Is Your AI Agent Worth It? A Simple Way to Track Time Saved

Here's a question worth asking after a few weeks: is this agent actually saving me time? It's easy to assume yes. But the honest answer depends on one thing people forget: the time you spend checking its work.

The good news? You don't need fancy reports. A simple log does the job.

Here's how, step by step: First, time the old way. Before you hand a task to an agent, do it yourself once or twice and write down how long it takes. Next, time the new way. When the agent does it, note how long you spend setting it up, checking it, and fixing anything. Then, track it for a few weeks. Three or four tries gives you a fair picture. After that, compare. Old time minus new time, including checking, is your real time saved. And last, look at the cost. Compare your time saved with what the tool costs each month. Our pricing guide explains how tools charge.

A simple log you can copy:

• Task: the job, like "weekly invoice reminders."
• Old time: minutes it took by hand.
• Setup time: one-time minutes to set it up.
• Check time: minutes you spend reviewing each run.
• Fix time: minutes spent fixing mistakes.
• Quality: better, same, or worse than your version.

What to look for:

• Check time should shrink: if you're still checking everything closely after a month, the task may be too tricky, or the instructions need work.
• Fixes should be rare: if you're fixing something every time, simplify the task.
• Quality matters too: saving 10 minutes isn't worth it if customers notice a drop.

And remember the wins that don't show up in minutes, like replying to customers faster, or simply not dreading Monday morning. Those count too. Just be honest with yourself about them.

If a task isn't paying off after a fair try, that's useful to know. Drop it, and try a better one.