CSClock

An hour spent in front of your PC can quickly turn into three or more, as it is very easy to lose track of time when you are concentrated on a project or simply having too much fun.

CSClock is an open-source application that can help you limit the amount of time you spend using your computer each day. It is still in the early alpha phase, but it offers some interesting features and is very easy to use.

The application enables you to specify how long you should be allowed to use your PC each day, and separate limits can be set for each day of the week. Alternatively, you can disable these limits and just use the app to track time.

CSClock lets you know how much of the daily quota has been used up, and it displays an alert when the limit is reached, but it doesn’t prevent you from continuing to use your computer.

If you keep using your PC after the daily limit has been exceeded, the overtime will be deducted from the computer time for the next day. This feature is still experimental, though, so it might not work perfectly.

The program can pause the timer when you leave your desk and lock the computer. However, it cannot detect inactivity and stop the timer automatically, although it is possible for the user to add or subtract time if it is counted erroneously.

Once the timer has been started, the application can be sent to the system tray, and it is possible to check the remaining time by placing the mouse cursor over the tray icon. However, the program is still displayed in the taskbar, which is less than ideal.

CSClock is a great open-source app for users who wish to track the amount of time they spend using their PCs. This is an alpha release, so you may run into a few bugs, and not a lot of features are offered at present, but things are looking good so far.