Project Overview

Freelancer Timetracker is a minimalist time tracking app built for designers and developers who want a fast, zero-friction way to log billable hours straight into Notion.

The app lives in the Mac menu bar (via SwiftBar) and syncs seamlessly with Notion: recording time spent per project and task label with a single click. It was built entirely with Python and ChatGPT-generated code, without any dedicated dev tools or frameworks.

The goal

Give freelancers a simple, visual way to keep their invoices accurate and projects organized.

Problems

User

• Fragmented workflow — toggling between a timer, Notion, and invoice spreadsheets wasted minutes daily.
• Overkill tools — most SaaS trackers are bloated or costly for solo freelancers.‍
• Lost billable hours — small, untracked tasks (like client calls or design tweaks) often went unbilled.

Solutions

A SwiftBar plugin that connects directly to Notion and lets freelancers:

• Start, pause, and stop timers for any project directly from the menu bar.
• Switch projects or labels instantly — all projects and labels sync automatically from Notion.
• Add or rename projects and labels without opening Notion.
• Sync manually or automatically — every “Stop” action pushes a new record to Notion.

Low-code Stack & Costs

Stack

SwiftBar (UI) – lightweight Mac menu bar framework
Python 3.11 – handles Notion API calls, timer logic, and local caching
Notion API – stores project data and time logs
ChatGPT – generated and iteratively refined the full Python logic

Total cost

$0/month

System Flow

1. User starts a timer from the SwiftBar menu → current timestamp stored locally.
2. Timer stops → duration calculated and pushed to Notion database (via API) as a new entry.
3. Sync runs automatically on stop or manually via “Sync (mirror Notion)”

Results & Impact

• Setup time: built in just a few days with iterative tweaks.
• Speed: logging a time entry now takes 2–3 clicks, under 5 seconds.
• Efficiency: saves roughly 30–40 minutes weekly compared to manual logging.
• Accuracy: nearly zero missed billable hours since adopting the tracker.

Future Ideas

• Auto-pause after inactivity.
• Export to CSV or PDF invoices.
• Integration with Fakturownia/WFirma for automatic invoice generation.
• Simple setup wizard for non-technical freelancers.