MinuteDock for time tracking​

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We started using MinuteDock recently and I love the ease and that I’m not missing any time.

 

It’s the little wins I love…

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• Straight up, you’ll get 14 days to try MinuteDock for free.

• …and if you email Jared at MinuteDock jared@minutedock.com and mention my name (Robyn Flynn), he’ll sort you out with an extra ONE MONTH FREE when you sign up.  Perfect.

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Why I picked MinuteDock…

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• It’s easy.  That’s it.  I was up and running in no time.

• Iphone and/or computer.  No matter where I am, it’s easy to use and syncs. 

 

 

The set up, for us bookkeepers…

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I didn’t spend too much time learning the set up, but let me save you that time anyway.

 

Contacts.  Straight forward.  Add your clients.  

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To be honest, from here, you could start using MinuteDock and enter the detail for each job you do.  So, feel free to get going straight away and add some tasks when you get time. Skip down to "Let's Go" if this is you. 

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Use tasks (click the Tasks tab under Projects) and think about setting up the following (feel free to copy and paste the descriptions):

 

• Admin #admin No description 

• Accounts payable #ap Description: Enter bills, pay bills, reconcile creditor statements.

• Accounts receivable #ar Description:  Receipting income.

• BAS #BAS Description:  Preparation and lodgement of Business Activity Statement.

• Review #BAS_Review Description:  BAS Review including reviewing GST audit report and advising changes if required.

• Bookkeeping #bk Description:  Bookkeeping.

• CPD  #CPD No description.  Not billable.

• Debt collection #dc Description: Following up outstanding accounts with a phone call and/or email.

• Email #email.  Description:  Check & respond to emails. 

• Meeting #meeting.  No description.

• Payroll #payroll.  Description:  Processing payroll

• Payroll Tax #payroll_tax.  Description:  Reconcile payroll tax and lodge with SRO.

• Phone.  #phone.  Description:  Phone call with  (I put the persons name in here when I’m using the timer).

• Reconcile accounts #rec_acc  Description:  Reconcile bank accounts.

• Superannuation #super.  Description:  Reconciling superannuation.

 

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Lets go…

 

1. In the dock (blank line at the top) type @client name.  Click the little clock at the end of the line and it starts tracking.  Get to work!

2. When I check back to finish up, I hashtag all the things I’ve done… #ar #payroll #emails  Here I also write any comments like “Followed up supplier re….”.

3. To finish timing, click the clock again or click “log”.  Done.

 

There are a few other tricks, so watch the short video on the home screen because you’ll find “re-docking” and a few other things really helpful. 

 

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Invoicing…

 

To send invoices to Xero, go to the top RH icon and connect.

 

Click on the “invoices” tab and click the client you want to invoice.

 

You can select the format for the lines on your invoice.  The format I use is Date, Task Description, Entry Descripton.  This means, your invoice will show the date, the task description (you entered earlier) and then any description you’ve put into the dock when you were timing.  It saves so much time when you invoice.

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I also choose to merge these onto one line, and then add a comment to the top so that it says "Bookkeeping for the month of February 2018 including: "

 

Follow the prompts and push your invoice to Xero.  It shows up as a draft, so give it the once over and send.

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Reports…

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These are so simple to set up I’m not going to explain anything except to let you know the two reports I find handy to have “pinned”.

1. Unbilled Time, shows everything yet to be invoiced.

2. CPD, shows the CPD I’ve done.

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Goals…

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These aren’t necessary, but I have a set amount of hours I like to aim for each week, so I have a goal for this.  I also set a goal for CPD (because...you know, I'm a bookkeeper, I love this stuff!)

 

To set a goal to do a set amount of hours each week, click “add goal” and add the name and select “target”.  If you want to cap the amount of hours you do because you’re working way too much, select budget and try to stay under that amount.  Target is an aim, budget is what you want to stay under.

 

The preferences for my target is xx hours, for any contact, on any project on any task, every week with the option “billable only”. 

 

This great little bar appears on you home screen and fills up as you work. 

 

This is also handy for a fixed price client who you want to ensure stays under xx hours per month, quarter or year.  I’d use reports for this, but it’s so quick and easy to set up, it may be what you’re looking for.

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What I’m not covering…

You can set up the account it charges to in Xero, your charge out rates, currency etc. These are all things you can do once you’re up and running and you’ll find simple to complete so I'm not going to step you through these. 

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Good luck.  I hope you've gained some information here, and remember to email jared@minutedock.com for your extra month free. 

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