Intelligent Time Tracking with Active Engagement Prompts for ClickUp
Tarak Gorai
🔹 Overview of the Problem
ClickUp's current time tracking tool offers a great native capability to log time spent on tasks. However, it lacks active user engagement verification, resulting in inaccurate and inflated time records when users:
1) I/ Team members forgot to stop the timer.
2) Switch tasks without updating the timer.
3) Step away from their computer while the timer continues to run.
This leads to a skewed perception of productivity, misreporting of billable/non-billable hours, and difficulty in performance analytics.
🔹 Proposed Solution: Active Engagement Timer (AET) System
A feature that prompts users to confirm their ongoing engagement with the currently tracked task at user-defined intervals, with the following characteristics:
🔢 Key Features & Functional Flow
✅ 1. Smart Pop-up Reminder
After a user starts a timer, ClickUp will show a non-intrusive pop-up at a configurable interval (e.g. every 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes).
The pop-up will ask: "Are you still working on this task?"
Options:
Yes, continue (Timer continues for the same task)
Switch Task (Brings up a quick task search/switch modal)
Pause Timer
📊 2. Customizable Reminder Frequency
Each user can choose their own preferred interval (e.g., 10 min for developers, 30 min for project managers).
Admins can set org-wide defaults.
❌ 3. Auto-Pause After Inactivity
If the user does not respond to one/two consecutive reminders, the timer auto-pauses.
An optional notification can alert the user: "We paused your timer due to inactivity."
📅 4. Resume with Contextual Time Handling
When the user returns, ClickUp will ask:
"Welcome back! Do you want to add the previous 30 minutes to the task or discard it?"
Options:
Add time to the same task.
Add to a different task.
Discard time.
⚙️ 5. Startup Behaviour Setting
Add a setting in ClickUp preferences:
"Ask me which task to start tracking at login/startup"
Ensures no time is missed or misattributed.
📂 6. Optional Screenshot Prompt (for WorkSnaps-like Accuracy)
A feature (if enabled) to optionally capture a screen (blurry preview or timestamp-only) every time confirmation is requested for audit.
📗 Suggested User Journey Example:
User: John (Frontend Developer)
Logs in at 9:00 AM. ClickUp asks: "What task would you like to work on today?"
He selects: "Fix Homepage Layout Bug"
Timer starts at 9:01 AM
At 9:31 AM, a pop-up appears: "Still working on this task?"
John clicks "Yes"
At 10:01 AM, John is away from desk.
No response
10:06 AM: Second pop-up comes
Still no response
Timer auto-pauses at 10:10 AM
At 10:25 AM, John returns, sees prompt: "Timer paused. Do you want to include the previous 20 minutes?"
John chooses "No, discard time"
🔎 Benefits to ClickUp Users
Increased accuracy of logged time.
Reduced manual error in tracking.
Better project costing, billing, and productivity insights.
Helps align with privacy-first policies (by not capturing time when user is away).
Builds trust with clients through accountable reporting.
🌟 Additional Ideas
Add keyboard shortcuts for popup confirmation.
Allow teams to bulk-enable the feature across workspaces.
Integrate with ClickUp Goals to track focus durations.
🛍️ Final Thoughts
This feature draws inspiration from tools like WorkSnaps, but adapts them elegantly within ClickUp's productivity ecosystem. It maintains ClickUp’s flexibility while ensuring higher time tracking integrity — a game-changer for remote teams, freelancers, and managers.
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