Make every second count with manual time tracking

Offline time is a type of tracked time that's been manually logged as a particular activity. During the workday, employees step away from their computers, creating gaps in their day's timeline or Productivity bar; they're identified initially as Idle time. However, suppose this time was actually spent on a work-related activity. In that case, employees can hover over the idle time slots, click on them, and enter the description of their activity to save it as offline time instead. Offline times can be set for automatic approval or require managers to approve or reject them.

Yes, the DeskTime app still tracks your activities if the Internet connection is lost; when it's restored, the data is uploaded and added to the timeline. If you restart your computer during this time, the data will, unfortunately, be lost. But you can still ensure that your activities are accounted for by adding offline time instead – DeskTime also functions as a manual timesheet app. Hover over the idle time slots in the productivity bar, click on them, add a description of what you did, and save it as offline time. Offline time can be approved automatically or logged as pending, requiring a manager's approval.

Offline time tracking is a time tracking method that lets you know how much time is spent on work-related tasks away from the computer. While automatic time tracking keeps a record of all your activities online, offline time tracking steps in when your employees have meetings, on-site work, or any other activity that doesn't require them to be on their computers all the time. When they're done with the meeting and return to their computers, they can manually fill in the time to complete the day's timeline.

Yes, most time tracking apps on the market, including DeskTime, also let you keep track of offline hours. Manual time tracker's functionalities step in when automatic time tracking is unavailable for some reason. To make sure that this productive time spent on work activities is not lost, you can manually fill in the gaps in your timeline, indicating the work you were doing. This will then count towards your daily total as Offline time.

If the Internet connection is lost, the DeskTime app still gathers the data of the users' activities and uploads them to the web later when the connection is restored. However, if the computer is restarted during this offline period, the data will be lost; in this case, it's possible to manually add offline time to ensure that work hours are still counted. Offline time can also be helpful if your day started or ended with an activity away from the computer – manually add it to your timeline to ensure that your timesheets stay accurate.

The DeskTime time tracking app offers automatic and manual time tracking options, which means you can keep an eye on both your team's work on their computers and their work-related activities offline. If an event requires people to step away from their computers, this time can later be assigned in the DeskTime timeline as Offline time, adding a description of what was done during that time. You can require submitted offline times to be approved by an admin before they are added to the timesheets.

Idle time is the gap between tracked time periods when there hasn't been any computer activity, indicating that the user was not on their computer. The DeskTime app starts counting idle time if there hasn't been any activity on the computer for more than 3 minutes (you can choose a longer period in the settings, as well as customize what is counted as an activity indicator for your team – for example, whether or not mouse movements count). Idle time can be manually switched to offline time if the employee was working away from their computer.

Idle time appears in the DeskTime productivity bar when there hasn't been any computer activity for more than 3 minutes. You can set up a longer period for idle time detection in the settings. Administrators can also choose what should count as active work on the computer – it's possible to disable mouse clicks and movement as activity tracking measurements. But typically, idle time appears when people take breaks, have meetings where the focus is not on the computer, participate in face-to-face conversations, etc. – anything that takes place offline.

If you use the DeskTime app, idle time is detected automatically when there hasn't been any computer activity for 3 minutes or more. This time shows up in the employees' productivity bars as idle time. If the idle time was spent on a work-related activity away from the computer (a meeting or conversation with a colleague, for example), idle time slots can be logged manually as offline time. Hover over the relevant idle time slot, click on it, and enter the activity description to turn it into offline time.

Yes, employers can track the idle time of their employees. The DeskTime desktop app tracks everything you do on the computer, and when there's been no activity for more than 3 minutes, it logs the time as idle until activity resumes. Idle time is visible in the productivity bar as the empty gaps between the other activities. If the employee was doing some work during the period that shows up as idle time, it can manually be changed to Offline time, noting the activity and its productivity status.

In DeskTime's context, idle time counts as periods of time when there has been no activity on the computer for 3 or more minutes. This indicates to the DeskTime app that the user has stepped away from the computer and that the app should stop tracking time until activity resumes. By detecting idle times, the app can ensure that the data overviews are as accurate as possible, showing exactly when employees were working and taking breaks and for how long.

If you use DeskTime, idle time at work indicates the times during the day when the employee has stepped away from the computer, and there's been no computer activity for more than 3 minutes. However, it's important to remember that not all idle time is spent not working – different kinds of tasks have to be done offline or in person (like meetings, phone calls, onsite work, etc.). That's why DeskTime offers the option to manually replace the relevant idle time sections with offline time that will count towards the day's statistics.

Although the DeskTime desktop app provides the most detailed time tracking data, it's also possible to track time via the web browser, including Chrome, without downloading the app. To do this, log into the DeskTime web account and find the web timer widget (look for a green "play" button). Click the green button to start tracking time, or you can also indicate the project and/or task you're working on. Note that the web timer does not track the apps and URLs you visit – it simply counts how much time has passed since you turned it on. You can switch between projects and tasks, and don't forget to click the "stop" button once you're done working – unlike the desktop app, the web timer will keep tracking even if you turn off the computer.

If you want to track time from the Chrome web browser without installing the DeskTime app, use the web timer. It's a simple start/stop timer that lets you indicate the activity you're working on at the given time. It's built into the DeskTime web account, so you don't need to add it as a separate Chrome extension. Press the "start" button when you want tracking to begin, and remember to stop it at the end of the workday. Otherwise, the tracking will continue even if you've shut down the computer.

DeskTime offers several manual time tracking options. The first one is offline time; when you step away from the computer, the productivity bar in the My DeskTime section will display empty slots between the tracked activities labeled as idle time. If this time was spent working, you can click on the section and add its description, which will turn into offline time and be counted towards your day's activities. You can also track time manually with the web timer or the mobile app – these function as simple start/stop timers.

Although tools like DeskTime are particularly popular among managers, they can also provide various insights for individual users. If your work uses a time tracker, you can easily follow your task progress and how much time you spend on them by assigning the time to a particular activity (check out our Project tracking feature!). The "My DeskTime" section is available to each user, displaying your day's stats; check it occasionally to see patterns and trends. You can start making the necessary changes once you're equipped with the knowledge and data.

Using a dedicated time tracking app is the easiest way to track your daily tasks. With DeskTime, for example, you can either install the desktop app to track all your daily computer activities or take advantage of manual time tracking options, such as the web timer. It functions as a start/stop timer and lets you indicate the project and task you're currently working on. This way, looking back at your gathered data, you get a clear picture of what takes up most of your time and where you could improve.

Time tracking apps like DeskTime are great not just for managers who want to gain insights about how their team works but also for individual users. You can set the app to automatically track your activities in the background or choose when to track your work by launching the web timer. The "My DeskTime" section will display that day's data in a handy progress bar; you can choose daily or monthly views or even set a custom period you want to overview. For more comparisons, you can head to the Reports page.

One of the simplest options is to jot down when you started working and when you finished. However, a more effective way is to use a time tracking app like DeskTime. It will do all the tracking for you, keeping a record of your activities so that you can then conclude how you organize your day. While DeskTime can work fully automatically, it also offers various manual time tracking options if you'd like to stay more in control of the timers or to fill out the time slots when you step away from the computer.