Where the workday goes.
222 posts · Writing about time and attention on the Mac. Tracking without timers, clock-out rituals, freelance hours, and what apps can see.
Where the day goes
Where does the workday actually go? How to find out on a Mac6 minWhy you feel busy all day and still got nothing done6 minHow many hours do you really work? A one-week measurement6 minThe real cost of switching apps all day6 minHow to do an honest time audit without a spreadsheet6 minWhy your estimate of your own workday is wrong by hours6 minWhat a week of workdays looks like as receipts6 minThe difference between time spent and time worked6 minHow to see which apps eat your day on a Mac6 minWhy knowing where the time went changes how you plan tomorrow6 minMeetings versus making: measuring the split on your own Mac6 minHow to find your most productive hours without guessing6 minThe 'one more thing' trap at the end of the day6 minAre you working more from home or just longer?6 minHow to measure deep work without using a stopwatch6 minA gentle way to notice how much of the day is Slack5 minWhy a daily summary beats a live dashboard for your workday6 minThe end-of-day receipt: a two-minute review that sticks6 minHow to tell if a productivity change actually worked6 minProof of work for yourself, not your boss: keeping a record6 minTracking time on a Mac
How to track time on a Mac without starting a timer6 minAutomatic time tracking on a Mac: how it works and what it sees6 minHow to use Screen Time on a Mac for work, and where it falls short6 minThe best way to track time in the menu bar on a Mac6 minTime tracking for freelancers on a Mac, without projects or tags6 minHow to track billable hours without forgetting to start the clock6 minHow to get a daily report of app usage on a Mac6 minHow to track time across two Macs6 minTime tracking for designers: measuring Figma days6 minTime tracking for developers: how much of the day is actually in the editor6 minTime tracking for writers: words are not the only measure6 minHow to keep a work log automatically on a Mac6 minExport your time data to CSV and keep it forever6 minHow to set a closing time for your workday (and keep it)6 minHow to track time offline on a Mac6 minTime tracking that needs no account: why that matters6 minHow to review a week of work on a Sunday in five minutes6 minHow to track time for a side project without it feeling like a job6 minHow to measure a Pomodoro day without a Pomodoro app6 minHow to see your workday when you forgot to track it6 minHow to track time while studying on a Mac6 minHow to share a summary of your workday with a remote team6 minA time log you can post: the receipt format6 minMonth in review: what a month roll shows you6 minHow to set up Punchcard in ninety seconds5 minChoosing a tracker
Timer-based time tracking vs automatic: which one you will actually keep up6 minTime trackers that ask for Accessibility permission, and one that doesn't6 minPrivacy-first time tracking on a Mac: what to look for6 minWhy most time trackers want your window titles, and what that means6 minTime tracking apps that work with no internet6 minSubscription time trackers vs pay-once apps for a Mac6 minDo you need a project picker in a time tracker? Probably not6 minWhat monitoring software sees and a personal tracker should not7 minScreen Time vs a dedicated tracker for work on a Mac7 minTime tracking for people who hate time tracking7 minWhy your time tracker should not need an account7 minTime tracker data: where it lives and who can read it7 minOpen dashboards vs a paper receipt: two ways to see a day7 minAutomatic time tracking accuracy: what it can and cannot know7 minChoosing a time tracker for a Mac in 2026: a plain checklist7 minRituals
The clock-out ritual for remote workers6 minA shutdown ritual that takes two minutes5 minHow to stop working at six6 minWhy remote work needs a closing time more than an opening time6 minThe case for a paper receipt at the end of a digital day6 minHow to separate work from home when they share a desk6 minThe Sunday roll: a weekly review you will not skip6 minUsing your receipts to plan a lighter week6 minWhy posting your workday keeps you honest6 minA 'SORRY WE MISSED YOU' day: what to do when you forget to clock out6 minHow to build a habit of reviewing your day6 minCounting the days: what a month of receipts teaches you6 minThe first seven receipts: a one-week experiment6 minOvertime you didn't notice: finding it on the receipt6 minA ritual for the last five minutes of a workday6 minHow to end a workday when there's always more to do6 minReceipts on the fridge: making your work visible at home6 minHow to use a daily total to set a weekly limit6 minTracking a sabbatical, a job search, or a quiet month6 minA time receipt for a day off (and why it's worth printing)6 minFreelance and billing
How to estimate hours for a quote when you never tracked the last job6 minHow to show a client where the time went without a timesheet6 minThe time audit to do before raising your rates6 minFreelancers: the difference between hours open and hours billed6 minHow to find unbilled time you forgot about6 minA day-rate freelancer's guide to knowing the real day6 minAgency life: measuring how much of the day is client work6 minContract work from a Mac: keeping a record without monitoring software6 minHow to track time for taxes without a bookkeeping app6 minTurning receipts into a simple invoice line5 minPrivacy on the Mac
What Mac apps can see about you, permission by permission7 minAccessibility permission on a Mac: what it grants and why apps ask6 minScreen Recording permission on a Mac: what it really allows6 minFull Disk Access explained: when an app should not need it6 minWhy a time tracker should never need Screen Recording6 minAn app with no networking code: what that means and how to check7 minHow to check what an app sends over the network on a Mac7 minWhere Mac apps keep your data, and how to find it6 minHow to delete everything an app knows about you7 minReading a privacy policy for a Mac app: the six lines that matter6 minBillable work
How a solo attorney tracks billable hours on a Mac without a timer7 minUtilization rate: the number consultants should check every Friday7 minTracking therapy session time on a Mac when notes cannot leave the room7 minA tutor's method for turning taught hours into an invoice6 minWhat a bookkeeper's week actually looks like when you measure it6 minTranslators: measuring hours per thousand words to price the next job6 minProving your hours when a client disputes an invoice6 minTracking hours when your client is eleven time zones away6 minWhen something stops working
The menu bar icon disappeared on your Mac. Here is where it went6 minYour Mac's notch is eating menu bar icons. What actually fixes it6 minA menu bar app is missing after a macOS update. A diagnosis order6 minTime tracking stopped recording while you were away from the Mac6 minSleep, screensaver and lid close: what each one does to a day's record6 minA menu bar app is using too much CPU. How to find out which6 minHow the Mac works
How macOS decides which app is frontmost, and why it matters6 minRearranging menu bar icons on a Mac, and why some refuse to move6 minLogin items on a Mac: what starts, what hides, and how to audit it6 minDoes a menu bar app drain your battery? A measured answer6 minTwo monitors, one menu bar: where your icons live on an external display6 minChoosing and reading a tracker
What a Mac utility should cost, and why subscriptions crept in6 minReading a time report when the numbers disagree with your memory6 minWorking patterns
An ADHD-friendly way to end the workday on a Mac6 minBreak tracking for wrists: noticing hours you never stood up6 minThe four-day week experiment, measured instead of guessed6 minReturning from leave: reading the first week back honestly6 minMore on time and the Mac
How much of your week is admin when you run a business from a Mac7 minHow much of your workday goes to email, and how to find out on a Mac6 minHow much time you lose looking for files on a Mac6 minHow to keep part-time hours part-time when you work from a Mac6 minYour browser is the biggest line on your time report. What that means6 minReading your own time data with sqlite3 in the Terminal7 minTime tracking for photographers: how long editing a shoot takes7 minTraveling with a Mac: what a time zone change does to your day6 minWork that happens away from the Mac, and why the record misses it6 minWorking past midnight: where your Mac puts those hours6 minDo Focus modes change where your day goes?6 minHow much of a PhD week is actually writing?7 minHow to price a monthly retainer from hours you really worked7 minMoving to a new Mac without losing your time history6 minThe receipt lists an app you never opened6 minDoes a second monitor actually help? A two-week test on your Mac6 minHow long a video edit actually takes, measured on a Mac7 minSharing a Mac with another user: whose time gets recorded6 minSplit View, Spaces and full screen: what your time record sees6 minTeachers: counting the planning and grading hours done at home6 minTime blocking keeps failing? Compare the plan with the day you had7 minWorking in two shifts around kids: how to count a split day6 minWorking through lunch without noticing: how to check on a Mac6 minWriting your self-review when you cannot remember the year7 minA manager's week: how much time is left for your own work7 minFilling in a weekly timesheet when you cannot remember Tuesday7 minHow long a newsletter issue really takes to write each week7 minHow long a podcast episode takes to edit, measured on a Mac6 minHow long a song actually takes to make, measured on a Mac6 minHow long does it take to make a presentation? Measure your next deck6 minHow long it takes you to actually start work in the morning6 minHow much of your day goes to chat apps on a Mac6 minHow much of your day is spent in spreadsheets, and where the rest goes6 minHow to work out a freelance hourly rate from a salary6 minIs four hours of real work a day normal, and how would you know6 minNoticing your hours creep up before it becomes a problem7 minSpending more time organizing your tasks than doing them?6 minWhere a founder's week actually goes, and how to find out6 minWhich day of the week do you actually get the most done?7 minWhy a daily record works better than a streak6 minAutomation permission on a Mac: what one app can do to another6 minDoes your time tracker see incognito windows? How to check6 minHow much time you spend on YouTube during work, measured on a Mac6 minHow to hide a website from your time record on a Mac6 minHow to see how much time you spend on each website on a Mac6 minRunning a Mac app from its disk image: why things break6 minTracking website time in Brave, Edge or Vivaldi on a Mac6 minWeb apps vs desktop apps: where your hours go when it's all tabs6 minWhat a site name reveals, and what a full URL would give away6 minWhy website time tracking skips Safari, and what to use instead6 minHow long does it take to build a website? Measure your next one7 minHow much time you spend on proposals that never get paid6 minHow to keep track of flextime hours when you set your own schedule6 minHow to price art commissions from the hours they really take7 minHow to track volunteer hours you put in on a Mac6 minDo no-meeting days work? Measure one on your Mac6 minHow much of your workday goes to AI assistants, measured on a Mac6 minHow to calculate your effective hourly rate on a fixed-price project6 minHow to see what time you started using your Mac today6 minTime tracking for architects: how long a drawing set really takes7 minHow much of your week goes to code review, measured on a Mac7 minHow to log internship hours for school credit from a Mac6 minHow to stop working on weekends when the laptop is always there7 minHow to track continuing education hours you complete on a Mac6 minIs a coworking space worth it? Measure a week there against home7 minHow long does it take to create an online course? Time a module6 minHow long does it take to edit a book? Measure your own pace6 minHow long does it take to write a grant? Measure your next one6 minHow long does it take to write technical documentation?6 minHow much time does it take to run an online store each week?6 minHow long does it take to design a logo? Count the real hours6 minHow long does it take to prepare a sermon each week?6 minHow long does it take to transcribe an hour of audio?6 minHow long does it take to write a blog post? Time your next one6 minHow long does it take to write a business plan? Measure yours7 minHow long does it take to learn to code? Count your practice hours7 minHow much time does social media take for a small business?7 minHow to see when an app was last opened on a Mac6 minHow to track on-call hours when the pages come after hours7 minInput Monitoring on a Mac: what it allows and which apps have it6 minHow long does it take to write a client report? Measure your next one6 minTime tracking for customer support: how much of a shift is the help desk6 minHow to get better at estimating how long a task will take7 minHow to round billable time: six-minute or fifteen-minute increments7 minHow to schedule a Mac to sleep or shut down at a set time6 minHow to see how long an app has been open on a Mac6 minWhat did I do yesterday? Writing a standup update from your Mac6 minCan you run a personal time tracker on a work Mac? What to check6 minFree ways to track time on a Mac, and what each one costs you6 minHow to see how long you worked on a document on a Mac6 minHow to tell your boss you have too much work, with evidence6 minIs that app subscription worth it? Count the hours you use it6 minHow many hours a week do you spend gaming on a Mac?6 minHybrid work on a Mac: comparing office days with home days6 minTracking time in a virtual machine or remote desktop on a Mac6 minWhich app keeps stealing focus on your Mac, and how to find it6 minWorking two jobs on one Mac: how to keep the hours apart6 min 