Laurel provides two ways to access Timers to help you track your time accurately: in-line timers that are built into each timesheet entry, and a dedicated Timer Board for managing multiple Timers. This guide will walk you through creating, managing, and editing timers to fit your timekeeping workflow.
What you'll need:
Access to the Laurel web app, signed in, and open in a browser.
Timekeeper (user) permissions in Laurel.
Creating and Using In-line Timers
Each time entry you create in Laurel includes an in-line Timer you can access directly from your timesheet.
Step 1: Create a time entry
On your Timesheet page in Laurel, click the "Create Entry" button. This will open the Entry modal where you can set up your Timer.
Step 2: Add your matter or project details
In the entry modal, search for and select the matter or project you're working on. Once you've selected an initiative, you'll see a "Start Timer" button appear below the billing increment field (it looks like a "play" button).
Step 3: Start timing your work
Click "Start Timer" to begin tracking your time. The Timer will start running immediately. Click the "Save" button at the top of the modal to save your Timer and continue working on your task. Your active Timer will appear on both your Timesheet and in your Timers tab.
Step 4: Stop the Timer when finished
When you've completed your work session, click the "Stop Timer" button on the entry in your timesheet (it looks like a "pause" button). You can also stop the Timer by clicking on the entry to open the "Edit Entry" modal and using the "Stop" button there. The billing increment will automatically update to reflect your total timer duration.
Step 5: Resume timing if needed
If you return to the same task later, click into the existing entry and select "Start Timer" again to add additional time to the same entry.
Using the Timer Board
The Timer Board provides a dedicated workspace for managing multiple Timers and is designed for users who rely on Timers as their primary timekeeping method.
Step 1: Access the Timer Board
Click the "Timers" tab on the left side of the Laurel web app to open the Timer Board.
Step 2: Create a new timer
Click the "Create Timer" button in the upper right corner of the Timer Board. This will open the timer creation modal.
Step 3: Configure your timer
Search for and select the matter or project you're working on from the list. You can add a description now or edit it later.
Step 4: Start and manage your Timer
Once you've selected a matter or project, the "Start Timer" button will become available (it looks like a "play" button). Click it to start your Timer, which will begin running immediately. Click "Save" to exit the modal and save your Timer. Your new timer will appear as an active entry on both your Timesheet page and your Timers page.
Managing and Organizing Your Timers
Customizing timer appearance
Click the gear icon in the header of any Timer on your Timers page to customize its appearance. A dropdown menu will appear with 24 color options to choose from.
Sorting and viewing options
The Timer Board offers several ways to organize your timers using the options at the top of the page:
View Options: Select "List View" to see your Timers in a vertical list, or "Grid View" to see Timer tiles in a two-column layout.
Sorting Options: Use the "Sort by" dropdown to organize Timers by "Name" (alphabetical by matter or client), "Duration" (greatest to least time captured), or "Recently Updated" (most recently modified first)
Removing a timer
Click the gear icon in the header of the timer you want to delete. Below the color options in the dropdown menu, click "Remove timer." Note that you must stop any running timer before you can delete it.
Editing Timer Duration
You can adjust timer durations using several methods to ensure accurate time tracking. Timer duration can be edited from the Timers page, Edit Timer modal, or Edit Entry modal. Note that some of these features are in limited release, and only available to some users.
From the Timers page
Use the "-1" and "+1" buttons to make quick one-minute adjustments to any running or paused Timer. The "-1" button removes one minute while the "+1" button adds one minute to the total.
From the Edit Timer modal
Click on any Timer from your Timers page to open the "Edit Timer" modal. In addition to the quick "-1" and "+1" buttons, you can make larger adjustments using the dropdown menus:
Click the three dots beside the "-1" button to remove 1, 2, 5, 10, or 20 minutes.
Click the three dots beside the "+1" button to add 1, 2, 5, 10, or 20 minutes.
For more precise control, you can edit the hours, minutes, and seconds directly. First stop the Timer, then click on any time value to edit it directly. After making changes, click "Save" at the top of the modal. Any manual edits you make will be recorded in the "Activities" tab in the right panel for your reference.
You can also adjust Timer duration by clicking on the timer entry from your Timesheet page. This opens the Edit Entry modal with the same editing options described above. Remember to click "Save" after making any changes.
Important: When you release your time from Laurel, only your time increments are reported to your firm's practice management system (PMS) for billing. Precise activity duration and manual edits made to entries are only visible to you.
Important Considerations
Timer behavior when closing entries
If you save and close an entry while a Timer is running, the Timer will continue running in the background. Always remember to click "Stop Timer" (which looks like a "pause" button) when you finish your work to avoid tracking extra time.
Manual adjustments and overlapping time
Timer adjustments only change the displayed duration, not the actual start or stop timestamps. Because manual adjustments don't have specific time references, they can't be automatically checked for overlaps with other activities. Use careful judgment when making manual adjustments.
Timer activity visibility
Timer activities will appear in your Work Activity panel alongside your other tracked work. If you don't see Timer activities, make sure the "Unaccounted Time" filter is turned off.
If you're having trouble
If a Timer is not appearing on timesheet: Verify that you've selected an initiative, clicked the Timer's start button, and saved the Timer from the modal.
If you can't edit Timer duration: Direct time editing is only available when the Timer is stopped, and to users who have access to this limited release feature. Use the "-1" and "+1" buttons for quick adjustments to running Timers.
It the Timer keeps running after closing: Timers continue running in the background when you close entries. Always click "Stop Timer" (which looks like a "pause" button) when you're done working.
What happens next
Once you stop a Timer, the time will be recorded in your timesheet entry with the correct billing increment. You can then edit the description if needed, add the entry to your timesheet, and eventually release it to your billing system. Timer entries follow the same workflow as other timesheet entries in Laurel.