EARLY was originally founded as Timeular by Manuel Bruschi, Thomas Wolf, Christian Zanzotti, and Manuel Zoderer. The product started as a simple way to track time \u2014 built for teams who wanted clarity over how they spent their day without the usual hassle of timesheets. Over time, the product grew alongside the way people worked. Hybrid teams, remote work, and constant context switching changed what users needed from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why we rebranded to EARLY. It’s the same team and the same product at its core but with a bigger ambition: helping people manage their time better, not just track it. Teams using EARLY track, on average, over 97% of their work hours every week, ensuring they maximize billable time and prevent revenue leakage while enabling more confident, data-driven decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I joined as CEO to lead that next chapter. Scaling EARLY into a product that stays out of the way, supports focus, and gives teams the clarity they need to do their best work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The future of time tracking isn\u2019t about control; it\u2019s about freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EARLY gives teams clarity without getting in their way. No micromanaging. No creepy surveillance. Just simple, honest insights that help people work better on their own terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Productivity isn\u2019t about doing more. It\u2019s about doing what matters. Ultimately, most tools add noise. We remove it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Younger users don\u2019t want to be told how to work and they definitely don\u2019t want to feel like they\u2019re being watched. This is why our approach is simple: give people data, not judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you can see where your time actually goes without the guilt and the noise, you naturally start to make different choices. It\u2019s about awareness, not optimisation. We\u2019re not trying to turn people into robots. Instead, we\u2019re trying to give them the information they need to protect their time and spend it on things that matter to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most time-tracking tools feel like they were built for someone else, usually managers keeping tabs, not people doing the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
EARLY is built for the person sitting at the desk. It\u2019s simple. I believe the best tools disappear into the background. EARLY helps people notice patterns in how they work without interrupting them or adding more to their plate. It\u2019s about awareness rather than control, as the goal is to help people protect their time, not account for every second of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The focus isn\u2019t really on job titles or industries. It\u2019s about people who care where their time goes, whether that\u2019s freelancers, teams, or anyone just trying to cut through the noise and focus better. It\u2019s less about a specific job title and more about a shared problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The feedback loop never stops. We talk to our users daily, from new users figuring things out to long-time users whose needs have evolved. Most of the changes we make come straight from those conversations. What\u2019s working, what\u2019s blocking progress, what feels clunky, and what\u2019s being overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal isn\u2019t to build more features for the sake of it. It\u2019s to keep refining what people use every day and quietly remove everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For me, it\u2019s pretty simple. It\u2019s being clear on what matters and having the space to get it done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most people aren\u2019t struggling because they\u2019re lazy. They\u2019re struggling because their day is full of noise. Real productivity is about cutting through that and protecting enough space to actually think, focus, and do meaningful work. I believe productivity should feel effortless, not forced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironically, long-term, I want EARLY to be the tool people don\u2019t think about because it just works. If it doesn\u2019t make their life easier, it doesn\u2019t belong in our product or strategy. Everything starts and ends with understanding their needs, frustrations, and behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not about adding more features. It\u2019s about making things simpler and ensuring EARLY always works to make people\u2019s time better, not harder. We\u2019re building for a future where work feels like it flows and is not a grind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re proud of the culture we\u2019ve built. Achieving this culture starts with giving people ownership. After all, the best ideas come when people feel like they have real skin in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We like to say we\u2019re not a family; we\u2019re running buddies. What keeps us connected is a shared commitment to our goals and values and the belief that anyone can make a real impact if they\u2019re aligned with the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I get the skepticism. With so much tech in our lives, adding another tool can feel like more noise. But the right tools shouldn\u2019t add to the clutter; they should cut through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, when people are unsure, I focus on how EARLY simplifies things. I\u2019m all about creating a time-tracking experience that works for people, not against them. We know work life has changed, and our goal is to make time management easier and more proactive, without the distractions or frustration. It\u2019s not about tracking every minute or task. It\u2019s about giving people clarity on where their time goes so they can make better choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Embrace change. It\u2019s the only constant. Playing it safe is the biggest risk you can take. Markets move, consumer behavior shifts, and if you don\u2019t evolve, you\u2019ll get left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focus on retention and engagement, not vanity metrics. If people aren\u2019t sticking around, growth means nothing. Build something that keeps people coming back, and the numbers will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Build in real time. Trends are easy to read, but executing in the moment is where the real work is. If you\u2019re not adapting quickly and making things better as you go, you\u2019re falling behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n