How to Track Time in ClickUp (Step-by-Step Guide)

ClickUp makes it easy to track work hours, monitor productivity, and replace traditional time tracking tools with a single, flexible platform. This how-to guide walks you through setting up time tracking, comparing it with Time Doctor, and choosing the best workflow for your team.

The instructions below are based on the features and comparisons discussed in the official Time Doctor review by ClickUp, adapted into a practical tutorial.

Why Use ClickUp for Time Tracking?

Before you dive into the steps, it helps to know what you gain by managing time directly in ClickUp instead of juggling separate apps.

• Centralized tasks and time in one workspace
• Fewer tools and subscriptions to maintain
• Flexible views for project, team, and client reporting
• Options to integrate with other tools when needed

ClickUp can also work alongside dedicated time trackers such as Time Doctor if your team needs advanced monitoring or payroll features.

Step 1: Decide Between ClickUp and Time Doctor

Start by choosing how your organization will handle tracking. You have three main options:

1. Use ClickUp alone for simple, task-based time tracking.
2. Use Time Doctor alone if you need detailed activity monitoring, screenshots, or payroll.
3. Use both together, with Time Doctor for monitoring and ClickUp for project and task management.

To make this decision:

• List your must-have features (e.g., screenshots, app usage, client billing, project forecasting).
• Determine whether your team is comfortable with monitoring features.
• Review integration needs with your existing tools.

The ClickUp Time Doctor review explains in depth how these tools compare across pricing, features, and user experience.

Step 2: Enable Time Tracking Features in ClickUp

Once you decide to use ClickUp for time tracking, configure your workspace to capture hours accurately.

Turn On Time Tracking in ClickUp

1. Open your ClickUp workspace and navigate to Settings (for your Space, Folder, or List as needed).
2. Look for the Time Tracking or related task settings.
3. Enable the option that allows users to log time on tasks.

This ensures every task can have time entries attached to it.

Set Permissions and Standards

To keep your time data consistent, define a few rules:

• Who can log time (all users, specific roles, or billable staff).
• Whether time entries must be associated with tasks.
• How to name tasks or tags for billable versus non-billable work.

Document these standards so your team logs time the same way across all projects.

Step 3: Track Time on Tasks in ClickUp

Next, show your team how to record their working hours directly on tasks in ClickUp.

Method 1: Use the Built-in Timer

1. Open a task in ClickUp.
2. Locate the Start Timer or Time Tracking button on the task view.
3. Click Start when you begin work.
4. Click Stop when you are finished or need to switch tasks.
5. Add a short description or note if your workflow requires it.

This approach is useful when you want real-time, automatic tracking of active work sessions.

Method 2: Log Time Manually

1. Open the relevant task in ClickUp.
2. Click the time tracking field or icon.
3. Select an option such as Add Time or .
4. Enter the duration or start and end time.
5. Save the entry and, if helpful, add a note or tag.

Manual logging is ideal when team members forget to start the timer or when they need to add time for offline work.

Step 4: Organize Time Entries in ClickUp

Tracking time is only useful if you can understand and report on it. Organize your entries so you can analyze performance, costs, and capacity.

Use Lists, Folders, and Spaces

Structure your ClickUp hierarchy in a way that matches how you report time:

• Spaces for departments or business units.
• Folders for clients, products, or major initiatives.
• Lists for specific projects or sprints.

This structure lets you filter and sum time by the level that matters most to your organization.

Add Custom Fields and Tags

To enrich time data, use additional fields:

• Custom fields for billable rate or cost per hour.
• Tags for activities like development, design, or meetings.
• Priority or status fields to see how time aligns with project health.

The more consistent your tagging, the better your reports will be later.

Step 5: Review Time Reports in ClickUp

After you and your team log enough time, start reviewing reports to understand productivity and project health.

Analyze Time at the Task Level

• Open any task in ClickUp and check total time logged.
• Compare estimated time (if used) versus actual time.
• Look for tasks that consistently exceed their estimates.

This helps you refine future estimates and adjust workloads.

Analyze Time at the Project or Client Level

Use views and filters to roll time up:

• Group tasks by assignee to see individual workloads.
• Filter by client or Folder to see total time spent.
• Identify projects where time is growing faster than expected.

Use these insights to adjust priorities, negotiate scope, or update your billing.

Step 6: Compare ClickUp Time Tracking with Time Doctor

Some organizations need more detailed monitoring or payroll options than ClickUp alone offers. In that case, compare both tools carefully.

When to Rely on ClickUp Alone

Consider using only ClickUp if you:

• Need straightforward task-based time tracking.
• Prefer to avoid screenshots or strict monitoring.
• Want to keep projects and time in a single, user-friendly tool.

When Time Doctor May Be a Better Fit

Time Doctor may be helpful if you need:

• Automated screenshots and app or website usage monitoring.
• Advanced productivity analytics by user or team.
• Built-in payroll management and detailed attendance tracking.

The full pros and cons comparison is covered in the Time Doctor review on the ClickUp blog.

Advanced Tips for Managing Time in ClickUp

Once your basic workflow is in place, refine it to better support planning and optimization.

Improve Forecasting with Estimates

• Add time estimates to tasks so you can plan workloads.
• Compare estimated versus actual time to fine-tune future estimates.
• Use these metrics to discuss process improvements with your team.

Align Time Tracking with Business Goals

Connect your time data to higher-level outcomes:

• Map tasks and Lists to goals or OKRs in ClickUp.
• Check whether most time is going to your highest-impact work.
• Adjust priorities when you see time drifting into low-value activities.

Getting Help Optimizing Your ClickUp Setup

If you need expert support designing a scalable time tracking process or integrating data into analytics dashboards, consider working with a specialist. A consulting partner like Consultevo can help you build workflows, reports, and integrations around your preferred stack.

Next Steps

To put this guide into action:

1. Decide whether you will use ClickUp, Time Doctor, or both together.
2. Enable time tracking and set standards inside your ClickUp workspace.
3. Train your team to log time consistently on tasks.
4. Review reports weekly to improve estimates and workload balance.
5. Revisit your setup as your projects and team size grow.

By following these steps, you can turn ClickUp into a reliable hub for accurate time tracking, better project planning, and clearer insight into how work gets done.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

Get Help

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