Timesheets Settings and Preferences
Timesheets is designed to adapt to how you work. These settings control how time is suggested, when your timesheet is filled in, and how your data is calculated in reports.
Access them here: Timesheets Settings & Preferences
Automation settings control how and when RescueTime suggests and fills in your time. These are the settings with the biggest impact on your day-to-day Timesheets experience.
Autocomplete signals
Click Manage signals to open the Autocomplete Settings pane. Five signals decide which project gets suggested for each block of time. They run in order, top to bottom, and the first one that finds a matching project wins.
| Signal | What it does |
|---|---|
| 1. Calendar events | Maps the linked project to time blocks matching the calendar event |
| 2. Document & activity links | Uses the direct links you've set between a document or activity and a project |
| 3. Keywords & phrases | Matches activity titles against each project's keyword list ("Hints for Autocompletion" in the new project modal) |
| 4. Past entries | Reuses the project you picked for similar activities in earlier timesheets |
| 5. AI fallback off by default | Makes a best guess from your project list and the activity title |
Each signal has a toggle and a gear icon. The toggle turns the signal on or off. The gear opens that signal's detail pane, where you can see what it has matched and change how it behaves.
💡 Because the first match wins, order matters. If a meeting is linked directly to a project, that link is used and nothing below it gets a say. If nothing above matches, the next signal down gets a turn.
Managing each signal
Controls you'll see in every signal pane
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Filter and sort | Narrow a long list by name, or sort by time or most recent |
| The block icon | Never suggest a project for that activity. Use it on the things that are not project work. |
| The pencil icon | Change the project a past match was assigned to |
| Clean up | Remove older matches that signal has written. They rebuild as the pipeline runs again. |
Clean up asks how far back to go: 180 days, 90 days, 30 days, or all matches. Clearing old entries speeds up autocompletion and improves accuracy for the work you are doing now.
💡 Clean up affects your own suggestions only. It does not change your team's settings if you are part of a team account.
Scheduled autocompletion delivery
This controls when RescueTime automatically generates suggestions and fills your timeline. Click the edit icon next to the current setting to change it.
Scheduled completion must be enabled for AI assistance. Turning scheduled delivery off disables the AI fallback signal even when that signal is switched on.
💡 When you visit your timesheet, history-based suggestions are always shown if suggestions are enabled.
Open your timesheet automatically
Use the link on the settings page to create an alert that automatically opens your timeline after a predetermined amount of work. This is a useful way to build a consistent habit of reviewing and finalizing your day. RescueTime prompts you when you've hit your threshold, so you don't have to remember to check.
Suggestion block size minimum
Sets the smallest time block RescueTime will suggest. Any activity shorter than this threshold won't be included in automated suggestions, though you can always add short blocks manually on your timeline.
| Option | Best for |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | Detailed billing or client work where short bursts of activity matter |
| 10 minutes | Catches meaningful work without over-fragmenting your timeline |
| 15 minutes default | Simpler, faster review with fewer suggestions, easier to scan |
💡 This setting only affects what RescueTime adds through autocompletion. You can always add a time block of any length manually to your timeline.
These settings affect how your time is calculated and displayed in reports and exports.
Default billing rate and currency
Sets a fallback billing rate used in reports when no more specific rate has been configured. This is the rate of last resort; it only applies if nothing is set at the task, project, or client level.
Rate precedence
When calculating the Bill column in a report, RescueTime uses the first rate it finds in this order:
- Task rate
- Project rate
- Client rate
- Default rate from the settings page
💡 If the Bill column in your reports shows $0.00 or is empty, it means no rate has been set at any level for those projects. Set a default rate here as a starting point, then override it per project or client as needed.
Default rounding
Controls how time totals are rounded in reports and exports. Rounding is applied to each row individually before totals are calculated, not to the final sum. The default is 0.01 hours (approximately 36 seconds per row).
Available options fall into two categories:
Precision-based: rounds to nearest value
| Option | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 0.1 hours | 6 minutes |
| 0.01 hours default | ~36 seconds |
| 0.001 hours | ~3.6 seconds |
Time-based: always rounds up
| Option | Example |
|---|---|
| Hour | 1.2 hrs → 2.0 |
| 15 minutes | 1.1 hrs → 1.25 |
| 6 minutes | 1.05 hrs → 1.1 |
Time-based rounding always rounds up. If you have many short entries, this can meaningfully inflate your totals. Use precision-based rounding if you need totals that closely match your actual logged time. For a full explanation of how rounding affects report totals, see Generating Timesheets Reports.
Available integrations
You can connect Timesheets with other tools to bring external activity into your timeline. Integrations add events like completed tasks and commits as activity on your timeline, which can then be assigned to projects just like your regular tracked time.
- Asana: Pull completed Asana tasks onto your timeline
- GitHub: Add commits and pull request activity to your timeline
- Trello: Bring completed Trello card activity into your timeline
To connect an integration, go to Account Settings → App Connections → Explore Apps
💡 Integration activity appears on your timeline to the right of your regular tracked activity. Drag and drop project time over it to add it to a project.