⏲️ Time Tracking and Partially Completing Tasks

TL;DR: Motion's Time Tracking feature allows you to precisely record the amount of time you've spent on tasks, even when they're not completed in one go. It's a powerful tool to help you manage your workflow and accurately track your progress. 🕒📈

What Does Time Tracking Solve? 🤔

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you're working on a task scheduled for the next few hours, but something unexpected comes up, and you can't complete the entire task? You've managed to complete a portion of it, say 30 minutes out of a 2-hour task, and now you need a way to inform Motion about it. You might say, "Hey Motion, I've spent 30 minutes on this 2-hour task, so there's still 1 hour and 30 minutes left to be done." That's where Time Tracking comes in handy! 🙌

Section 1: Time Tracking for Tasks Scheduled for the Current Time

Question 1: "I am working on a task now, but I've just partially completed it. How can I update it in Motion?"

Answer: If a task is 'in progress,' you can use our time tracking feature to tell Motion: 'Hey Motion, I have partially completed this task.'

• Right-click the task.

• Click 'Stop Task' (because you want to indicate how much you've done).

• Motion will ask, 'How long did you work on this task just now?' Tell Motion how long you worked on the task (e.g., 'Hey Motion, I worked on this task for 30 minutes').

• There's a second prompt that will ask how much more time you need to complete it. If you have a 2-hour task and you tell Motion you've completed one hour, the field for 'how much more time you need' will be reduced by 1 hour.

Section 2: Time Tracking for Tasks Scheduled in the Future (e.g., if you forgot to click the 'Start Task' button when you began working on the tasks)

Question 2: "How can I let Motion know I've partially completed a task that's scheduled for tomorrow but started today?"

Answer: You can track how much time of a task you've completed or tell Motion: 'Hey Motion, I've partially completed this task,' by using our task time tracking feature. To do so:

• Find the task you've been working on/have partially completed.

• Right-click the task.

• Click the 'Start Now' button.

• Motion will prompt: 'How long are you going to work on this task now?' Tell Motion how long you worked on the task (e.g., 1 hour).

• Work on the task for however long you want to work on it, and when you're done...

• Right-click the task again.

• Click 'Stop Task.'

• Motion will ask, 'How long did you work on this task just now?' Answer (e.g., 1 hour).

• The task will be partially completed and recorded at the time you did it.

Time tracking works like this:

Let's say it's 1 PM, and you click to "stop task." You tell Motion that you've just worked on this task for 2 hours. Well, you're essentially telling Motion, "Hey Motion, right now it's 1 PM, and I've just completed 2 hours of this task. So, from 11 AM to 1 PM, there should be 2 hours of this completed task on the calendar."

So, Motion will place the 1-hour block you just completed from 1 PM (the current time) backward to 11 AM (which is 1 PM minus 2 hours, the time you completed).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I move completed tasks in Motion?

A: Yes, you can move completed tasks in Motion. Let's say it's Monday at 5 PM, and you realize you forgot to mark a task as completed from yesterday. You can simply mark it as completed now and move it to the day and time when you actually finished it.

Q: If Motion asks me how much time I need to work on a task, and the original duration was 1 hour, but I say I need 3 hours, what happens?

A: If the duration of the task was originally set as 1 hour, and you indicate that you need 3 hours to complete it, the duration of the task will be increased to match the new time you need.

Q: Is there any way to track how long I've spent on each task this week in Motion?

A: No, Motion's time tracking works differently. It allows you to record time spent on a specific task or portion of a task when you stop it. There isn't a feature for tracking cumulative hours across multiple tasks or weeks.

Q: Can I track time in Motion?

A: Motion has a time tracking feature where you can tell Motion, "Hey Motion, I've completed 1 hour of this 4-hour task, so mark the 1 hour as completed and reschedule the other 3. However, we don't have a feature for tracking cumulative time spent on tasks in a reporting or analytics format.