Re: time tracking common activities

[Bernt Hansen <bernt@norang.ca>]

Bernt Hansen <bernt@norang.ca> writes:

> David Bremner <bremner@unb.ca> writes:
>
>> J Aaron Farr wrote:
>>
>>>I'm using org-mode to track my time on projects and todo items, but
>>>I'd also like to start tracking time I spend on things such as my
>>>email, reading rss feeds, etc.  I'd prefer to continue to use
>>>org-mode for that so that all my time tracking is in one place with
>>>one system.
>>
>>>My current thought is to have a `diary.org` file that I keep tasks
>>>that don't clearly fit in any of my projects.  The file would look
>>>something like:
>>
>>>    *** DONE Checking email                  :email:
>>>        CLOSED: [2009-02-20 Fri 18:56]
>>>        :CLOCK:
>>>        CLOCK: [2009-02-20 Fri 17:56]--[2009-02-20 Fri 18:56] =>  1:00
>>>        :END:
>>
>> I don't see anything wrong with this, but I also don't see the need
>> for a TODO. Do you need to be reminded to check email?  You could just
>> make a headline, and clock on that.  Clocktables (or, maybe,
>> clocktable view in agenda mode) could narrow down e.g. time spent
>> reading email in one week.
>>
>> I guess you would still have to think about comfortable ways to find
>> the right file/buffer and clock in there.
>
> When I did something similar to this recently I created a tag for
> :ONGOING: tasks and used the agenda view to quickly find these tasks for
> clocking in.
>
> I just used a single task to clock multiple times and then at the end of
> the year create a new one and archive the old one so they don't grow
> forever.

and... replying to my own post - I do this slightly differently now.

Clocking a task in sets the TODO keyword to STARTED.  I don't mark
tasks as ONGOING anymore - I just clock it in (and don't mark it done).

I have an agenda view to display STARTED tasks so I can easily find
anything that's been clocked and is not finished.

I haven't been using this system long enough to know whether it's a good
fit for me long-term.  Time will tell :)

-Bernt