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Core Concepts7 min readUpdated January 2025

Time Tracking Basics

Master time tracking fundamentals, learn best practices, and discover advanced features to optimize your productivity tracking.

Time Tracking Basics

Learn how to effectively track your time, understand your productivity patterns, and make data-driven decisions to improve your workflow.

1 Getting Started with Time Tracking

Time tracking in Asrify is designed to be simple yet powerful. Here's everything you need to know:

Basic Timer Functions

  • - Start/Stop timer with one click
  • - Pause and resume tracking sessions
  • - Manual time entry for past activities
  • - Edit time entries after completion
  • - Add descriptions and notes to time entries
  • - Categorize time with projects and tasks

Timer States

  • - Stopped - Timer is inactive and ready to start
  • - Running - Timer is actively tracking time
  • - Paused - Timer is temporarily stopped but can be resumed
  • - Completed - Time entry has been saved and logged

2 Time Tracking Methods

Choose the time tracking method that works best for your workflow:

Real-time Tracking

Track time as you work with live timers

  • - Most accurate time measurement
  • - Automatic idle detection
  • - Background timer notifications
  • - Seamless task switching

Manual Entry

Add time entries after completing work

  • - Perfect for retrospective logging
  • - Bulk time entry capabilities
  • - Flexible date and time selection
  • - Import from other tools

Hybrid Approach

Combine real-time and manual tracking

  • - Use timers for focused work sessions
  • - Manual entry for meetings and calls
  • - Retrospective adjustments as needed
  • - Complete activity coverage

Automated Tracking

Let Asrify track time automatically

  • - Application usage monitoring
  • - Website time tracking
  • - Calendar integration
  • - Smart categorization

3 Time Tracking Best Practices

Follow these practices to get the most value from your time tracking:

Consistency Guidelines

  • - Track time every day, even for small tasks
  • - Use consistent project and task names
  • - Add meaningful descriptions to time entries
  • - Review and clean up entries weekly
  • - Set reminders to start/stop timers
  • - Establish a daily tracking routine

Categorization Strategies

  • - Use clear, descriptive project names
  • - Create specific tasks for different work types
  • - Apply consistent tags across similar activities
  • - Separate billable and non-billable time
  • - Track both productive and administrative tasks
  • - Include breaks and interruptions

Accuracy Tips

  • - Start timers before beginning work
  • - Stop timers immediately when switching tasks
  • - Use pause feature for short interruptions
  • - Round time entries to meaningful increments
  • - Include context in time entry descriptions
  • - Regular review prevents data drift

4 Advanced Time Tracking Features

Explore powerful features to enhance your time tracking experience:

Time Estimates and Goals

  • - Set time estimates for tasks and projects
  • - Track progress against estimates
  • - Daily and weekly time goals
  • - Automatic goal progress notifications
  • - Estimate accuracy analysis

Billable Hours Tracking

  • - Mark time entries as billable/non-billable
  • - Set different hourly rates per project
  • - Multi-currency support with automatic conversions
  • - Separate pay rates and bill rates in different currencies
  • - Generate invoices from tracked time
  • - Client-specific time reports
  • - Expense tracking integration

Team Time Tracking

  • - Track team member time across projects
  • - Compare individual productivity metrics
  • - Team capacity planning tools
  • - Collaborative time tracking workflows
  • - Manager approval processes

Integrations and Automation

  • - Calendar sync for automatic time blocking
  • - Project management tool integrations
  • - API access for custom workflows
  • - Third-party app time capture
  • - Automated reporting and notifications

5 Analytics and Reporting

Turn your time data into actionable insights:

Time Distribution Analysis

  • - Visual breakdown of time by project and task
  • - Daily, weekly, and monthly time patterns
  • - Peak productivity hour identification
  • - Task completion time analysis
  • - Project profitability insights

Productivity Metrics

  • - Focus time vs interruption analysis
  • - Billable vs non-billable time ratios
  • - Task completion rates and efficiency
  • - Goal achievement tracking
  • - Trend analysis over time periods

Custom Reports

  • - Flexible date range selection
  • - Filter by projects, tasks, or team members
  • - Export to PDF, Excel, or CSV formats
  • - Scheduled automatic report generation
  • - Shareable dashboard links

Time Tracking Quick Tips

Getting Started

  • - Start with simple project categories
  • - Use timers for focused work blocks
  • - Track both work and learning time
  • - Review data weekly for insights

Staying Consistent

  • - Set daily time tracking reminders
  • - Use mobile app for on-the-go tracking
  • - Keep descriptions short but meaningful
  • - Don't overthink categorization

Advanced Usage

  • - Set up automated tracking rules
  • - Use tags for cross-project analysis
  • - Create custom report templates
  • - Share insights with your team

Ready to Master Time Tracking?

Now that you understand the basics, explore these related topics to become a time tracking expert:

Tasks and Project Management Projects and Organisations Personal Time Tracking Multi-Currency Support