I accidentally worked
$15k for free as a senior dev – don’t make the same mistake
I accidentally worked $15k for free as a senior dev – don’t make the same mistake
By Mike Harris
Advertorial last updated:
10 December 2025
Advertorial last updated: 24 December 2025
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As a developer, I’m quite good at math. Except when it comes to calculating my own billable hours.
This is a story about how I realized I’d accidentally given away $15K worth of my time.
A short history of me vs. time tracking (I lost)
I never particularly enjoyed tracking time but I made peace with it. A necessary evil of the job – is what developers say. As a mid dev, I was eager to track every minute like my paycheck depended on it (it actually did).
My project software came with a timer, perfect. Except I always forgot to turn it off.
When I started charging senior rates, I decided I’d rather lose a couple bucks than my sanity over the stupid stopwatch. So I zoned in on the work and let the future-me worry about what to put in the timesheet. (Spoiler – the future-me was NOT happy)
My timesheet: everything but the truth
Without the timer, I still needed to come up with what to put in my timesheet. Come Friday, and I’d get crippling anxiety knowing how much time I’d waste on guessing what I did all week.
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I tried going through my calendar, emails, and calls to reconstruct my hours.
It took forever but at least there was a record.
The problem is, most of my work happens outside of emails and calls. To estimate it, I only had my memory and gut feeling.
The app that changed everything
I was desperate and ranting about time tracking at the office (we all do).
“I wish there was a browser history but for all I did on my computer,” I said to my colleague.
If this isn’t proof that your phone is listening…
Because the next day I get an ad for this app that tracks time in all programs. Definitely everything a developer uses:
• Email and messengers,
• Meeting software,
• Anything in browser tabs,
• Desktop apps, etc.
• Meeting software,
• Anything in browser tabs,
• Desktop apps, etc.
Best part – there’s no timer. I log on and it’s already recording in the background.
Memtime shows exactly what I did and for how long
The truth hits harder than a failed deploy
I didn’t open my activity list until it was time to fill out my timesheet. Here’s what the app revealed:
• Half of my team meetings ran 5-10 minutes longer than scheduled
• Even simple debugging took 20+ minutes, not the 15 I swore they did
• Ambush requests stole 10+ minutes a day – and I never tracked them
• Even simple debugging took 20+ minutes, not the 15 I swore they did
• Ambush requests stole 10+ minutes a day – and I never tracked them
All these sneaky extra minutes added up into one brutal equation:
Just 15 minutes a day = 60 hours a year = more than a week of time I was giving away for free!
Calculate how much you’re underbilling
Here’s a simple calculator you can use to estimate how much time you’re underbilling per year.
All from not tracking the small stuff like extra time in calls or revisions.
Check how much billable time you’re missing out on
The lesson: your memory is not a timekeeping tool
If you bill by the hour, here’s the truth:
• Do NOT eyeball your time
• Do NOT trust your memory
• Do NOT ignore the “small stuff”
• Do NOT trust your memory
• Do NOT ignore the “small stuff”
Every minute counts. Get a system that backs you up. Your future self (and your bank account) will thank you.
P.S. The app I used is called Memtime, here’s how it tracks your time automatically.
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