05 / Screen guide

Reports screen

Reports turns the current time range into a clean, exportable summary. Use it when you want a readable snapshot with charts, weekday averages, and tables grouped by app, category, or day.

Set date and grouping controls

Reports follows the global date range and granularity, just like Overview, Review, Details, and Projects. The screen then adds report-specific controls for grouping and export format.

Control Options What changes
Date range Today, previous periods, or any range selected globally. All summary cards, charts, averages, tables, and exports use this range.
Group by By App, By Category, By Day. The report table switches between app rows, category rows, or daily totals.
Format CSV, JSON, Markdown. The Export button writes the report in the selected format.

Read the report summary cards

The summary cards are the headline of the report. They give you the total, the breadth of tracked apps and categories, and the top app for the range.

Total time

The full tracked time in the report range. Use it as the denominator for table percentages.

Apps tracked

The count of apps included in the report, plus the number of categories available for category grouping.

Top app

The single app with the most time in the range, paired with its duration.

Use Time Distribution and Weekday Averages

Reports includes two chart sections before the data table. They are built for quick communication: one shows how time is distributed across dates, the other shows the average shape of a week.

Time distribution

A bar chart of total time over the report range. Use it to spot spikes, quiet days, and whether usage is concentrated or steady.

Weekday averages

A bar chart showing average usage per weekday. It is most useful on ranges long enough to include multiple weekdays.

Not enough data

If weekday averages are empty, expand the range. A single day cannot produce a meaningful weekday average.

Chart units

Charts display hours for scale, while table cells use readable durations such as hours and minutes.

Choose the right report data table

The Report Data table changes with the grouping control. Pick the grouping that matches the story you need to tell.

Grouping Columns Use when
By App Rank, app, time, sessions, percent. You need specific app accountability and session counts.
By Category Rank, category, time, percent. You need a project-style summary for work buckets.
By Day Date and total time. You need a simple daily ledger for a week, month, or custom range.
Reports reuse your mappings

Category report quality depends on Projects + Rules. If category rows look vague or too much time lands in Uncategorized, map more apps before exporting.

Export a report

The Export button writes the current report using the selected format. After export, time.md opens the containing folder so you can attach, archive, or inspect the file.

Pick the range

Use the global date controls to choose the day, week, month, year, or period you want to report on.

Pick the grouping

Use By App for tool-level detail, By Category for project-style reporting, or By Day for a daily ledger.

Pick CSV, JSON, or Markdown

Choose CSV for spreadsheets, JSON for scripts, or Markdown for notes and docs.

Click Export

The report is generated from the same filtered data currently visible on screen.

Reports vs. the full Export screen

Reports and Export both create files, but they are optimized for different jobs.

Screen Use it for Scope
Reports A readable summary of the active range with charts and tables. Top apps, categories, trend data, weekday averages, and report tables in CSV, JSON, or Markdown.
Export Full data extraction, automation, presets, and custom sections. General, extensive, or custom exports that can include raw sessions, heatmaps, web history, analytics, selected sections, saved filters, destinations, and scheduled auto-save.
Rule of thumb

Use Reports when you want to read or share a concise summary. Use Export when you need a data pipeline, recurring file, raw session archive, or a custom section set.

A practical Reports workflow

  1. Choose the report range globally, then open Reports.
  2. Check Total Time, Apps Tracked, and Top App to confirm the range looks right.
  3. Review Time Distribution for spikes and Weekday Averages for routine patterns.
  4. Select By App, By Category, or By Day based on the audience.
  5. Export as CSV, JSON, or Markdown.
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