Timers vs Manual Entry

Keito supports two primary approaches to time tracking. Choose the one that fits your workflow, or mix and match as needed.

Timer Mode

Best for: Tracking time as you work, especially when switching between tasks frequently.

How it works:

  1. Select a project and task.
  2. Click the start button to begin the timer.
  3. Work on your task — the timer counts in the background.
  4. Click stop when you’re done.

Key behaviors:

  • Only one timer can run at a time across your account.
  • Starting a new timer automatically stops the previous one and saves it.
  • The timer persists across page refreshes, tab switches, and browser closures.
  • A visual indicator shows when a timer is running.
  • You can edit the entry after stopping if needed.

Best practices:

  • Start the timer when you begin a task, even if you forget to stop it right away — you can adjust the duration later.
  • Use the restart action on previous entries to quickly start tracking similar work.

Manual Entry Mode

Best for: Logging time after the fact, filling in timesheets at the end of the day or week.

How it works:

  1. Select a project, task, and date.
  2. Enter the duration in decimal (e.g., 2.5) or hours:minutes (e.g., 2:30) format.
  3. Save the entry.

Key behaviors:

  • No running timer — you simply record how long you worked.
  • Enter time for any date (past or present, subject to locking rules).
  • Ideal for people who prefer to batch their time logging.

Best practices:

  • Use the Week View to quickly fill in an entire week at once.
  • Keep brief notes so you remember what you worked on when logging later.

Start/End Time Mode

A variant of manual entry where you specify when you started and stopped:

  • Enter a start time and end time.
  • Keito calculates the duration automatically.
  • Supports entries that cross midnight (e.g., 11:00 PM to 1:30 AM).

This mode is useful when you need precise time records or when your work schedule doesn’t follow standard hours.

Switching Between Modes

Your administrator can set a default entry mode for the workspace, but individual users can switch between timer and manual mode at any time from the time entry form.

Which Should I Use?

ScenarioRecommended Mode
Active task switching throughout the dayTimer
Filling in time at end of day/weekManual
Precise start/end records requiredStart/End Time
Collaborative sessions with defined schedulesStart/End Time
Quick one-off entriesManual