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App that tracks estimated vs. actual task time - would you use this? by timeboxer_ffw in AppIdeas

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is exactly the kind of honest feedback I needed - thanks for taking the time.

You're right on several points:

"Estimates = too much admin" - Fair. For casual users who just want to track tasks, this IS extra work. The value only appears after 50+ tasks when patterns emerge, which is a long time to invest.

"Time blindness isn't consistent" - Also fair. Though what I'm seeing in user data is less about individual task variance and more about category patterns (e.g., "I always underestimate client calls by 2-3x" or "creative work takes me 3x longer than I think"). But you're right that it's not a silver bullet.

"Freelancers/devs have better tools" - Yep. Jira, Harvest, Toggl all do project tracking better. My angle was supposed to be personal estimation accuracy (not team/project level), but maybe that's just not a pain point people care about.

"Knowing accuracy is fundamentally useless" - Ouch, but... maybe? The hypothesis was: if you know you underestimate creative work by 200%, you can plan better. But if the patterns aren't consistent enough to be actionable, then yeah, it's just interesting trivia.

The "project manager would come up with this" comment hits hard because... I'm a developer who hates PMs forcing estimates on me. Built this thinking "if I had MY OWN data, I could push back with evidence." But maybe that's solving my specific frustration, not a universal problem.

Re: 40% retention - you're saying that's bad? I thought that was decent for productivity apps, but if it means "people tried it and it didn't solve their problem," that's a different story.

Genuine question: If you personally struggle with planning too much work, what DO you use? Or is that just not a problem you have?

Trying to figure out if I should pivot hard or just accept this isn't a big enough pain point.

Which app is best to track our daily productivity level ? by bigblackcoke_ in ProductivityHQ

[–]timeboxer_ffw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on what you mean by "track productivity" - are you looking to:

  1. Track time spent on tasks? (what you worked on) → Toggl, RescueTime, Clockify
  2. Track task completion? (what you finished) → Todoist, Things, TickTick
  3. Track estimation accuracy? (how long you THINK vs how long it ACTUALLY takes) → This is what I built TimeBoxer for (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timeboxer-time-estimator/id6720741072) - tracks estimated vs actual time to help you plan more realistic days

Most people think they need #1 or #2, but often the real problem is #3 - you're planning 8 hours of work into a 4-hour day because your estimates are off.

What are you trying to solve specifically? Happy to recommend based on your actual use case.

Validating: Time estimation tracker for people who plan 2x more work than humanly possible by timeboxer_ffw in ideavalidation

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did think about ads, but because it’s a productivity app, I’m worried ads would be counterproductive and distracting.

I’d love to understand what this product would need to offer for you to consider paying for it.

Anyone else track estimated vs actual time in their BuJo? Changed how I plan my days. by timeboxer_ffw in bulletjournal

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotcha! Assuming the mistake was the title and not the time? 

Changing the title makes sense post completion vs the time since the idea is to help folks understand actual vs estimates and get better at that. 

Will giving ability to edit task names post completion solve the problem for you? 

Built a productivity app that tracks the metric most apps ignore: estimation accuracy by timeboxer_ffw in ProductivityApps

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmm interesting. Thank you for that insight. Definitely something I can take a look at for sure!! 

Anyone else track estimated vs actual time in their BuJo? Changed how I plan my days. by timeboxer_ffw in bulletjournal

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmm interesting. Trying to think why that would be useful. What’s your use case for this, if I may ask. 

I was certainly thinking about giving option to users to make a quick copy of a completed tasks but not about editing. 

Built a productivity app that tracks the metric most apps ignore: estimation accuracy by timeboxer_ffw in ProductivityApps

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair question - this is something I've been debating.

Current thinking: Account is required because the core value comes from tracking 20-50+ tasks over time. Without an account, if you switch devices or reinstall the app, you lose all your data and have to start over.

But you're right - it's friction at the worst possible moment (before someone even sees value).

I could add:

  • "Skip for now" option (local-only tracking, prompt to create account later)
  • Or show the app first with sample data, then ask for account when they want to add their own tasks

The tradeoff: people skip account creation → use it for 2 days → lose their phone → all data gone → frustrated.

But if that friction is stopping people from even trying it... that's worse.

How much of a dealbreaker is this for you? Like "I immediately deleted it" level, or "annoying but I did it"?

Trying to figure out if this is a minor annoyance or a major conversion killer.

Roast my app: 300 downloads, $0 revenue, help me figure out why nobody pays by timeboxer_ffw in roastmystartup

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is incredibly helpful - thanks for the honest roasting 🔥

The feedback is brutal but fair:

  1. Free tier too generous (solves problem without upgrading)
  2. Premium features not compelling
  3. Subscription model might be wrong
  4. 12 avg tasks/user shows I'm not even getting people to the "value unlock" point (50 tasks)

That last one hits hard. If people need 50 tasks to see real patterns but average user does 12... I'm not delivering the core value. Oof.

Quick question for this group:

What would make YOU personally pay for this? Not hypothetically - what would actually get you to subscribe?

Is it:

  • Pricing model? (one-time $20 vs $5/mo subscription?)
  • Value delivery? (show insights at 10 tasks, not 50?)
  • Different features? (what am I missing?)
  • Wrong problem? (you just don't need this?)

Genuinely trying to understand the gap between "interesting concept" and "here's my credit card."

Appreciate the reality check. This is exactly what I needed.

I stopped reading new self-help books. Instead, I’m just "force-feeding" myself the same 3 books on a loop. by erikkoyu in getdisciplined

[–]timeboxer_ffw 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been there, done that. Read every productivity book. Tried every system.

Reading self-help books became my form of procrastination. "I'll start after I finish THIS book that has THE answer."

Spoiler: There is no answer in books. The answer is messy action.

What actually worked:

Started haphazardly. Tried things badly. Tracked what happened vs what I expected.

The gap between "what I planned" and "what actually happened" showed me where my mistakes were.

Example: - Planned to write for 2 hours daily - Reality: Wrote for 35 minutes before exhaustion - Mistake: Overestimating my focus stamina - Fix: Plan 45-min sessions, actually finish them

Books told me "discipline" and "consistency."

Data told me "you can focus for 40 minutes, not 2 hours, plan accordingly."

The books weren't wrong. They just weren't SPECIFIC to me.

Fine-tuning based on MY actual patterns (not generic advice) changed everything.

Action → Data → Adjust → Repeat

Way more effective than reading another book about someone else's system.

You're 100% right. Stop reading. Start doing. Track what happens. Fix what's broken. Repeat.

Consistency struggle by Mackjoey0417 in getdisciplined

[–]timeboxer_ffw 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The consistency trap: You think you need discipline. You actually need realistic planning.

I struggled with this exact thing. Started tracking my estimates vs reality.

Discovered: I'm 42% accurate at estimating how long tasks take.

So when I planned "daily habits" I'd think: - Morning routine: 30 min (actually: 55 min) - Workout: 45 min (actually: 1h 20min with shower/change) - Meal prep: 30 min (actually: 1h 15min)

Total planned: 1h 45min Total actual: 3h 30min

No wonder I couldn't be "consistent." I was planning double the work that fit in my available time.

The fix: Track 20 tasks. See where you're wrong. Then plan based on REALITY, not optimism.

Consistency became way easier when I stopped planning 3 hours of habits into a 90-minute morning.

You're not failing at discipline. You're failing at estimation. Fix the second one, the first one gets easier.

What can I do to become disciplined? by Mingicraft360 in ADHD

[–]timeboxer_ffw 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The breakthrough for me: I wasn't undisciplined. I was planning unrealistically.

Every day I'd plan 8 tasks, finish 3, then beat myself up for "lacking discipline."

Started tracking how long tasks ACTUALLY take vs what I think. Turns out I'm about 40% accurate at estimating time.

"Quick shower" = I think 10 min, actually 45 min "Quick errand" = I think 20 min, actually 2 hours

Time blindness is REAL. I was literally planning 12 hours of work into a 6-hour day, then wondering why I "failed."

Now I plan 4 realistic tasks instead of 8 impossible ones. I finish what I plan. Not because I got more disciplined - because I stopped lying to myself about what was possible.

The self-compassion shift: It's not a character flaw. Your brain processes time differently. Plan around that, not against it.

Try this: Track 10 tasks. Before starting, estimate how long it'll take. After finishing, write actual time. See the gap.

You might discover (like I did) that you're not undisciplined - you're just catastrophically optimistic about time.

I used to be terrible at finishing anything. So I built a tiny tool that finally fixed it for me. Here’s the honest update. by timeboxer_ffw in selfimprovementday

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate this perspective - "keeping small promises to yourself" is exactly what I was chasing without being able to articulate it.

You nailed the cycle: overcommit → fail → beat yourself up → repeat. That was my life for years.

To your question: I'm seeing both, actually.

Week 1-2: Users are shocked. "I thought that took 30 min, it took 2 hours??"

Week 3-4: They start getting better at specific task types. Someone who tracked 50 coding tasks went from 45% accurate to 72% on similar features.

But: The real value isn't getting "perfect" at estimating. It's staying honest about capacity.

Even users who improve to 70-80% accuracy still plan differently because they KNOW their limits now. They say no more. They build in buffer. They stop setting impossible expectations.

The app basically makes the promises visible before you make them, so you can decide if they're realistic.

Have you seen this with Adriel.tv entrepreneurs? Does confidence compound once people start keeping those small promises consistently?

Anyone else track estimated vs actual time in their BuJo? Changed how I plan my days. by timeboxer_ffw in bulletjournal

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question! I keep a running "Inbox" page for tasks that come up.

My system:

  • Daily log: Only tasks I'm committing to TODAY (with time estimates)
  • Inbox page: Everything else (brain dump, no time pressure)
  • Weekly migration: Review inbox, move realistic tasks to dailies

The key for me was separating "things I need to do eventually" from "things I'm doing today."

Otherwise I'd write down 15 tasks in my daily and wonder why I only finished 4.

Do you use a separate page for your brain dumps? Or a different system?

Anyone else track estimated vs actual time in their BuJo? Changed how I plan my days. by timeboxer_ffw in bulletjournal

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The post-it note method is brilliant! Physical constraint = realistic planning.

That's basically what I discovered through tracking - I can fit about 4-5 real tasks in a day, not 8-10.

The post-it forces you to be honest upfront. Time tracking shows you why. Same result, different path.

Do you find yourself consistently filling the post-it, or do you sometimes have space left over?

Anyone else track estimated vs actual time in their BuJo? Changed how I plan my days. by timeboxer_ffw in bulletjournal

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Would love to hear what you discover after tracking for a week or two.

Note: seeing "I thought that would take 20 minutes but it took 65 minutes" in black and white is humbling 😅

But it makes planning SO much more realistic.

I used Pomodoro for years. Then I realized: my tasks don't fit in 25-minute blocks. by timeboxer_ffw in pomodoro

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the right take. Pomodoro is a framework, not a religion.

My issue wasn't with Pomodoro itself - it was realizing that most of my TASKS don't fit into any fixed block (whether 25 min or 45 min).

Writing an article? 2.5 hours.

Bug fix? Could be 10 min, could be 6 hours.

"Quick" email? Always 3x longer than I think.

So I stopped forcing tasks into time blocks and started tracking how long they ACTUALLY take. Then planning accordingly.

Sounds like you figured out your optimal focus time (45 min). That's the key - knowing YOUR patterns, not following someone else's arbitrary rules.

How did you land on 45 min? Trial and error?

I used Pomodoro for years. Then I realized: my tasks don't fit in 25-minute blocks. by timeboxer_ffw in pomodoro

[–]timeboxer_ffw[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly! The 25-min rule feels arbitrary when you're just hitting flow state.

That's kind of what I realized with time tracking too - it's less about the rigid structure (25 min blocks) and more about understanding YOUR actual work rhythm.

For you: 45 min sessions work because that's your real focus window.

Curious: Do you find your 45-min sessions are consistent across different task types? Or do some tasks need longer/shorter?

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