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Time Tracker

To open the time tracker, click the traffic lights icon button in the top menu bar. Use the time tracker to monitor your screen time, take appropriate rest breaks, and avoid repetitive strain injuries. The time tracker is highly customizable to suit different working styles and requirements.

Tracking Screen Time

The time tracker offers 2 methods for monitoring screen time:

  • Timer Based: This method is useful when your work requires a lot of reading/watching, and minimal keyboard and mouse activity. With this method, the breaks are calculated purely based on time elapsed.
  • Activity Based: This method is useful when your work involves a lot of keyboard and/or mouse activity. With this method, the breaks are calculated based on how long the keyboard/mouse activity continues. The timer automatically pauses when the activity stops for more than the Detect Idle After seconds. The timer resumes as soon as it detects activity again.

Time Tracker Window

The time tracker window displays 3 times:

  • Short Break: This timer alerts you to take short breaks. By default, it is set to start the break every 10 minutes, with break duration of 1 minute.
  • Big Break: This timer alerts you to take a bigger break. By default, it is set to start the break every 50 minutes, with break duration of 10 minutes. Big breaks have a higher priority than short breaks and will override short breaks if the break times clash.
  • Stop: This timer shows the time remaining before the screen time is up and it is time to stop working. By default, it is configured to run for 24 hours (midnight to 23:59:59 hours). You can change this in settings to reflect your work timings. Once the stop time is reached, all timers stop running. To run the timers beyond the stop time, the stop time must be changed in settings.

Time Tracker Menu Options

Right click on the time tracker window to open the menu.

  • Pause/Resume/End Break: When the time tracker is launched, the timers start immediately. To pause the timer, click the Pause option. The menu changes to Resume when the timer is paused. When a break is active, the menu changes to End Break.

  • Reset: Resets both the timers and restarts the countdown.

  • Alert Mode: The time tracker supports 2 alert modes:

    • Show Alerts: In this mode, visual and audio break alerts are active (if enabled in the respective break settings).
    • Do Not Disturb: In this mode, visual and audio break alerts are disabled irrespective of the individual break settings.

  • Short Break: Resets the short break timer and starts the break immediately. Use this to start the short break immediately without waiting for the timer to countdown to 0.

  • Big Break: Resets the big break timer and starts the break immediately. Use this to start the big break immediately without waiting for the timer to countdown to 0.

  • Settings: Opens the time tracker settings window. You can customize the time tracker to your requirements in the settings window.

  • Pin / UnPin: Resize the timer window and click the Pin option to pin the timer at that size and location. When pinned, the time tracker is fixed in place and visible on top of other application windows. When pinned, the menu option changes to UnPin. To move or resize the time tracker window, click UnPin, move/resize the window and Pin it back.

  • Close: Closes the time tracker window. Please note that the time tracker continues running in the background even when you close the time tracker window. To stop the time tracker, press the Pause option and then close the window.

Time Tracker Settings

Right click on the time tracker window and select Settings to open the time tracker settings window. Please Note: The timers are reset whenever the times or durations are modified.

General Tab

  • Automatically Launch Time Tracker: Enable this setting to start the time tracker automatically. If the app is running, the time tracker starts at the specified Start At time. If the app is not running, the time tracker starts automatically when the app is started and the Stop At time is not yet reached.
  • Auto Launch On Days: Set the days of week when the time tracker must launch automatically.
  • Start At (Time of Day): The start time when the time tracker is allowed to run.
  • Stop At (Time of Day): The end time till which the time tracker is allowed to run. If the stop time has passed, the tracker will not run anymore.
  • Show prompt at stop time: Shows a visual prompt 30 seconds before the stop time.
  • Stop Time Audio Alert: Opens a window to allow you to enable/disable and choose a sound alert to play at stop time. You can choose from the built-in sounds, or custom mp3.
  • Stop Action: Execute a system action at stop time. Actions include Lock the PC, Log Out, Put PC to Sleep, Restart the PC, and Shutdown the PC.
  • Time Tracking Mode: Choose the tracking mode to be either timer based or activity based. Please refer to the Tracking Screen Time section above for more details about tracking modes. If you choose Activity mode, you can set the Detect Idle After (seconds) duration. If no keyboard/mouse activity is detected for this duration, the timers are paused. The timers resume countdown as soon as activity is detected again.
  • Timers Display Orientation: Choose to display the timers horizontally (default) or stacked vertically.
  • Short Break Timer Title: Change the title of the short break timer if you wish to name it something else instead of the default “Short Break”.
  • Short Break Timer Color: Change the progress bar color of the “Short Break” timer. By default it is set to DarkSlateGray.
  • Big Break Timer Title: Change the title of the big break timer if you wish to name it something else instead of the default “Big Break”.
  • Big Break Timer Color: Change the progress bar color of the “Big Break” timer. By default it is set to DarkOrange.
  • Stop Time Timer Title: Change the title of the stop time timer if you wish to name it something else instead of the default “Stop”.
  • Stop Time Timer Color: Change the progress bar color of the “Stop” timer. By default it is set to DarkGreen.
  • Timers Background Color: Change the background color of the timers window. By default it is set to Black.
  • Timers Background Opacity: Change the opacity of the timers window. By default it is set to 0.5. When the timers window is pinned, opacity of 1 makes the window background fully opaque. Setting it to 0 will make the window background fully transparent.

Short Break Tab

  • Short Breaks On/Off: Enable or disable short breaks timer. If disabled, the short break timer is not displayed in the timers window.
  • Break Every: Set the interval between short breaks. By default, it is set to 10 minutes.
  • Break Duration: Set the break duration. By default, it is set to 1 minute.
  • Postpone Duration: Set the duration for which the break must be postponed when the Postpone button is clicked in the Break Alert window. By default, it is set to 5 minutes. Note: The break alert window is displayed only if the Show break alert prompt option is enabled.
  • Show break alert prompt: If enabled, an alert window is displayed 30 seconds before the start of the break.
  • Show break duration window: If enabled, a window is displayed when the break starts. This window shows the break time remaining countdown, along with a progress bar and an End Break button. Press the “End Break” button to end a break prematurely.
  • Break Start Audio Alert: Opens a window to enable/disable and set an audio alert to play at the start of a break. Choose from built-in ringtones, or custom mp3.
  • Break End Audio Alert: Opens a window to enable/disable and set an audio alert to play at the end of a break. Choose from built-in ringtones, or custom mp3.
  • Break Action: Execute a system action at break time. Actions include Lock the PC, Log Out, Put PC to Sleep, Restart the PC, and Shutdown the PC.

Big Break Tab

  • Big Breaks On/Off: Enable or disable big breaks timer. If disabled, the big break timer is not displayed in the timers window.
  • Break Every: Set the interval between big breaks. By default, it is set to 50 minutes.
  • Break Duration: Set the break duration. By default, it is set to 10 minutes.
  • Postpone Duration: Set the duration for which the break must be postponed when the Postpone button is clicked in the Break Alert window. By default, it is set to 5 minutes. Note: The break alert window is displayed only if the Show break alert prompt option is enabled.
  • Show break alert prompt: If enabled, an alert window is displayed 30 seconds before the start of the break.
  • Show break duration window: If enabled, a window is displayed when the break starts. This window shows the break time remaining countdown, along with a progress bar and an End Break button. Press the “End Break” button to end a break prematurely.
  • Break Start Audio Alert: Opens a window to enable/disable and set an audio alert to play at the start of a break. Choose from built-in ringtones, or custom mp3.
  • Break End Audio Alert: Opens a window to enable/disable and set an audio alert to play at the end of a break. Choose from built-in ringtones, or custom mp3.
  • Break Action: Execute a system action at break time. Actions include Lock the PC, Log Out, Put PC to Sleep, Restart the PC, and Shutdown the PC.