Glossary
Definitions of terms and concepts used throughout TeeckIn.
Core Concepts
- Category
- A high-level grouping for organizing your work. Categories contain topics and have a color for visual identification. Examples: 'Client Work', 'Internal Projects', 'Personal'. Each category can hold unlimited topics.
- Related: Topic • Color coding
- Topic
- A specific project, task, or area of work you track time against. Topics belong to a category and can have an hourly rate for billing. Examples: 'Website Redesign', 'Bug Fixes', 'Client Meetings'. This is the primary unit you select when starting a timer.
- Related: Category • Hourly rate • Timer
- Timer
- The running clock that tracks how long you work on a topic. You can only have one active timer at a time. Starting a new timer automatically stops the previous one. The timer runs even when you close the browser.
- Related: Time entry • Active timer • Quick Start
- Time Entry
- A completed block of tracked time, also called 'clocked time'. Each entry has a start time, end time, duration, topic, and optional notes. Entries are created when you stop a timer or add time manually.
- Related: Timer • Clocked time • Duration
- Clocked Time
- Another name for a time entry. Refers to any recorded block of time, whether created by the timer or added manually. 'Clocked' implies the time has been formally recorded.
- Related: Time entry • Timer
- Organization
- A workspace that separates different contexts. Your default 'Personal' workspace is for individual work. Create additional organizations to collaborate with team members. Each organization has its own categories, topics, and billing settings.
- Related: Personal workspace • Team • Workspace
Billing & Rates
- Hourly Rate
- The amount charged per hour for work on a topic. Set on each topic individually. Used to calculate earnings and generate invoices. Rates can be changed anytime — existing entries keep their original rate.
- Related: Topic • Billable • Invoice
- Billable
- Time that can be charged to a client. Entries for topics with an hourly rate are considered billable. Non-billable time (rate of $0) is tracked but excluded from invoicing.
- Related: Hourly rate • Unbilled • Invoice
- Unbilled
- Billable time entries that haven't been added to an invoice yet. The Unbilled view shows all time that's ready to bill. Once invoiced, entries move to the billed state.
- Related: Billable • Invoice • Billed
- Invoice
- A billing document generated from time entries. Contains line items for each entry, client details, amounts, and due date. Can be exported as PDF or marked with status (Draft, Sent, Paid).
- Related: Billable • Client • PDF export
- Client
- A customer or company you do work for. Clients can be associated with topics or invoices. Storing client details (name, address, email) makes invoice generation faster.
- Related: Topic • Invoice • Billing
- Transaction
- A financial record beyond time billing. Use transactions to track expenses, refunds, or income not tied to time entries. Helps maintain a complete financial picture alongside billed time.
- Related: Invoice • Expense • Income
Time Tracking Features
- Quick Start
- A panel on the Timer page showing your most recently used topics. Click any topic to instantly start a timer. Supports keyboard shortcuts (Alt+1-9) for even faster access.
- Related: Timer • Pinning • Keyboard shortcuts
- Pinning
- Lock a topic to a specific Quick Start slot. Pinned topics stay in place while unpinned slots show your most recent topics. Use pinning for topics you access frequently.
- Related: Quick Start • Topic
- Manual Entry
- A time entry created by typing start/end times rather than using the timer. Useful for logging time after the fact or when you forgot to start the timer.
- Related: Time entry • Timer
- Duration
- The length of a time entry, calculated from start to end time. Displayed in hours and minutes (e.g., '2h 30m'). Used to calculate earnings when multiplied by hourly rate.
- Related: Time entry • Hourly rate
- Notes
- Free-form text attached to a time entry. Use notes to describe what you accomplished, decisions made, or context for later. Notes are visible in Calendar view and reports.
- Related: Time entry • Checklist
- Checklist
- A to-do list within entry notes. Create checklists using Markdown syntax (- [ ] item). Check off items as you complete them. Great for tracking sub-tasks within a time block.
- Related: Notes • Time entry
- Tag
- A label applied to time entries for additional categorization. Unlike topics, tags can be used across multiple categories. Useful for cross-cutting concerns like 'urgent', 'review', or 'blocked'.
- Related: Time entry • Category
- Recurring Entry
- An entry that automatically repeats on a schedule. Set up daily, weekly, or custom patterns for regular tasks like standups or weekly reports. Pro feature.
- Related: Time entry • Schedule
Views & Analytics
- Calendar View
- A visual display of time entries organized by date. Shows entries as blocks on a day/week/month grid. Click entries to edit, drag to reschedule. The primary way to review and manage past time.
- Related: Time entry • Week view • Month view
- Dashboard
- An overview page showing key metrics: total time tracked, earnings, trends, and recent activity. Provides at-a-glance insights into your productivity and billing status.
- Related: Analytics • Reports
- Reports
- Detailed breakdowns of time data. Filter by date range, category, topic, or client. Export as CSV or PDF. Pro feature with advanced grouping and visualization options.
- Related: Analytics • Export • Dashboard
- Export
- Download your data in standard formats. CSV export works for spreadsheets. PDF export creates printable reports. Use exports for backups, sharing, or importing into other tools.
- Related: Reports • CSV • PDF
Productivity Features
- Command Palette
- A quick-access interface opened with Cmd/Ctrl+K. Type to search for actions, navigate to pages, or start timers. Faster than clicking through menus.
- Related: Keyboard shortcuts • Navigation
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Key combinations that trigger actions without using the mouse. Examples: Space to toggle timer, G+T to go to Timer page. See the full list in Settings or press '?'.
- Related: Command palette • Quick Start
- Time Goal
- A target amount of time to track per day or week. Set goals to maintain consistent work habits. The dashboard shows progress toward your goal. Pro feature.
- Related: Dashboard • Streak
- Streak
- The number of consecutive days you've met your time goal. Maintaining a streak is a motivational tool. Streaks reset if you miss a goal day (weekends can be excluded).
- Related: Time goal • XP
- XP
- Experience points earned by tracking time and completing achievements. XP accumulates to show your overall usage of TeeckIn. A fun gamification element.
- Related: Achievement • Level
- Achievement
- A milestone reward for reaching specific goals. Examples: 'Track 100 hours', 'Maintain a 7-day streak', 'Create first invoice'. Achievements grant XP and are displayed on your profile.
- Related: XP • Gamification
Team & Collaboration
- Team
- A group of people working together in an organization. Teams share categories, topics, and can view each other's time (based on permissions). Requires Team plan.
- Related: Organization • Member • Role
- Member
- A user who belongs to an organization. Members can track time, view shared data, and collaborate. Each member uses one seat in Team plan billing.
- Related: Team • Role • Seat
- Role
- A permission level assigned to organization members. Roles include Owner (full control), Admin (manage members/settings), Manager (view team data), and Member (track time only).
- Related: Member • Permissions • Organization
- Seat
- A slot for one team member in the Team plan. You pay per seat. The organization owner's seat is included. Adding members increases your seat count and billing.
- Related: Team • Billing • Member
- Activity Feed
- A real-time stream of team actions. See when members start/stop timers, create entries, or make changes. Provides visibility without interrupting work. Team feature.
- Related: Team • Real-time
- Personal Workspace
- Your default organization for individual work. Always available, no other members. Use it for personal projects or work you don't want to share with teams.
- Related: Organization • Team
Technical Terms
- Offline Mode
- The ability to view your TeeckIn data without an internet connection. Your recently viewed data is cached locally. Starting timers and making changes requires reconnecting.
- Related: Data Loading • Caching
- Data Loading
- Data is fetched from the server when online and cached locally for offline viewing. The cache lets you view your data even without internet, but changes require a connection.
- Related: Offline mode • Real-time
- Caching
- Data you view is saved locally in your browser. This makes the app feel fast and lets you browse your data when offline. Cached data may be stale until you reconnect.
- Related: Offline mode • Data Loading
- Real-Time
- Instant updates across devices and team members. When someone makes a change, others see it immediately without refreshing. Powered by WebSocket connections.
- Related: Sync • Activity feed