A practical guide
How to track your time without starting a timer
With JustNow, record what you just did and let the app connect the times. Saving a current activity automatically starts the next interval, so you can build a continuous time log without starting timers or typing start and end times each time.
Made by Xylea · Updated October 20, 2026
What does logging without starting a timer mean?
JustNow keeps track of the current unlogged interval for you. You do not start and stop a timer for each task. Instead, tell the app what you just did when you change activities. It saves that interval and immediately starts counting the next one. This is different from passively recognising your activities: the activity name still comes from you.
1. Name the activity you just finished
At a natural transition, type “Reading”, speak “Coffee with Sam”, or tap a saved activity. For an ordinary current interval under 12 hours, an activity name is enough. Simply typing or opening the microphone does not reset the counter; saving the activity does.
2. Let consecutive entries supply the times
Suppose your last entry ended at 09:00. At 09:45, submit “Focused work”: JustNow records 09:00–09:45 and begins counting from 09:45. At 10:00, submit “Coffee break”: it records the next 15 minutes. There is no need to type either range. A later Start fresh from now point becomes the start instead.
3. Specify times only when you need a different period
If you missed an activity switch, record the period you actually mean, such as “Reading from 9am to 10am”, or edit the time fields in a gap form. Split a gap that contained several activities into separate entries. When recalling an earlier period, an estimate is still an estimate; continuous entries use the times when you logged instead.
4. Resume after a longer break
At 12 hours of unlogged time, JustNow shows Welcome back! Fill the missing time after checking it, or choose Start fresh from now. Starting fresh leaves earlier records intact and begins a new interval without inventing an activity for the hours you missed. Historical backfills do not reset your current timer.
When this approach fits
This approach suits a personal record of work and life, especially if you can make a quick entry when activities change. Logging late assigns the whole current interval to the activity you enter, so adjust it if several things happened. JustNow does not automatically identify activities or provide team timesheets and invoicing.
Try it in JustNow
JustNow: Time Log is made by Xylea for iPhone, with iOS 26 or later. Today’s activity logging, the full saved activity library, Quick Add, widgets, and JSON export are free. Simple activity names do not require Apple Intelligence; supported time-expression parsing uses it, with manual time entry available. The illustrated daily guide walks through all of these options with real app screenshots.
Free to download · iPhone · iOS 26 or later