The Work Diary provides transparency for hourly contracts on goLance. Freelancers can review their logged hours, activity data, screenshots, and manual time, while clients can review the work completed during each billing period.
How Do I Access the Work Diary?
Freelancers and clients can access the Work Diary by following the same steps:
- Sign in to your goLance account.
- Go to Jobs Manager.
- Select the Hourly Contracts tab.
- Find the contract you want to review and select the Contract Name.
- Select the Work Diary tab near the top of the contract page.
How Is Time Recorded on Hourly Contracts?
Hourly contract time is automatically recorded through the goMeter application.
The goMeter tracks work in 10-minute segments and records activity information to confirm that work is being performed during each interval.
For each segment, the goMeter may record:
- Keystrokes: Keyboard inputs during the interval.
- Mouse Clicks: Left, right, and middle mouse clicks.
- Mouse Scrolls: Scroll-wheel movements.
- Screenshots: Periodic screen captures taken while tracking is active.
This information appears in the Work Diary for both the freelancer and client to review.
What Do the Activity Colors Mean?
Each tracked segment may display a color-coded activity indicator:
| Indicator | Activity Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Green | High or good activity | Consistent keyboard and mouse activity was detected. |
| Yellow | Moderate or lower activity | Some activity was detected. This may occur during reading, reviewing, or research. |
| Red | Low activity | Minimal keyboard or mouse activity was detected. |
A lower activity level does not necessarily mean no work was completed. Some tasks naturally require fewer keyboard or mouse interactions.
Why Are Some 10-Minute Segments Missing?
If goMeter detects no clicks, keystrokes, or scrolling during a complete 10-minute interval, it may identify the period as idle.
When this happens:
- The idle period is not tracked as active work.
- The interval may appear as a blank or missing block in the Work Diary.
- The time is not included in the freelancer’s billable hours.
- The time will not be paid automatically.
Freelancers should confirm that goMeter is actively tracking while they work.
Can Freelancers Add Manual Time?
Yes, but manual time must first be enabled by the client in the contract settings.
Manual time can be used for authorized work completed away from the computer or outside goMeter tracking, such as:
- Phone calls
- Meetings
- Offline research
- Mobile testing
- Other approved offline work
If the contract shows Manual Time: Disabled, the option to add manual time will not be available. The freelancer must contact the client directly and ask them to enable it in the contract settings.
How Do I Add Manual Time?
To add manual time:
- Open the Work Diary for the appropriate contract.
- Select the blue + Add Manual Time button above the Time Breakdown section.
- Select the date and the start and end times.
- Choose the appropriate category, such as Meeting, Development, or Design.
- Enter a detailed memo describing the work completed.
- Select Save.
Manual time should include a clear and accurate description so the client can understand what was completed during that period.
When Can Manual Time Be Added?
Manual time can only be added during the current open billing week.
The weekly Work Diary closes at the end of Sunday, at 23:59 UTC. Once the week closes, manual time can no longer be added to that week.
Freelancers should review their Work Diary before the weekly deadline and add any authorized missing time while the diary is still open.
Can Tracked or Manual Time Be Deleted?
Yes. Freelancers can delete time that was recorded incorrectly, including:
- Personal or non-work activity
- Time accidentally tracked under the wrong contract
- Incorrect manual time entries
- Other segments that should not be billed
Deleting a segment permanently removes:
- The tracked minutes
- Activity information
- Keystroke, click, and scroll totals
- Associated screenshots
How Do I Delete a Time Entry?
- Open the Work Diary for the appropriate contract.
- Go to the Time Breakdown section or open Table View.
- Find the day or specific 10-minute interval you want to remove.
- Select the checkbox beside the appropriate entry or entries.
- Select Delete from the toolbar above the table.
- Confirm the deletion.
Important: Deleted time cannot be restored. The deleted minutes will also be removed from the freelancer’s total billable hours.
Time can only be deleted before the weekly Work Diary closes.
What Is the Difference Between Table View and Calendar View?
The Work Diary provides two primary ways to review time.
Table View
The Table View provides a detailed, line-by-line breakdown of recorded time.
It may include:
- Date and time in UTC
- Time source, such as goMeter or manual time
- Work category
- Activity level
- Logged minutes
- Keystroke totals
- Mouse-click totals
- Mouse-scroll totals
This view is helpful when reviewing individual time segments or deleting specific entries.
Calendar View
The Calendar View provides a visual overview of the work week.
It may display:
- Total hours tracked each day
- Daily activity blocks
- Weekly time distribution
- Overall activity percentages
This view is helpful when reviewing general daily and weekly work patterns.
Which Time Zone Does the Work Diary Use?
The Work Diary uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
This applies to:
- Time-entry timestamps
- Daily work records
- Weekly billing deadlines
- The closing time for each Work Diary
Freelancers and clients should account for their local UTC offset when reviewing start times, end times, and weekly deadlines.
When Does the Weekly Work Diary Close?
The billing week closes every Sunday at 23:59 UTC.
Once the deadline passes:
- The previous week’s Work Diary is locked.
- Freelancers can no longer add manual time.
- Tracked or manual entries can no longer be deleted.
- Missing time cannot be added retroactively.
- Unrecorded hours will not be billed or paid automatically.
Freelancers should review their hours, screenshots, activity, and manual entries before the week closes.
What Happens if Time Is Missing After the Week Closes?
Closed Work Diaries cannot be edited.
If authorized work was completed but was not tracked through goMeter or added manually before the deadline:
- Contact the client directly.
- Explain why the time was not recorded.
- Provide the dates, hours, and details of the work completed.
- Ask the client to issue a manual bonus payment for the agreed amount.
The missing hours cannot be added to the closed Work Diary, even if the client confirms that the work was completed.
What Should Freelancers Review Before Sunday?
Before the Work Diary closes, freelancers should confirm that:
- All expected hours appear in the correct contract.
- goMeter time is accurate.
- Any authorized manual time has been added.
- Manual entries contain clear descriptions.
- Personal or incorrect time has been deleted.
- Missing or idle segments have been addressed with the client when necessary.
Reviewing the Work Diary regularly can help prevent billing issues after the week is locked.
Need Help? We hope this guide was helpful! If you have questions or need additional assistance, please contact our support team through the goLance chatbot. Our team is happy to provide further guidance.