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Notes on running a practice that bills by the hour.

Billable hours, utilization, effective rates, retainers and the weekly plan. Written from the inside of a small agency that tracks every minute.

Time TrackingClient ManagementPlanningPricing & RatesReporting

TimerMVP dashboard with retainer income, hours this month, client cadence and a running timer

Latest · Time Tracking

Time Tracking for Lawyers: Six-Minute Increments, Matter-Based Time, and Clean Timesheets

A practical guide to legal time tracking: six-minute increments, contemporaneous entries, clear narratives, matter-based records, and a monthly timesheet check.

October 9, 20268 min read

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TimerMVP client hub listing retainer, hourly and ad hoc clients with rates, sessions and hours

Client Management · 8 min

Retainer vs Hourly: How to Know Which Clients Are Actually Worth It

Retainer or hourly? Compare the trade-offs, measure each retainer's effective rate, spot quiet clients and concentration risk, and learn when to renegotiate.

October 9, 2026Read

TimerMVP weekly planner with a plan score, next-up tasks, a waiting-on list and closed-out days

Planning · 8 min

How to Plan Your Week as a Freelancer: The Friday Close-Out Method

A weekly planning system for freelancers: a Monday plan, honest carry-forward, aging items, waiting-on tracking, and a Friday review of planned vs actual work.

October 9, 2026Read

TimerMVP income report with recurring, hourly and ad hoc totals and a 12-month stacked composition chart

Pricing & Rates · 8 min

Effective Hourly Rate: Why Your Real Rate Is Lower Than Your Quoted Rate

Your quoted rate is not what you earn per hour. Learn how to calculate your effective hourly rate per client, where the gap comes from, and how to close it.

October 9, 2026Read

TimerMVP reports dashboard with time logged, average session length, time per client and top hashtags

Reporting · 8 min

Utilization Rate: How to Calculate It and What a Good One Looks Like for a Solo Business

How to calculate your utilization rate as a solo professional, why 100 percent is not the goal, and what to change when your billable share starts slipping.

October 9, 2026Read

TimerMVP sessions page with a running timer in the top bar and a 90-day activity matrix of tracked sessions by client

Time Tracking · 8 min

How to Track Billable Hours: A Practical Guide for Freelancers and Consultants

A practical guide to tracking billable hours: what counts, which increments to use, how to write notes that hold up, and a weekly review that keeps you honest.

October 9, 2026Read

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