FILTERS &
DATE RANGES.
time.md uses a shared filter store so most analytics screens answer the same scoped question: this date range, this granularity, these apps/categories, and this time window.
Filters are shared across the app
The toolbar and filter controls update a global filter store. Overview, Review, Details, Projects, Web History, Reports, and Export all use those values where the screen supports them.
If a screen suddenly looks empty, check the active date range and filters first. You may be looking at a valid but very narrow slice.
Choose the right granularity
| Granularity | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Day | Hour-by-hour behavior, today’s timeline, and exact session inspection. |
| Week | Work rhythm, weekday/weekend contrast, and recurring focus or distraction windows. |
| Month | Habit changes, project/category proportions, and sustained trends. |
| Year | Long-term direction and broad comparison across months. |
Changing granularity can also adjust the date window so charts remain meaningful at that scale.
Date range controls
Use date ranges to decide which sessions, browser visits, input events, reports, and export rows are included. For the cleanest comparisons, pick ranges with similar lengths: today vs yesterday, this week vs last week, or this month vs last month.
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Start broad
Use Month or Week to see the overall pattern before zooming into a day.
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Find the anomaly
Look for a peak day, peak hour, or top app that needs explanation.
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Narrow the range
Switch to Day and open Details to inspect exact sessions around the anomaly.
App and category filters
App filters narrow analytics to specific apps such as Safari, Xcode, Slack, or Terminal. Category filters use your local app mappings from Projects and Rules.
Use app filters for exact tools
Example: inspect only Xcode sessions to understand coding blocks.
Use category filters for intent
Example: compare Productivity, Communication, Entertainment, or Games after you map apps.
Map apps first
If category charts look sparse, open Projects & Rules and assign uncategorized apps.
Advanced time filters
Advanced filters help answer more specific behavioral questions:
- Weekday filters: compare Monday-Friday work patterns against weekends.
- Time-of-day filters: isolate work hours, evenings, mornings, or custom hour windows.
- Duration filters: separate tiny context-switch sessions from longer focus blocks.
These filters are especially useful with Review heatmaps, Details session lists, Reports tables, and focused exports.
Filters carry into exports
The Export screen can use the current global filters or custom export-specific filters. That means you can build a report for one app, one category, one week, or a specific recurring time window.
Filter inside the app until the screen answers the question you care about, then export the same slice as CSV, JSON, YAML, Markdown, or Obsidian.
Troubleshooting filters
Everything is empty
Clear app/category filters, reset advanced time filters, then return to Today or Last 7 Days.
Category totals look wrong
Open Projects & Rules and check whether key apps are unmapped or assigned to the wrong category.
Web History differs from app time
Browser visits count pages in local browser history. App usage counts the browser app being frontmost.