The timesheet that writes itself
Temporal.ist turns the files you save and the sites you choose into sessions on the right project. No timer to start, and nothing to piece together on Friday afternoon.
Thursday
Your day so far
tracked
- Website relaunchNavigation and footer, 08:42–10:58(Files, desktop app)
- Website relaunchDesign review in Figma, 10:58–11:21(Browser, extension)
- Payments APIRefund webhooks, 11:30–12:34(Files, desktop app)
- Onboarding flowKickoff call, 13:30–14:15(Timer, manual)
- Website relaunchCheckout page, 14:25–16:40(Files, desktop app, with a 15 minute pause)
- Payments APICode review on GitHub, 16:50–now(Browser, extension)
How a session comes about
You give each project its places
Folders on each computer for the desktop app or the terminal client, and web addresses for the browser extension.
Your work leaves a trail
A saved file or an open matching tab is noticed within seconds, on the project it belongs to.
The trail becomes sessions
Activity close together forms one session. Fifteen quiet minutes or a closed tab ends it, at the moment you actually stopped.
Folders
on this computer~/work/halden-siteWatching~/work/halden-site/node_modulesIgnored
Websites
in your browserhttps://github.com/halden-studio/*Rule 1*://*.figma.com/design/*Rule 2
Saving a file in the folder, or opening a page that matches a rule, starts a session on this project. It ends 15 minutes after the last save, or when the last matching tab closes.
Three ways time is recorded
Use one or combine them; they all land in the same calendar.
Files
The desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the terminal client for servers, track saves in each project's folders.
Websites
The browser extension tracks time while a tab matches a project's rules, background tabs included.
Timers
Start one anywhere for calls, meetings and thinking time. A timer you start runs until you stop it.
Accurate without your help
Automatic tracking is only useful if you can trust the hours. These are the rules Temporal.ist keeps.
- Time while the computer sleeps or is switched off never counts
- Each project has at most one open session per person
- Work done offline arrives later as finished sessions
Sleep is left out
A laptop that wakes within the hour on the same day continues the session, with the sleep as a pause.
Offline is fine
The apps keep what they record on disk and upload it in order when you are back online.
No stolen timers
The apps only end the sessions they started. A timer you started yourself is left alone.
Warnings before the end
The desktop app warns before an idle session closes, so a long think does not cut it short.
Questions
What counts as activity?
Creating, changing, renaming, moving or deleting a file in a project's folders, and having a tab open on a page that matches one of the project's web addresses. Opening or reading a file is not activity.
When does a session end?
Fifteen minutes after the last file change (adjustable from 1 to 120 minutes), with a warning a minute before so you can keep it going. Browser sessions end when the last matching tab closes. Timers you start yourself run until you stop them.
Does it work with my editor?
Yes. Temporal.ist watches files, not editors, so it works with any editor or tool that saves files: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Vim, Figma exports, Word documents or spreadsheets.
What if it records something wrong?
Every session can be moved, shortened, split, merged, reassigned to another project or deleted in the calendar and the sessions list. Nothing is billed until you put it on an invoice.
Let your work keep its own time
Start on the free plan: no card and no trial period. Install the desktop app or the browser extension, choose what belongs to each project, and keep working.