There are days when we just do not want to do anything except lie down in bed all day. There are also days when we are completely on fire and doing our job in full-performance mode. And then, there are those days when we pretend to do our work but end up scrolling through the programming memes by Machine Learning Site on Instagram rather than doing actual work. Whether you are learning a new programming language or working on your machine learning model, it is sometimes easy to get distracted from your work and lose focus. These things happen to me too and I wondered if there was a way to keep track of our productivity, or maybe should I create one Python app for this!
Hence, I started working on a small project to build Python-based software that tracks productivity. The idea, as obvious, is to keep a productivity track from day to day to analyze ourselves and see if there is a window of improvement. So today in this blog, I will introduce you to my very first Python app-“Productivity Tracker by Machine Learning Site” and explain how it works.
Table of Contents
Key Features of the Productivity Tracker App
We start directly by looking at the key features of this app. The Productivity Tracker App is packed with the following features:
- Productivity Index Calculation: Get information about your productivity level with the productivity index, which calculates the percentage of time spent on productive work compared to breaks.
- CSV Data Storage: Each entry is stored in a CSV file, providing a detailed record of your productivity over time. This storage helps to keep a record of productivity over days and months.
- Monthly and Daily Reports: At the end of each day or month, generate a productivity report that provides a summary of your sessions and breaks, making it easy to visualize your productivity patterns.
- User-Friendly Interface: The app’s command-line interface is straightforward. Just start the app by running a simple code (mentioned in the following section) and you are good to go.
How the Productivity Tracker App Works
The Productivity Tracker App helps users maintain a balanced workflow by tracking work sessions and breaks. Here’s a breakdown of its functionality to help you make the most of its features:
- Starting a Work Session:
When you’re ready to dive into a productive task, select the option to start a work session. The app records the session’s start time and waits for you to manually indicate its end. This time period is then logged, contributing to your total productive time for the day. - Taking Breaks:
Breaks are essential for sustaining productivity, and this app makes it easy to track them. By selecting the option to start a break, you record a dedicated period to recharge. Once you’re ready to return to work, end the break to have its duration logged. - Calculating the Productivity Index:
At any time, you can check your productivity index, which is calculated based on the time spent working compared to the total time tracked. This provides a quick snapshot of your efficiency for the day, presented as a percentage. - Saving Your Daily Productivity Index:
At the end of each day, you can save your productivity index to a CSV file. This log includes your daily productivity index and provides a record of your performance, making it easier to observe trends over time. - Monthly Report:
The app supports monthly reports, giving you insights into your productivity patterns. By inputting the month and year, you can review your daily productivity indices for that period, along with a calculated average to assess your overall productivity. - Viewing the Productivity Report:
At any time, you can view a summary of your work sessions and breaks. This report provides details on each session, including start and end times, as well as cumulative statistics for total productive and break time.
How to use the Productivity Tracker App
To run this application, you need to have Docker installed on your platform. If you haven’t installed it, head to Docker’s official site for instructions. [Note: This app is tested and runs well on Linux distributions. Cannot say the same for Windows though, but feel free to try].
Once you have Docker installed on your laptop, you are ready to run the application. Enter the following command in your terminal and hit enter:
docker run -it --rm kolbenkraft/productivity-trackerWait for a few seconds for Docker to download the image and you should then have the software running:
That’s it. Start a session when you are working and pause it when you are taking a break. Monitor your productivity at the end of the day and the trend of it at the end of the month. Have fun with the app.
Summary
The Python-based Productivity Tracker App is a productivity tracking tool and a gateway to optimizing how you work and making the most of your time. This is a small Python project that I wanted to work on and share with you. Please do take screenshots of it while using it and share it on Instagram by tagging me in the photo- @machinelearningsite. It would be great to see some of you using the app. 🙂
This is the first and one of the many upcoming projects from Machine Learning Site. Maybe, if there’s enough demand for the code, I’ll make it available on GitHub so you can play around and customize it. If you want to stay updated and do not want to miss out on other projects and interesting blogs, do leave a follow on my social media: