A kanban board with time tracking lets you log billable hours directly on the task cards you are already working, so the record of what you did and how long it took lives in one place instead of a separate timesheet. For consultants, this means you track time as you work, review it by board or client at the end of the week, and turn those hours into an invoice without re-keying anything. Todos8 puts a timer on every card, so the gap between "doing the work" and "billing the work" disappears.
Why timesheets fail consultants
Most consultants lose money not on their hourly rate but on the hours they forget to record. A separate timesheet is something you fill in later, from memory, usually on a Friday when half the week is a blur. You round down because you are unsure, and rounding down ten minutes a day across a month is real income gone.
Tracking time on the card fixes the memory problem. The task is in front of you, you start the timer when you begin, and you stop it when you switch. The number is accurate because it was captured live, not reconstructed.
The workflow, step by step
Here is a billable-hours workflow you can run on a single board.
- Set up one board per client, or one board with a custom field for the client name. Both work. A board per client keeps things visually separate; a custom field lets you filter one shared board by client. Pick the one that matches how many clients you juggle.
- Create a card for each deliverable or task. Keep cards small enough that the tracked time means something. "Redesign homepage" is too big; "Draft homepage hero copy" is right.
- Start the timer when you begin a card. Todos8 tracks time directly on the card, so the hours attach to the exact piece of work you are billing for.
- Move the card across your columns as you go. To Do, In Progress, Done. The board doubles as your status view, so you always know what is open without opening a second tool.
- Review tracked time at the end of the week. Filter by board or client and read off the totals. The hours are already itemised by task, which is exactly the breakdown a client wants to see.
- Turn the totals into an invoice. Because each card carries its own tracked time and description, your invoice line items write themselves. You multiply hours by your rate and send.
Todos8 gives entrepreneurs and small consulting teams under ten people a kanban board with built-in time tracking, so a freelance consultant can capture every billable minute on the card and invoice from the same board without a separate timesheet tool.
Use custom fields to bill smarter
Add a custom field for billing status (Unbilled, Invoiced, Paid) and you can see at a glance which completed work still owes you money. Add a field for hourly rate per client and your end-of-week review becomes a near-finished invoice. Custom fields cost you nothing extra and turn the board into a lightweight billing system.
My Work keeps you honest across clients
When you run three or four clients at once, work scatters. The My Work view aggregates every task assigned to you across all your boards and groups it by Overdue, Today, This Week, and No Due Date. You start each morning knowing exactly what is billable today, so no client's work quietly slips while you focus on the loudest one.
What it costs
Todos8 has a free tier you can start on today, with euro-priced paid plans as your client list grows. For a solo consultant, the free board plus time tracking often covers the whole workflow above. You only move up a tier when you add teammates or need more boards, so your tooling cost scales with your billings rather than ahead of them.
Frequently asked questions
Can you track billable hours on a kanban board?
Yes. Todos8 puts a timer on every card, so you start tracking when you begin a task and stop when you switch. The hours attach to the specific card, giving you a per-task billing record without a separate timesheet.
How do I turn tracked time into an invoice?
Filter your board by client at the end of the week and read the per-card totals. Each card carries its tracked hours and a description, so every line item on your invoice maps to a real task. Multiply hours by your rate and send.
Is a kanban board better than a spreadsheet timesheet for consultants?
For most consultants, yes. A spreadsheet is filled in from memory after the fact, which loses billable minutes. A kanban board with time tracking captures hours live on the card you are working, so the record is accurate and already itemised by task.
Does Todos8 work for a solo consultant?
Yes. The free tier covers a single consultant running multiple client boards with time tracking, custom fields, and the My Work view. You only pay when you add teammates or need more capacity.
Start tracking billable time today
Set up your first client board, put a timer on every card, and turn your week into an invoice without the Friday timesheet scramble. Try Todos8 free. No credit card required.
