Part 2: How to Track Time in Airtable ⏲️ Replace Harvest & Toggl

How to Track Time in Airtable: Advanced Tips and Automations

Tracking time effectively is essential for businesses that need to monitor project hours, manage employee work logs, or replace external tools like Harvest and Toggl. Airtable offers powerful time-tracking capabilities, but many users have questions about pausing timers, automating time logs, and handling multiple users.

This guide expands on previous time-tracking solutions in Airtable, addressing common challenges and providing automation techniques to enhance your workflow.

Setting Up Time Tracking in Airtable

Airtable allows you to track time by creating a time log system using records that store start and end times. The duration is calculated automatically using a formula that subtracts the start time from the end time.

A standard setup includes:

• A Start Time field (date/time type)
• An End Time field (date/time type)
• A Duration field (formula: End Time - Start Time)
• A Project or Task Link (to associate time logs with specific projects)
• A User Field (to assign time logs to individuals)

Once configured, users can start time tracking by clicking a button that logs the start time. However, many users ask how to pause a timer, automate end times, and manage multiple users efficiently.

How to Handle Pausing a Timer in Airtable

Airtable does not have a built-in way to pause a running timer, as time logs depend on a start and end time calculation. While it is technically possible to add a "pause" feature by manually adjusting time durations, a simpler and more efficient solution is:

1. Stop the current time log by entering an end time.
2. Start a new time log when resuming work.

This method ensures accurate tracking without unnecessary complexity. If breaks need to be recorded, the gaps between time logs naturally indicate them.

Automating End Time Logging in Airtable

Airtable's automation features allow you to automatically log an end time for running timers. There are two primary approaches:

1. Manually Stopping a Timer with a Button

To create a button that stops all active timers for a project:

1. Go to Interfaces and add a button labeled End Time Logs.
2. Create an Automation in Airtable:
   • Trigger: When the "End Time Logs" button is clicked.
   • Action: Find all open time logs for the current project where "End Time" is empty.
   • Action: Update each open time log with the current timestamp in the "End Time" field.

This setup allows users to stop all timers with one click.

2. Automatically Ending Timers at a Set Time

To prevent long-running or forgotten time logs:

1. Create an Automation in Airtable:
   • Trigger: At 6:00 PM daily (or another chosen time).
   • Action: Find all open time logs with empty "End Time" values.
   • Action: Update these records, setting the "End Time" to 6:00 PM.

This ensures no time logs remain open indefinitely.

Creating a Button to End Individual Time Logs

For users who prefer stopping one log at a time rather than ending all project logs, you can add an inline button next to each time log entry.

Steps:

1. Add a Button Field in the time tracking table.
2. Set the button type to Run a Script.
3. Write a script that:
   • Finds the specific time log.
   • Updates its "End Time" with the current timestamp.

While scripting requires some coding knowledge, it allows precise control over which logs are closed.

Managing Multiple Users in Airtable Time Tracking

When multiple users track time, it’s important to:

• Assign time logs to the user who started them.
• Ensure users only see their own time logs.

Assigning the Correct User Automatically

When a user clicks the Start Timer button, the automation should:

• Capture the User ID of the person clicking the button.
• Store it in the User field of the new time log.

This ensures each log is assigned correctly.

Filtering Views for Individual Users

To prevent users from seeing each other’s data:

1. In Interfaces, apply a filter where:
   • Time logs are only visible if User = Current Logged-in User.
2. In Project Views, restrict visibility based on the assigned user.

This keeps the experience personalized and prevents data confusion.

Handling Unclosed Time Logs

A common issue is when users forget to stop a timer, resulting in excessively long durations.

Automating Cleanup of Old Logs

An automation can ensure no time log remains open indefinitely:

• Trigger: Scheduled daily at 6 PM.
• Action: Find all time logs with an empty "End Time."
• Action: Set the end time to 6:00 PM.

This ensures accurate reporting without manual intervention.

Tracking Time for Subtasks

For users who track time at a more detailed level:

• Create a Subtasks table linked to the main project.
• Change the time log’s linked field to connect with Subtasks instead of Projects.
• When tracking time, log it against the specific subtask.

This enables a more detailed breakdown of hours worked on each step of a project.

Final Thoughts

Airtable provides powerful time-tracking capabilities, but with custom automations, you can streamline workflows, reduce manual errors, and improve productivity. Whether you need project-wide time tracking or detailed subtasks with user-based visibility, Airtable's flexibility makes it a strong alternative to traditional time-tracking apps.

Looking for more ways to improve your Airtable workflows? Explore related automation techniques to further optimize your systems.