OrsonAt the end of a long day, it is easy to remember the scheduled meeting and forget the half hour spent preparing for it. It is also easy to overestimate time when several small tasks ran together. A short review helps you make a record you can explain to a client and correct later.
Start with work, not activity
Write down the project, the outcome, and any time you know for certain. A calendar event, a timer you started yourself, and a saved deliverable are useful anchors. Opening an app is context, not proof that the whole interval was billable.
For example, “revised the proposal and sent it to the client” is more useful than “used a browser for 46 minutes.” Keep the description specific enough that you can recognize the work next month.
Mark gaps instead of filling them in
If you cannot account for a stretch of time, leave it unassigned until you can check. A phone call, a walk, or reading notes may be part of the job, but a presence indicator cannot decide that for you. Do not turn all open-app time into an invoice line.
Make a small closing routine
- Compare your calendar and timers with the work you completed.
- Check the start and end of each client or project block.
- Move breaks and unrelated work out of billable entries.
- Write one sentence for each item a client may ask about.
- Save a draft report, then look again before you send it.
Five minutes is a useful starting point, not a rule. The purpose is a clearer record, not a perfect reconstruction of every minute.
Keep the source private
Work histories can reveal client names, habits, and personal time. Decide what you need to record, pause it when the context changes, and share only the finished report. Orson is being built around a local, opt-in timeline and editable timesheets. Those features are not available for download yet.