigned to them. So from an employee’s perspective, as soon as she sits down at the desk (or starts the day in the field) and accesses TSheets, she immediately sees all the major and minor projects on the plate. And time is ticking.

When incorporating TSheets into the work process, simply make two minor requests of employees: track time and stay on track. When they start in on something, click the button. If they need to get up, or if they get into another conversation, stop the clock. If they switch tasks, switch tasks in TSheets. It’s easy. It takes no time at all, and TSheets works on smart phones and across a variety of mobile platforms. So it works anywhere, too.

Even multi-taskers will find that it takes full concentration, even if for just a few minutes, to get a job done, and that some chunks of the day are just not being used on the assignments at hand. TSheets gives employees real-time data to help them change habits. It’s kind of a big deal.

This methodology keeps employees accountable to both themselves and to the employer. TSheets reporting tools allow for continual management and improvement of time spent. It’s the positive and easy way to help everyone win.

As TSheets customers (present, past or future), you’ve probably at one point or another worked as a freelancer.  Ah, the joys of working when you want, where you want, and for as long as you want.  Sorta.  When you first went solo, you probably had dreams of working from a beach somewhere in the South Pacific, or mountaintop in the Austrian Alps.  But one thing leads to another, and you find yourself having to ‘check in’ with the boss man on a regular basis, and probably attending a staff meeting at least once a month – i.e. seriously putting a cramp in your newfound nomadic workstyle.  Any of this sound familiar?  Fast-forward to today’s economic climate, and now it’s YOU, dear freelancer, that has the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat.  Here’s how.

First and foremost, as a freelancer, you’re probably supplying your own technology.  My MacBook Pro and I have been having a love affair for the past year, and I love her dearly.  However, in tough economic times, one of the first things that retailers notice is a dramatic shift in spending patterns.  This ultimately leads to a price drop war in favor of the consumer.   A recent report now confirms what we’ve been thinking for a long time: notebooks outsell desktops on a global scale for the first time ever, and who doesn’t already own (or want) a low priced netbook?  These two factors combined have led to cutthroat competition resulting in notebooks as low as $600 and netbooks at the silly low low price of around $300.  If you’re not already mobile or need an upgrade, now might be the time to get on board.

Along the same lines, the pipes are getting bigger – and cheaper!  If you’re like me, you’re probably piping as much bandwidth into your home or workspace as fiscally possible.  I currently pay around $100/month and get got around 1.3 mbs down and 800 kbs up, along with cable and VoiP (which I’ve never used).  One of the first things that people start to consider during a recession is ‘Why exactly am I forking over $100/month for all of this?’.  This ultimately leads to ISP competition, as they want your dollar just as much as the next guy.  Case in point, I recently called my provider and told them that I wanted to switch ISPs, as a competitor was offering me more bandwidth for a lesser cost.  One ‘please hold’ and a conversation with the supervisor later, I’m not clocking close to 3mbs down and 1.5 mbs up – and not paying a dime more for it.

Online meetings.  Here’s a no brainer.  As more and more budgets get smaller and smaller, those ‘non essentials’ are generally the first to get cut.  Bringing in the East Coast sales manager to sit at the same table as Bob from the Mid West and Sarah from the West Coast simply isn’t an option for lots of companies at the moment.  This has already led to a number of online meetings where you as the freelancer are no longer the only person in the room on speakerphone.  There are a number of online meeting solutions out there, but if the client is hesitant on any additional spend, there’s always the relatively low tech/no cost skype solution (I’ve personally been going this route for years).

The world is your oyster.  Factoring into the online meetings, more and more companies are looking for freelancers from all over the world, not just all over the area code.  Some refer to this as ‘extreme telecommuting’ – the process of working and collaborating with a team from around the world.  I’m a perfect case in point.  One of the things I work on is film production.  I regularly receive gianormous raw video files from filmmakers from around the world (hence the need for mawr bandwidths); I cut them on my mac, and collaborate with a sound engineer that lives in Oslo, Norway.  If you’re working in any of the creative or tech industries you probably already know teams of folks that work in this manner.  If not, now might be the right time to take the concept to the boss, because doesn’t living in Tahiti for a few months (while keeping up your regular work) sound a heckuva lot better than Fargo, North Dakota (sorry readers from Fargo)?

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.  There are services popping up on a daily basis that help bring the business world closer together, while physically being miles apart.  If there was ever a time to start suggesting not only cost savings, but personal fulfillment to the upper management, it’s NOW!

Think about your daily routine for a second.  Chances are it involves the obligatory email check with the morning coffee, either handheld or laptop.  A ride on the subway or train might be your chance to catch up with last night’s tweets, facebook messages, or answering some of those incoming emails.  First thing in the office requires a wake up (or boot) of your daily tool of productivity: that silicon chip based metal or plastic box containing most of tools you need to get the job done, aka your computer.  Your day will most likely progress in the same manner, and when the network goes down, the first response is to flip the switch on the 3G-network function, and merrily carry on your way.

Now imagine every single one of those tools is ripped out of your hands, all in the name of National Security.  That’s exactly what may or may not be happening to President Obama when he takes the reins full time today.

The story comes from Jeff Zeleny’s coverage of Obama having to part with his dearly beloved Blackberry in last November’s NY Times.  Some quotes from the article that REALLY raised a couple eyebrows included:

For all the pre-requisites and power afforded the President, the chief executive of the United States is essentially deprived by law and by culture of some of the very tools that other chief executives depend on to survive and to thrive.

Aides said he [Obama] hopes to have a laptop computer on his desk in the Oval Office, making him the first American President to do so.

A decision has not been made on whether he [Obama] could become the first e-mailing President, but aides said that seemed doubtful.

There are a number of ways these arguments are flawed, and I’m quite convinced that Mr. Zeleny did an excellent job in the journalism department, I’m not so sure about the National Security Administration.  Let’s take a look at a statement Mr. Bush made just before taking office in 2000:

“Since I do not want my private conversations looked at by those out to embarrass, the only course of action is not to correspond in cyberspace. This saddens me. I have enjoyed conversing with each of you.”

Here, President Bush is indirectly referring to the Presidential Records Act.  Basically, this act states that any and all communications the President (directly) makes should be recorded and available for public viewing.  Fair enough.  But.  There are a few convenient exceptions to the rule in so much as the President has an executive right to delay this information by up to 12 years.  By default, the information is withheld from the public for 5 years.

What we’re seeing here is a literal hand-tying of one of the most important men in the world.  What would happen if every CEO of every Fortune 500 Company were suddenly told that they could no longer use the Internet, email, or mobile device?  Pure outrage, and perhaps a collapse of business as we know it.  So why then cut the man with his finger on the red phone out of the loop?

I honestly don’t think that Obama is the type of guy who’s going to be emailing classified documents from the East Wing to his buddies in Chicago at 3 a.m. anytime soon.  And even if he does, Google’s beer goggle feature might be able to prevent him from doing so.

Ok, so we’re covered on any embarrassing public record conversations coming to the light of day (5+ years after the fact), which inevitably leads us to the security concerns.  There’s no doubt that the President of the United States is a high-risk target to hackers of every variety under the sun.  The presidential computer (AirMacOne?) would be a target for just about every intelligence agency in the world.

But before I shoot myself in the foot with this argument, let me remind you that the CIA, FBI, and each branch of the military regularly use email.  And what’s more, the FBI even has a tendency to lose these computers, and as of 2007, have implemented none of the recommendations made in the 2002 internal audit.  But yet, the man in charge can’t have his own email address and laptop?

The United States Government employs a LOT of smart people.  These smart people know a lot of things about secure environments, both physical and virtual.  All emails to the presidential email address (which in all actuality never reaches the president) and any incoming and outgoing network communications are monitored extremely closely.  Why would it be difficult to create a special presidential task force for the existing system?

And the penultimate statement from the NY Times article:

“The nature of the President’s job is that others can use e-mail for him.”

Whatchutalkin’aboutWillis?  Here’s just another example of an overly sensitive response from an overly critical ‘security community’ with the be all/end all answer of “Don’t use a computer”.  The way I see it, an email is an email, no matter who sends it.  I guess technically, the President would be cleared of all guilt and association if he did not physically send the email, but still, are we really cultivating a system of @$$ covering?  This hearkens back to the days of secretaries where Peggy Olsen was responsible for getting Don Drapers coffee, answering his phone, and typing his correspondence.  The Oval Office is rapidly growing out of the touch with the country it’s designed to serve.

So in essence what we’ve got is THE CEO of all CEO’s that’s going to be forced to work with 19th century tools in a 21st century age.  Imagine your only source of information came second hand from advisers.  Would you still be doing as good a job as you’re doing now with the world readily available at your fingertips?  How would you be able to see the big picture in an unbiased way?

If the President of the United States of America is truly a figure that many turn their eyes and ears to in times of need or otherwise, why then are we strapping the blindfold on, and sticking the earplugs in?

Photo and Quotes from the NY Times

Related articles:

• Missing White House E-Mails Traced, Justice Aide Says

It’s no secret – 2008 has not been the highpoint of the American economy.  With record numbers of layoffs and downsizing, chances are that some of you out there might be in need of a job.  After reading a bit more about Jen’s appointment to TSheets via conversations with Matt on and off Twitter, I thought it might be a good time to take the temperature and see just what other web2.0 technologies are out there making the dreaded job search just a bit easier.

While I found a bunch that can help you network and increase your chances of making a connection which eventually leads to a job, outside of grinding through Craigslist, there wasn’t a whole lot o’ tech that actually puts job ads in your hand.  Until I found JobCompass.

JobCompass is a new app for the iPhone that allows for location based job searches and plots them on a map for you based on your location.  JobCompass will then allow you to search by geographic range (5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 mile radius) and specific jobs based on keyword search.  Once you’ve found a position you’re interested in, it’s relatively simple to email yourself with a link to the job ad, or you can open the listing in Safari, and apply for the job directly (warning: Bluetooth keyboard recommended).

Currently, JobCompass utilizes Indeed.com’s API to pull job data, but plans are already in the works to include Monster, HotJobs, Dice and others to create the most extensive mobile job search application available.

Creator Titus Blair explains,

Current website solutions are not ideal since they do not pinpoint your location to provide you with job listings in relation to where you are at the moment. I was also traveling regularly and thought it would be interesting to see what jobs were available in my field in the cities and places I was visiting.

Currently, JobCompass will only list jobs based on your current location.  Great if you have no plans of moving, but if Seattle has been calling your name for ages, JobCompass won’t do you any good unless you’re within 100 miles of the Emerald City.  Fear not though, Blair and company are already working on developing a version that will allow the user to select the area that they’d like to search in.

While JobCompass is probably not going to replace your main resources for the job search, at the nominal iTunes store price of $3.99, it very well might make a great addition to any job seekers arsenal, and an indispensible tool for recruiters.

New Years Resolutions.  Made any yet?  Me neither.  I always find the annual process as a bit of a set up for a let down.  You’ll always find excuses or ways not to stick to them, so I prefer to cut on the fall, and simply not make any.

However, not making New Years resolutions is not to say that the beginning of a new year is not the perfect time to start fresh.  While according to the Chinese calendar, 2009 will be the year of the Ox, characterizing those that are steady, plain and quiet.  Steady, plain and quiet?  This doesn’t sound like any SME owner that I know, so let’s toss the Ox out and replace it with the Ant.  I’ll save the lesson of Ant productivity for another post, but the point is, 2009 can and should be your year of increased productivity.  Here are a few points to consider for a more productive 2009.

Track it

We all know and love the multiple job codes that TSheets lets you create so that you can have a clearer picture at weeks/months end of where the time went, and what you’ve billed for and not, but what about all those ‘others’?  I recently started tracking a multitude of ‘others’ and simply attached notes to them.  By reviewing this ‘other’ time and reading the notes, I managed to weed out about 20% of ‘wasted time’.  With this ‘wasted time’ cut out of my daily routine, I’ve noticed decreased working hours, thereby giving me time to focus on new projects.  Rinse and repeat at least once a month to maintain optimal productivity.

Spread it

Once you’ve whittled away this excess, start spreading the good news.  Introduce your line managers and/or staff to the process and ask for a small report at the end of January.  These reports don’t need to be a massive undertaking, but rather help to pinpoint areas of weakness, and where productivity can be increased.  Review these reports, and include opinions and suggestions.  This is also perfect exercise in eliminating redundant job functions.

Get Up, Stand Up

Company Meetings.  While necessary, they can sometimes lead to a productivity drain if each and every single staff member is not involved.  Make sure that a meeting is 100% necessary and make sure that each and every participant is there for a valid reason, to contribute, listen, and actively participate.  To optimize the productivity of the meeting remove all the chairs.  Nothing says, “Get to the point, and keep it on topic, short and sweet” like nowhere to sit.

Chill

Studies show that the average human being shows a decrease in productivity after prolonged output.  So give those models of productivity, including yourself, much needed breaks throughout the day.  Already have a dedicated ‘break’ room?  Congrats, you’re already a step ahead.  If not, have a look at that empty office at the end of the hall, or perhaps that underused conference room (not the one you’ve already removed the chairs from).  Would this make a suitable location?  Try to carve one out, and take a page from Google’s playbook – install a gaming console (or two or three).  Giving employees a chance to take a break mid-day and frag a few opponents in Halo, or come in three under par in wii golf, might be just the sort of frustration release or bragging rights they need to return to that desk, and not have to come in on Saturday just to finish those TPS reports.  A great resource for employee incentive based gaming solutions can be found at snowfly.com.

While not all of these solutions are right for every business situation, they can all be modded and customized to suit your needs.  Remember, it’s not about following the plan, but following the plan that’s right for you.  Hopefully a few of these suggestions will get you off on the right foot to make 2009 the year of Ant.

I don’t have any kids, but I have friends that do.  Being the good guy that I am, I reluctantly agreed to that ‘Hey, can you watch Jessica tomorrow night?’ question that pretty much every childless friend is bound to encounter at one point or another.

After piling stuffed animals, phone numbers, and a few books into my arms, Katja and Mike were off for a night of merriment, while I was at home with a 4 year old.  Naturally, my first reaction was ‘How the heck do I keep a 4 year old entertained until she passes out’?  As it turns out, 4 year old girls aren’t that interested in basic movement and combat controls of a level 72 Tauren Shaman, which left me with those books.

Hmmm…what’ve we got here?  Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Little Engine That Could, and Snow White.

Take a knee little Jessica, Uncle Dan is about to unleash a whole load of productivity life lessons that you’ll thank me for later down the road.

To be fair, it didn’t start off like this, but about three-quarters of the way through Goldilocks, a lesson in productivity started to form in the back of my mind.  It seems like I’m not the only one who’s had this revelation as well, Hunter Nuttal at Pickthebrain.org wrote an excellent article about Goldilocks and Productivity back in October.

To summarize Hunter’s article, Goldilocks and the Three Bears represents an example of an economic concept known as maximum sustainable output.  This is a concept that measures a country’s (or individuals) highest level of output over a sustained period of time.  The Bear’s porridges represent 3 different phases of productivity output.  The ‘too hot’ porridge can be seen as kicking your personal productivity into overdrive, eventually causing a ‘crash and burn’.  The ‘too cold’ porridge can represent underperformance, or doing less than you’re capable of.  And the ‘just right’ porridge can be seen as the perfect medium – representing maximum sustainable output.

After an encore of ‘again, again, again’ (this girl is destined for CEO level work), we moved on to The Little Engine That Could’ (coincidentally also mentioned by a commenter on Hunter’s article).

‘The Little Engine That Could’ has to be the genesis of the ‘Positive Mental Attitude’ school of thought.  Generally when I’m reminded of PMA, I usually respond with a ‘Yeah, I got your PMA right here buddy’, but after reading this story to a four year old, I’m starting to rethink this theory.  If you’ll recall, the Little Engine was faced with a challenge that even the larger Engines in the trainyard either refused, or didn’t even attempt.  With the assistance of a PMA, this little Engine overcame an insurmountable obstacle.

Jessica ended up falling asleep somewhere around page three of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, so sadly I wasn’t able to impart the words of social responsibility and word ethics hidden in ‘Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go’, but we can save that lesson for the next visit with Uncle Dan.

Lessons learned:  Always seek to obtain that ‘just right’ level of your maximum sustainable output, Think you can – Think you can – Think you can, and wait until at least age six before starting ‘em on WoW.