Notes from the build

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1. 0101

   note-taking-on-e-ink-tablets.mdlatest

   Note taking on an e-ink tablet, without a second app

   Everyone in TimerOS now has a notebook: a private canvas for ideas that had nowhere to go. The web app also has an e-ink mode for e-paper tablets.

   #notebook#e-ink#canvas#note-taking

   by The TimerOS Team2026-08-2910 min readNotesread →
2. 0202

   incident-war-rooms.md

   Incident war rooms: put the client in the room

   In a major incident the fix happens in one place and the client update in another. A war room makes them the same place, with the client in it.

   #incident-response#war-rooms#client-communication#status-updates

   2026-08-168 min readIncident responseread →
3. 0303

   automatic-time-tracking-accuracy.md

   Automatic time tracking accuracy: cutting wrong bookings by two thirds

   We published the thresholds our automatic timesheet used, then measured them. Eight days later they are gone: the app now calculates them from your workspace.

   #automatic-timesheets#accuracy#on-device-matching#product-engineering

   2026-08-109 min readMeasurementread →
4. 0404

   client-whiteboard.md

   A shared whiteboard your client can actually draw on

   Design feedback gets lost in the export, annotate, email, re-export routine. Every TimerOS project now has a canvas the client can draw on too.

   #whiteboard#client-collaboration#client-portal#design-approval

   2026-08-107 min readCollaborationread →
5. 0505

   matching-tracked-time-to-tasks.md

   How tracked time finds the right task

   Automatic timesheets usually work by guessing, and a wrong booking costs more than a missing one. Here is the matcher we built instead, with its thresholds.

   #task-tracking#automatic-timesheets#on-device-matching#product-engineering

   2026-08-048 min readHow it worksread →
6. 0606

   toggl-vs-harvest-vs-clockify.md

   Toggl vs Harvest vs Clockify: where each one stops

   What Toggl Track, Harvest and Clockify include, plan by plan, checked on 31 July 2026: pricing, invoicing, approvals, client access, and where TimerOS fits.

   #toggl-track#harvest#clockify#time-tracking-software

   2026-07-319 min readBuying guideread →
7. 0707

   client-status-updates.md

   Stop writing client status updates

   Clients ask "any update?" because they cannot see the work. Every answer is unbilled admin; here is the monthly cost, and how a portal removes the job.

   #client-portal#client-communication#agency-operations#invoicing

   2026-07-266 min readClient workread →
8. 0808

   what-counts-as-overtime.md

   What counts as overtime? Ask the shift, not the clock

   Overtime is work done outside the schedule. Many tools guess that schedule, so they miss real overtime or invent it. How to measure it against the actual shift, and what changes when you do.

   #overtime#shift-scheduling#workforce-management#time-tracking

   2026-07-247 min readTeamsread →
9. 0909

   effective-hourly-rate.md

   Effective hourly rate: find your unprofitable clients

   The rate you quoted and what you actually earned per hour are two different numbers, and in that gap some clients who look profitable are losing you money. Here’s how to work out your effective rate, and four things to do when it comes in low.

   #effective-hourly-rate#project-profitability#pricing#billable-hours

   2026-07-227 min readProfitabilityread →
10. 1010

    time-tracking-without-surveillance.md

    Time tracking without surveillance: how TimerOS classifies activity on-device

    Most monitoring tools watch the screen. TimerOS reads a few small signals on the computer, scores them locally, and sends none of the raw data anywhere. Here is how it works, with charts of a sample tracked day.

    #activity-classification#on-device-ai#privacy#gdpr

    2026-06-016 min readPrivacyread →
11. 11

    notes-from-the-build.mddraft

    The next entry is being written

    It’s the draft at the top of this page. Want a note when it’s published? No mailing list, no spam, just one email.

    Email me when it ships

    ── unscheduled