The live timer
Start, stop, and edit a running timer from the top bar or Chrome extension. Learn the 5-minute and 8-hour rules, pinned timers, and how a running timer follows you.
The live timer lives in the top bar on every page, so you can start tracking the moment you begin work. It counts in real time and saves the entry when you stop.
- Role
- OwnerAdminManagerMember
Anyone can run a timer for their own work, including Members.
Start a timer
Click play
When nothing is running, the top bar shows a No timer pill with a green play button. Click it.
Pick a project
A searchable project picker opens. Start typing to filter, then choose the project you're working on.
Pick a task (optional)
If the project has tasks, you'll see a task step next. Choose one, or click Start without a task to track against the project alone.
The pill now shows the project (and task, if you picked one), a live H:MM:SS clock, and an amber Stop button. The running time also appears in your browser tab title, so you can see it from another tab.
You can edit the note on a running timer without stopping it. Just update the note while the clock keeps ticking.
Stop a timer
Click the amber Stop button. The entry is saved against the project (and task) and appears immediately on your timesheet. Hourly project time is billable by default; Fixed fee and Non-billable project time is always saved as non-billable delivery effort.
A timed entry also records when you worked, not just how long: the timesheet shows the start–end range next to the duration, in the clock format you prefer. You never type these — the timer captures them for you. (You can add the same start and end times to a manual entry by hand.)
A timer that runs late into the evening is filed on your day, not UTC's. Start at 11 PM and the entry lands on today's timesheet, where you'd expect it.
Timer limits
Hoursmith has two guardrails so an accidental or forgotten timer doesn't wreck your numbers:
- Under 5 minutes — you decide. Stopping before 5 minutes offers three choices:
- Save as 5 minutes to keep the original project, task, note, billability, and start time,
- Discard to remove the timer without creating an entry, or
- Keep running to return to the timer.
- Past 8 hours — warning. Once a timer passes 8 hours, the pill turns red with a warning.
When you stop it, Hoursmith offers three choices:
- Keep the full duration,
- Trim it (cap at 8 hours), or
- Discard it entirely.
Save as 5 minutes records five minutes even if less time has elapsed. Choose Discard when the start was accidental, or log the exact duration manually.
Pinned timers
Pin the projects you track most for one-tap starting.
- Star up to 5 project (or project + task) combinations.
- Each pin starts that timer in a single tap, skipping the picker.
- If a pinned project or task is later archived or deleted, the pin is dropped silently.
A running timer follows you
Your running timer is read from the server on every load, so it's not tied to one browser tab. It reappears after a refresh, and it shows up when you sign in on another device — pick up exactly where you left off.
The same timer is available in Hoursmith for Chrome. The web app and extension enforce one running timer; the extension adopts the current short-stop choices in version 0.3.0 and later.
What happens next
Stopped entries go onto your timesheet, ready to edit. Billable, un-invoiced Hourly time can be pulled into an invoice; Fixed fee time remains effort only while the project's contract balance is invoiced separately.
Troubleshooting
- I stopped a short timer by mistake. Choose Keep running to return to it. If you already chose Discard, the timer cannot be restored; log the work manually if needed.
- The pill turned red. Your timer has passed 8 hours. Stop it and choose keep, trim, or discard.
- A pinned timer disappeared. Its project or task was archived or deleted. Pin a current target instead.
- My timer didn't start while offline. It's queued locally and replays when you reconnect. See Mobile & offline.
Time tracking overview
Track time with a live timer or log it by hand. Hourly entries can feed invoices; fixed-fee and non-billable entries report delivery effort.
The one-timer rule
You only ever have one timer running at a time. Starting a new timer automatically stops the one already running for you.