Want to listen to this article instead? Check out the audio version here: https://share.descript.com/view/oC57XHKi92Y​ You think a project should take 20 hours, but it ends up being double that. You’re pouring hours into client work, only to look at the books and wonder where the real profit is. I’m finishing up a ClickUp implementation for a client and the final time log gave me a bit of a reality check: 50 hours 👀 That was… more than I initially planned for. I track every minute of my time when I build these systems. Every click, every thought process, every back and forth with AI, it all got logged. I don’t track time just for the fun of it or because I like tracking things. (I do like to track things…) This is about something crucial for your business: Undercharging is Overworking: That 50-hour project? At a $5,000 fee, it worked out to $100/hour. Okay, not terrible. But spread over months, with testing and refinement? It’s a bit different than a concentrated week of work. The “Time Gaps” Are Stress Magnets: You think you spent 30 hours. But what about the “hidden” 20 hours swallowed by research, minor tweaks, and learning curves? That’s where the overwhelm creeps in, the stress mounts, and you wonder why there’s no time left for family or Baldur’s Gate 3 🧙‍♂️ So what do we do about it? What’s the first step? Track. Your. Time. Seriously. You have to know your numbers.
Once you know how long things actually take, you can:
Imagine if that 50-hour project, with all the knowledge gained, could be done in 20 hours next time. You could charge more, too. That’s the power of systemisation and understanding your workflow. Build smarter so you can live more. Have more fun! Go on more holidays! It’s about achieving that Systematic Freedom we all crave – where your business runs smoothly, profitably, and doesn’t steal away your time from your family. Want help getting time back in your business? Click the link to book a free ClickUp Strategy Call: ​https://cal.com/theproductivedad/discovery-chat​ No pressure, just a chance to see if we’re a good fit to work together and help you reclaim your time. To freedom!
|
ClickUp Systems Strategist | I help creative agencies and business owners reclaim their time by streamlining projects and automating workflows in ClickUp.
The Productive Dad Hi Reader 👋 Hope you're having an amazing Thursday! If you’ve ever tried to get your team to use time tracking in ClickUp, you know it’s a pain in the butt. People forget to start the timer, leave it running for hours, or just skip it altogether. And when you’re working with clients, you need a quick way to see how long things actually take, without chasing your team for timesheets. That’s why I put together this quick video to show a simple ClickUp dashboard that lets you...
The Productive Dad Read this post online here. Hi Reader 👋 Hope you're having an amazing Thursday! Data entry is one of those jobs that drains your energy fast. It’s the kind of work that makes you question your life choices. When did you become a cog in the knowledge-worker machine? But if you’re running a business, or even just trying to keep your team organised, you can’t skip it. You need those categories for reporting, for insights, for making better decisions. So you grit your teeth and...
ClickUp is for creativity. Don’t agree? Today, I’ve loaded up a new project in ClickUp to organise my music composition process for the first time. This is a bit of an experiment for me. I’ve always used ClickUp for consulting, client work, and the usual project management stuff, but never for something as creative as writing music. I used to write a lot of music before my daughter was born. You can check out the full playlist here. I’m genuinely excited to see how a project management...