The Work Diary gives clients visibility into the time freelancers track on hourly contracts. You can review logged hours, productivity and activity levels, screenshots, task information, and other details related to the freelancer’s work.
You can also export Work Diary data, use Mango AI to summarize a freelancer’s week, manage time-tracking settings, and open a dispute when necessary.
How Do I Access a Freelancer’s Work Diary?
- Sign in to your goLance account.
- Select Contracts from the left-side menu.
- Open Hourly Contracts.
- Find the contract you want to review.
- Select the Contract Name.
- On the contract page, select the Work Diary tab.
What Can I Review in the Work Diary?
The Work Diary provides three main views:
- Time Breakdown
- Calendar
- Productivity
You can also select the week you want to review and adjust the timezone used to display the information.
What Does the Time Breakdown Show?
The Time Breakdown provides a detailed view of tracked work.
goMeter records activity in 10-minute segments. Depending on the entry, you may be able to review:
- Date and time
- Whether the time was tracked through goMeter or entered manually
- Task or work category
- Activity or productivity level
- Logged minutes
- Keystrokes
- Mouse clicks
- Mouse scrolls
- Screenshots captured while tracking was active
This view is useful when you want to investigate a specific period in more detail.
What Does the Calendar View Show?
The Calendar provides a higher-level overview of the freelancer’s work week.
You can use it to see:
- Which days the freelancer worked
- How much time was tracked each day
- How tracked hours were distributed throughout the week
This can be useful when you want a quick overview without reviewing every individual time block.
What Does the Productivity View Mean?
The Productivity view helps you review activity levels across tracked time.
goMeter monitors computer interaction such as:
- Keystrokes
- Mouse clicks
- Mouse scrolls
This information is used as an indicator of activity during the tracked period.
Productivity should not be used as the only measure of whether work was completed. Tasks such as reading, research, reviewing documents, meetings, watching required material, or testing may naturally involve less keyboard or mouse activity.
What Do the Activity Colors Mean?
The Work Diary uses color-coded indicators:
| Indicator | Activity Level | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Green | High / Good Activity | Consistent keyboard and mouse activity was recorded. |
| Yellow | Moderate / Lower Activity | Moderate activity was recorded. This can occur during reading, reviewing, or research. |
| Red | Low Activity | Minimal keyboard or mouse activity was detected. |
A red or low-activity period does not automatically mean that the freelancer was not working. Instead, it may be a period worth reviewing more closely.
What Should I Do if I Notice Low Productivity?
If you notice an unusually low productivity percentage:
- Identify the affected period.
- Review the activity information for that time.
- Check the associated screenshots.
- Consider the type of task the freelancer was performing.
- Compare the activity shown with the work you expected under the contract.
Low activity can be a useful indicator, but you should review the available context before deciding whether there is a problem with the tracked time.
How Do Screenshots Help Me Review Tracked Time?
Screenshots provide additional context about what was happening while the freelancer was tracking time.
For example, a low productivity percentage may correspond to work that requires less typing or clicking. Reviewing the screenshot alongside the task information and activity data can help you better understand what was being done during that period.
Why Are Some 10-Minute Periods Missing?
If goMeter detects no clicks, keystrokes, or scrolling during a full 10-minute period, it can enter an Idle state.
Idle periods are not treated as active tracked work, so you may see blank or missing 10-minute periods in the Work Diary.
Time that was not tracked is not automatically included in the freelancer’s billable hours.
Can Freelancers Add Manual Time?
Yes, but only if Manual Time is enabled in the contract settings.
Manual time can be used for authorized work that cannot normally be captured through goMeter, such as:
- Phone calls
- Offline work
- Mobile testing
- Other work completed away from the computer
Manual entries can include the date, start and end time, category, and a memo describing the work performed.
Manual time must be added before the weekly Work Diary closes.
How Do I Change Time-Tracking Settings for a Contract?
- Open Contracts → Hourly Contracts.
- Select the appropriate Contract Name.
- On the contract page, locate the buttons in the upper-right corner.
- Select the three-dot menu.
- Select Settings.
From Contract Settings, you may be able to manage:
- Contract title
- Hourly rate
- Contract fees
- Start and end dates
- Historical start date
- Assigned team
- Weekly time limit
- Manual Time
- Permanent manual-time weekly limit
- One-time manual-time weekly limit
- Manual invoices
What Is the Difference Between the Manual-Time Limits?
If Manual Time is enabled, you can control how much manual time the freelancer can enter.
- Permanent Manual Time Weekly Limit: Sets a recurring weekly limit.
- One-Time Manual Time Weekly Limit: Applies only to a specific week and resets after that week.
This allows you to permit manual time while still controlling how much can be added.
Can I Export a Freelancer’s Work Diary?
Yes.
From the Work Diary, select Export. The Customize your export window allows you to choose:
- Date range
- Timezone
- Activity report format
- Columns to include
Depending on the available data, export fields may include:
- Task name
- Task category
- 10-minute block
- Minute-by-minute breakdown
- Total actions
- Keystrokes
- Mouse clicks
Can goLance Summarize the Freelancer’s Week for Me?
Yes. Select Summarize This Week in the Work Diary to open Mango AI.
Mango AI analyzes the available Work Diary information for the selected week and provides a summary of the freelancer’s work.
The summary can give you a quick overview, but you can still review the Time Breakdown, Calendar, Productivity information, and screenshots for more detailed verification.
When Does the Work Diary Week Close?
Hourly Work Diaries follow a standardized UTC schedule.
The work week closes every Sunday at 23:59 UTC.
After the deadline passes, the previous week becomes locked for freelancer edits. Freelancers must ensure that their goMeter time and any authorized manual entries are recorded before the weekly deadline.
What Happens if a Freelancer Forgot to Track Authorized Work?
If authorized work was completed but was not tracked through goMeter or entered manually before the Work Diary closed, the missing hours cannot be added to the closed Work Diary afterward.
The freelancer should contact you and explain the missing time.
If you agree that the work was completed and should be paid, you can issue a bonus payment for the agreed amount.
How Do I Dispute Tracked Time?
If, after reviewing the Work Diary, you believe that certain tracked time should not be paid:
- Open the appropriate hourly contract.
- Review the relevant tracked periods, productivity levels, activity information, and screenshots.
- Select the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the contract page.
- Select Open Dispute.
- Complete the required information on the Dispute Details page.
- Select the applicable dispute period.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to submit the dispute.
What Information Will I Need for a Dispute?
The Dispute Details page may include:
- Contractor and contract information
- Contract status options
- An option to allow time tracking while the dispute is being resolved
- A Dispute Details field where you explain what you are disputing and why
- Eligible dispute periods
- The You Can Dispute Until deadline
Always review the displayed dispute deadline carefully, since disputes must be submitted within the applicable dispute window.
What Should I Review Before Opening a Dispute?
Before disputing time, consider all available Work Diary information rather than relying on a single activity indicator.
Review:
- Tracked hours
- 10-minute activity blocks
- Productivity percentages
- Activity colors
- Keystrokes
- Mouse clicks and scrolls
- Task categories
- Screenshots
- Manual versus goMeter-tracked time
- The freelancer’s overall work pattern
A low-activity period can help identify time worth reviewing, but screenshots and the nature of the assigned task can provide important additional context.
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.