How to Organize Your Work with Projects and Tags

If you've ever scrolled through a messy list of time entries wondering "what was this for again?", you know the pain of disorganized time tracking. The good news: a few minutes of setup can save you hours of confusion later.

This guide shows you how to structure your work using Timesheet's projects and tags—two powerful features that bring clarity to your tracked time.

#Why Organization Matters

Unorganized time entries create real problems:

• Billing errors when you can't tell which client owns which hours
• Lost revenue from unbilled work that slipped through the cracks
• Frustrating reports that don't tell you anything useful
• Wasted time trying to reconstruct what you worked on

A clean organizational system solves all of this.

#Understanding Projects vs. Tags

Before diving in, let's clarify the difference:

Projects are containers for related work. Think of them as folders. Each time entry belongs to exactly one project.

Tags are labels that cut across projects. Think of them as colored stickers. A single time entry can have multiple tags.

#When to Use Projects

• Different clients
• Distinct jobs or contracts
• Separate billing entities
• Major work categories

#When to Use Tags

• Types of work (meetings, coding, writing)
• Phases (planning, execution, review)
• Priority levels
• Anything that spans multiple projects

#Setting Up Projects

#Creating Your First Projects

1. Navigate to Projects
2. Tap the + button
3. Enter a descriptive name
4. Configure settings (optional but recommended)
5. Save

#Project Naming Best Practices

Good project names are:

• Specific: "Acme Corp Website Redesign" not "Web Project"
• Consistent: Use the same format across all projects
• Searchable: Include client names for easy filtering

Naming patterns that work:

[Client] - [Project Name]
Examples:
- Acme Corp - Website Redesign
- Johnson LLC - Q4 Consulting
- Internal - Business Development

#Setting Hourly Rates

Each project can have its own hourly rate:

1. Open the project settings
2. Find the Hourly Rate field
3. Enter your rate
4. Save

This rate automatically calculates earnings for all tasks in that project. Different clients, different rates—no mental math required.

#Project-Specific Settings

Beyond rates, you can configure:

• Default billable status: Should new tasks be billable by default?
• Color coding: Visual identification in lists and charts
• Description: Notes about the project scope or client

#Using Tags Effectively

#Creating Tags

Tags are created on-the-fly when you add them to tasks:

1. Open any task
2. Find the Tags field
3. Type a tag name
4. Save (the tag is now available for future use)

#Tag Categories That Work

Consider organizing tags by purpose:

Activity Types:

• meeting
• development
• research
• admin
• communication

Project Phases:

• planning
• execution
• review
• maintenance

Priority/Status:

• urgent
• blocked
• followup

#Combining Projects and Tags

The real power comes from combining both:

Example scenario: You're a consultant working with three clients. Each client is a project. But you want to know how much time you spend in meetings across all clients.

• Project: "Client A"
• Tags: meeting, strategy

Now you can:

• Filter by project to see all Client A work
• Filter by tag to see all meetings across clients
• Generate reports showing meeting time by client

#Archiving Completed Projects

Finished projects don't need to clutter your active list:

1. Open the project
2. Find the Archive option
3. Confirm

Archived projects:

• Disappear from your active project list
• Keep all historical data intact
• Can be restored anytime
• Still appear in reports and exports

#Common Organizational Pitfalls

#Over-Tagging

Creating too many tags leads to inconsistent usage. Start with 5-10 essential tags and add more only when truly needed.

#Under-Organizing

Using one project for everything defeats the purpose. If you're billing multiple clients, each needs their own project.

#Inconsistent Naming

"Client Meeting" and "Meeting with Client" and "Client - Meeting" are three different tags. Pick one format and stick to it.

#Forgetting to Tag

Tags only help if you use them consistently. Build the habit of adding tags when you start or stop tasks.

#Pro Tips for Power Users

#Use Projects for Billing, Tags for Analysis

Projects align with how you invoice. Tags align with how you want to understand your work. Keep these purposes separate.

#Create a "General" Project

For quick entries that don't fit elsewhere, have a catch-all project. Review and recategorize weekly.

#Color Code Strategically

Assign colors to project categories:

• Green for billable client work
• Blue for internal projects
• Yellow for administrative tasks

#Regular Cleanup

Once a month:

• Archive completed projects
• Delete unused tags
• Review naming consistency

#Building Your System

Here's a quick-start template:

Projects:

1. [Your main client] - [Current project]
2. [Secondary client] - [Their project]
3. Internal - Business Development
4. Internal - Administration
5. Personal - Learning

Tags:

• meeting
• deep-work
• admin
• billable
• review

Start here and evolve based on your actual needs.

#Summary

Effective organization in Timesheet means:

• Projects for distinct work containers (clients, contracts, major categories)
• Tags for cross-cutting labels (activity types, phases, priorities)
• Consistent naming so you can find things later
• Regular maintenance to keep the system clean

A few minutes of setup now saves hours of confusion later. Your future self will thank you.

#What's Next?

With your projects and tags set up, explore these related features:

• Statistics: See time distribution across projects and tags
• Export: Generate reports filtered by project or tag
• Automation: Auto-select projects based on location or Wi-Fi

Ready to get organized? Open Timesheet and create your first project structure today.