Project Time Tracking
How task timer entries and focus sessions roll up into total project time - including subtasks and CRM tasks - with the Time Statistics modal, per-task breakdown, time range filters, and CSV export.
PrimeTask aggregates time from every task in a project - timer sessions (start/stop) and focus sessions (Pomodoro) - into a single project-level total. This gives you an honest answer to "how much time has gone into this project so far?" The aggregation includes regular task time, subtask time, and CRM task time when CRM is enabled.
You see project time in two main places: the Time Spent insight card on the Project Metrics tab, and the Time Statistics modal (opened from that card). For the underlying task timer and focus systems, see Task Time Tracking and Task Focus Mode.
Project Time Tracking is a Pro feature
The project-level breakdown (combining timer entries and focus sessions across all tasks, subtasks, and CRM tasks) and the CSV export require Pro. The basic task timer and focus mode are available on every license. See License Settings.
Track time on the task you are doing
Project totals are built from task time, so accurate task-level tracking creates accurate project totals.
What you can do
See total project time
every timer entry and focus session combined into one number
Break it down by source
timer time vs focus time
See per-task time
ranked by total time spent
Expand any task
to see every individual entry (timer or focus)
Filter by time range
Today, This Week, This Month, or All Time
See break time
from focus sessions separately
Export to CSV
every time entry in the selected range with full metadata
Refresh in real time
entries appear immediately as tasks are tracked, including from focus sessions completed in another window
Where project time comes from
Project time aggregates from two sources at the task level:
Task timer entries
Every time you start and stop the timer on a task linked to the project, that session is recorded as a timer entry with a duration. Manual time entries (added without the timer) also count. See Task Time Tracking.
Focus sessions
Every Pomodoro focus session run on a task linked to the project records its actual focus duration (excluding break time). Both completed and abandoned sessions count toward project time - the actual time you spent focused. Break time is tracked separately. See Task Focus Mode.
What's included in the aggregate
- Timer entries on regular project tasks
- Timer entries on subtasks (recursively, at any depth)
- Timer entries on CRM tasks linked to the project (when CRM is enabled)
- Focus sessions on any of the above
When CRM is enabled, CRM tasks linked to the project are first-class - their timer and focus time roll up just like regular tasks.
Subtasks and CRM tasks count
Time on linked subtasks and project CRM tasks contributes to the project total.
Total project time formula
Total Project Time = Timer Time + Focus TimeWhere:
- Timer Time = sum of every timer entry duration across regular tasks, subtasks, and CRM tasks
- Focus Time = sum of every focus session's actual duration (excluding breaks) across the same tasks
Break Time is tracked separately - it's the total time spent on breaks during focus sessions. This isn't added to Total Project Time (since the user wasn't focused), but it's surfaced as a stat in case you want to see your break habits.
Where to see project time
Time Spent insight card
The Project Metrics tab's Time Spent insight card shows the project's total time front and centre, with subtext breaking it down between timer and focus. Click the card to open the Time Statistics modal. See Project Metrics.
Time Breakdown chart
A Time Breakdown section on the Metrics tab visualises how project time splits between timer and focus sessions. Click through to open the modal for full detail.
Time Statistics modal
The detailed modal opens from the Time Spent card or the Time Breakdown section. It includes:
- Time range filters - Today / This Week / This Month / All Time
- Stats grid - Total Time, Timer, Focus, Breaks (with averages and counts)
- Per-task breakdown - every task ranked by total time, with badges for Subtask or CRM when applicable, and a per-task expandable detail showing every individual time entry
- Recent Activity - a chronological list of recent entries
- CSV export - every time entry in the current range as a downloadable file
For the full modal walkthrough, see Project Metrics.
Per-task breakdown
The Time Statistics modal's per-task list shows every task that has logged time, sorted by total time descending. For each task you see:
- Rank badge (1 is highest, descending)
- Task name - click to navigate to the task detail page
- Type badges - Subtask if it's a child of another task, CRM if it's a CRM-linked task
- Entry counts - number of timer entries and number of focus sessions, with separate dots
- Total time - combined timer + focus time for the task
- Relative bar - visual indicator of the task's contribution compared to the top task
Expanding a task
Each task is expandable. Click to see every individual entry - both timer entries and focus sessions - with their date, duration, and source. This lets you audit exactly where time went on a task.
Time range filtering
The modal's time range tabs let you focus the view on a specific window:
| Range | Window |
|---|---|
| Today | From midnight today |
| This Week | From Monday of this week |
| This Month | From the 1st of this month |
| All Time | Every entry, no filter |
The selected range applies to all sections of the modal - stats, per-task breakdown, recent activity, and the CSV export. Switch ranges to compare a single day's effort versus the full project's history.
Choose the range before reviewing totals
The same time range controls summary numbers, task ranking, recent activity, and export.
Refresh in real time
The project time aggregation listens for changes from any window. Start a timer or complete a focus session in one window - the project time stats update instantly in the other. This means you can have the project's Metrics tab open in one window while you work on tasks in another, and the time numbers stay accurate without manual refresh.
CSV export
The CSV export from the Time Statistics modal contains every entry for the selected time range. Columns:
| Column | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Project | The project's name |
| Task | The task's name |
| Type | Task, Subtask, or CRM |
| Source | Timer or Focus |
| Date | ISO timestamp of the entry's start |
| Duration | HH:MM:SS formatted |
| Duration (seconds) | Raw seconds for spreadsheet math |
| Description | The entry's description (if any) |
| Break Duration | HH:MM:SS - focus sessions only |
The filename includes the project name and the time range, so you can keep separate exports for daily/weekly/monthly reporting without overwriting.
Export uses the selected range
Check the range before exporting CSV for reporting or billing.
Things worth knowing
Project time vs task time - different views of the same data
Each task has its own time tracking section showing its own timer entries and focus sessions - see Task Time Tracking. Project time is the aggregate of all those task-level entries across the project. Numbers reconcile exactly: if you sum every task's time, you get the project's time.
Subtasks count automatically
You don't need to track time on the parent task - tracking on subtasks contributes to the parent's time and to the project's total automatically. The per-task breakdown shows subtasks as separate rows with a Subtask badge so you can see which contributions come from nested work.
CRM tasks count when CRM is enabled
When the project has CRM enabled, CRM tasks linked to the project contribute their timer and focus time to the project total. CRM-task entries appear in the per-task breakdown with a CRM badge. See Project Team & CRM for enabling CRM.
Break time is separate from focus time
Focus sessions track break time independently - you started a 25-minute focus session, took a 5-minute break, then resumed for another 20 minutes. The session's actual duration is 45 minutes (the focused portion); the break duration is 5 minutes. Total Project Time uses actual duration only - break time appears as a separate stat so you can see your break habits without inflating the project's "work done" number.
Manual time entries also count
Time you add manually (via the task's Add action without using the timer) counts as a timer entry. It contributes to project time the same way as live-tracked timer sessions.
Recurring tasks count once per cycle
Recurring tasks have a single current instance at any time. Time tracked on the current instance contributes to project time. Completing the instance generates the next recurrence - historical time on past instances is preserved. See Recurring Tasks.
The aggregation listens to focus session events
The project time aggregation listens for focus session changed events. When a focus session is started, paused, resumed, completed, or abandoned in any window, the project's time numbers re-aggregate immediately.
Common questions
"Why is the project total higher than I expected?"
Open the Time Statistics modal and check the per-task breakdown. The top tasks usually account for most of the time. Expand any task to see every individual entry - you may find old entries from the early days, or discover that subtasks contributed significantly. The CSV export lets you analyse further in a spreadsheet.
"Why doesn't my focus session show up?"
Three things to check:
"I tracked time but the project total didn't update."
The project time aggregation should update in real time. If it doesn't, switch tabs or scroll the modal to trigger a re-render. If still missing, the time entry may be on a task that isn't linked to this project - verify the task's project field.
"Can I see how much time each team member spent?"
Per-member breakdown isn't currently available - the modal aggregates across all entries regardless of who logged them. For per-member analysis, export to CSV and pivot in a spreadsheet by the entry's user (when sync is enabled and entries include user attribution).
"Does break time count as work?"
No - break time is tracked separately. The Total Project Time stat uses focus session actual duration, which excludes break time. The Breaks stat exists to show the total break time so you can see how much time you spent stepping away.
"Can I export time tracking for a specific date range like 'last 7 days'?"
The built-in time range filter offers Today / This Week / This Month / All Time. For a custom range like "last 7 days" or "Q1 only", export All Time and filter in your spreadsheet. The CSV includes ISO timestamps and raw seconds for easy filtering.
"Where is the time data stored?"
Time entries are stored on the task itself (timeTracking array), and focus sessions are stored separately. Both sync via File Sync or iCloud. The project time stats hook reads these in real time and aggregates on demand - no separate "project time" record exists.
"Can I edit a time entry from the modal?"
Editing happens at the task level. Click a task in the per-task breakdown to navigate to the task, then edit time entries from the task's time tracking section. See Task Time Tracking.
"How is project time different from project progress?"
Project time measures how much effort has been spent (in hours and minutes). Project progress measures how much work is done (as a percentage). A project can have lots of time spent but low progress (you're working hard but tasks aren't completing) or high progress with little time spent (efficient work or work logged outside PrimeTask). See Project Health & Progress.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| Use the task timer (start/stop, manual entries) | Task Time Tracking |
| Run focus sessions to track concentrated work | Task Focus Mode |
| See the full Metrics tab including time stats | Project Metrics |
| Track budgets, ROI, burn rate, and runway | Project Financial Tracking |
| Understand subtask time aggregation | Subtasks & Checklists |
| See cross-project analytics | Reports Overview |
| Understand health vs time vs progress | Project Health & Progress |
| Return to the Projects hub | Projects Overview |