RescueTime – Digital Guardian of Your Work Time
RescueTime is an application with a free trial period that tracks what the user does on digital devices and provides a clear overview of how they spend their time. It’s available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and as a web service.
How Does RescueTime Work?
The prerequisite is to have RescueTime installed on all digital devices in use and to create an account in the installed applications. Then tracking is activated, and from that point on, RescueTime works in the background, automatically recording the time the user spends with each application or website.
RescueTime creates clear visual reports that show how much time is spent working versus other activities, especially those that interfere with work. Activities are automatically categorized as productive, neutral, or unproductive on a scale of 1 to 5. The application also allows users to adjust this categorization. Reports are automatically generated on daily, weekly, and monthly levels. Comparative analysis of these reports can more easily reveal patterns in time usage on digital devices.
You can set goals for how much time you need to spend on a particular activity on digital devices – minimum time for positive activities, or maximum time for activities you want to reduce or eliminate. From that point, RescueTime notifies you about your progress, thus enhancing motivation to achieve that goal.
Another significant and interesting feature is FocusTime. This function allows automatic blocking of distracting websites and applications for a set period. This helps users focus on important tasks.
The application is flexible and can be adapted to various situations and jobs. There are numerous settings for which programs or websites to track or not, and in which time periods tracking should occur. RescueTime can be integrated with other programs such as calendars and task management tools. This allows for a better understanding of the user’s digital habits.
With such applications, the question of security arises, as information about all of the user’s digital activities is collected. The authors say that all data is stored on the user’s local devices and is not shared with anyone. The authors note that due to Apple’s limitations, the application cannot track time spent in apps and web browsing on the phone. In other words, the company’s interest is for you to spend as much time as possible on their devices and applications.
Do You Need RescueTime?
The trial period lasts 14 days. After the trial period, you can continue using the free application, which is quite sufficient for individual needs. RescueTime is among the more complex and higher-quality applications of this type. We’ve written about similar applications before, as we believe many can benefit from them. Forest is an example of this.
Not everything is perfect. Regardless of the authors’ statements, there’s always concern about whether the data might be accessible to someone else. Over-reliance on technology can also be a problem. Too much data can be confusing and counterproductive. Even using such an application is a time sink that could be used for work.
We are now bombarded with various contents competing to occupy (buy) our attention. The internet is the best example of this, but it’s similar in many other areas. Our concentration is scattered, so we can’t focus on the tasks we need to complete. Even when we achieve this, we’ve spent too much time. This application is a personal tool for increasing productivity. Users are usually surprised when they see how much time they spend unproductively.
RescueTime helps to better understand how and how much time is spent on various digital devices and to improve work habits based on this. Users are often surprised when they see how much time they spend on unproductive activities. Based on this insight, it’s easier for them to take certain measures to improve the situation.
The data the application provides is objective, not based on the user’s feeling or estimate of time spent working. RescueTime is just a tool that gives you better insight into your time spent. It doesn’t solve the question of your will or discipline. Probably the biggest gain from RescueTime is for students, but it can also greatly help various categories of business people, because time is money.
The Download button below is a link for Windows versions 10 and 11. The installation for macOS requires a minimum version of 11 and is located HERE. For various Linux distributions, installations are HERE (extensions for Chrome and Firefox web browsers will be needed for RescueTime to track URLs). The installation for Android is HERE, and for iOS HERE. You can access the web service HERE.
Platform:
Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and web service