How to record the time you spend on a task

If your account uses time tracking, you can measure how much time you spend on each task with a timer. If you don't see any of the buttons in this article, that feature isn't turned on for your account.

Starting and stopping the timer

1. Find the Play button (Start time tracking) on the task, in the list, in Kanban or in the Tracking field of its detail view. It only appears on tasks in the "today" status or in "In progress".
2. A box opens with Record title. It's optional: if you leave it empty, your account's default title is used.
3. Click Start. The task moves to "In progress" (if your account has it configured) and you'll see a blinking red dot.
4. When you finish, click Stop. You can do it wherever the task is.

If you complete a task while its timer is running, it stops on its own. If you delete a task, its time entries are deleted too (they go to the Notion trash).

One timer per person

Each team member has their own: what you start or stop doesn't affect a colleague's, and several people can work at the same time, even on the same task. While you have one running, WorkOS doesn't offer you Start on other tasks: that way it's clear what you're working on. A colleague having a timer running doesn't stop you from starting yours.

A notice appears in the header while you have a timer running ("Working on…"); click it to open that task. If you are the Owner or have Technical administration permissions, the notice reads "Tasks in progress" with the number of running timers across the whole team, and clicking it opens a list of who is working on which task, since when and for how long; click a row to open that task. Stop only stops your timer, never someone else's. A Supervisor also sees the timers of their direct reports in that list. If a timer started on another day (almost always a forgotten one), the row highlights it ("since 19 Oct at 18:46"). Each row offers Stop (only on your own) and Fix: Fix opens a window to pick the real day and time it ended; the record is closed at that time and the duration adjusted. You can fix your own; the Owner and anyone with Technical administration permissions can fix anyone's; and a Supervisor can fix their direct reports'.

This needs your account to record whose each entry is (the team member). If it doesn't, there is one timer per account, as before: ask whoever administers your account.

Reminder if you forget to stop the timer

If your timer has been running for an hour or more, WorkOS asks you, wherever you are in the app, whether you are still working on that task. The reminder is only for you. You can answer:

• Yes, I'm still working: the counter restarts and you are asked again an hour later.
• I just finished: the timer stops right now.
• I forgot to stop it: you pick the date and time you really finished; the entry is closed at that time and the duration is adjusted.

If you close the reminder without answering, it will ask again after 10 minutes. "Still working" is remembered in the browser where you answered.

Viewing and correcting entries

Open the Times tab of the detail view to see each entry with its duration. The one still running shows as "In progress".

• Add time manually (the "+" button): to log time you already worked without the timer. Set the Start and the End; if you leave the end empty, the entry stays in progress.
• Edit entry to fix the title or the hours, and Delete entry to remove it (it asks for confirmation).

If your account uses Team, each entry is recorded under whoever clicked Start: on a shared task, each person logs their own time.

Planned time

If your account has the Planned time property configured, you can enter, in minutes, how long you expect to spend on a task, when you create it or later from its detail panel. Only the person who created the task can change it: if a Supervisor creates a task for you, you will see the planned time but you won't be able to edit it (you log your working time as usual). Older tasks, or tasks created by voice, email or calendar, have no recorded creator: for those, the task owner, the Owner and anyone with technical administration permissions can change it. In addition, a Supervisor can change the planned time of the tasks of the people in their team while they are not completed or discarded.

In task lists (Home, Tasks, projects…) only the planned time is shown, with an hourglass icon (for example "⏳ 4h"); lists no longer calculate the time worked, so they load faster. All the time worked is in the block at the bottom of Home: My hours today (your entries for today) and Team workload (hours worked per person and day).

How much you've logged today

On Home, tasks show the time spent, and in the Dashboard section (button on Home) there is a My hours today tab with all your time entries from today and their total, and below it My hours this week, with your hours per day and arrows to change week. If you use vacation management, each day's capacity subtracts holidays and approved absences, and those days are labelled "Holiday", "Absent" or "Half day off".

Tip: if the Start button doesn't appear on a task, first move it to the "today" status or to "In progress", and check that another timer isn't already running.