Using Time Bot to Track Non-Project Time Like Meetings and Breaks

Time tracking is no longer just about logging hours spent on projects. In today’s fast-paced hybrid work environments, understanding where all work hours actually go—including non-project time like meetings, training, and breaks—is just as crucial for productivity as tracking billable tasks.

Think about it: a full-time employee works roughly 40 hours a week, or around 2,000 hours a year. Yet studies show that only about 60% of that time is spent on core project work, according to a report by Atlassian. The rest is consumed by administrative tasks, meetings, or interruptions.

If organizations only track project time, they miss half the picture—and that half can explain why projects fall behind, employees burn out, or teams struggle with efficiency.

That’s where Time bot steps in.

By enabling you to track non-project time effortlessly, Time bot helps organizations get a complete view of how work hours are distributed—empowering smarter planning, fairer workloads, and healthier work habits.

Let’s explore why tracking non-project time matters, how to do it effectively, and how Time bot makes the process simple, automated, and insightful.

The Hidden Cost of Untracked Non-Project Time

It’s easy to assume meetings, breaks, or internal discussions are just part of the day-to-day flow of work. But when left untracked, they can add up to shocking amounts of time.

• The average employee attends 62 meetings per month, according to Atlassian, and half of those meetings are considered unproductive.
• A Microsoft study found that since 2020, employees spend 250% more time in meetings than before remote work became widespread.
• On average, workers spend 2.5 hours per day handling internal emails, messaging, and coordination—time rarely logged as “work.”

These non-project activities are vital for communication and collaboration, but without visibility, they often become time drains that impact productivity and work-life balance.

When leaders don’t have insight into how much time employees spend in meetings or admin work, it’s easy to misinterpret productivity levels or overload teams with unrealistic expectations.

Why Tracking Non-Project Time Matters

1. Gain a True Picture of Productivity

Tracking only project hours can make teams look less productive than they really are. When Time bot captures meetings, 1:1s, training, and administrative tasks, managers get a more accurate sense of where time goes—and why progress might be slower on certain projects.

This helps distinguish between inefficiency and simply having too many non-project responsibilities.

2. Prevent Burnout and Overload

Without tracking non-project time, employees can end up working late to make up for hours lost to meetings or interruptions. Over time, that leads to burnout.

By tracking all time categories, teams can identify patterns of overload—like days filled with back-to-back meetings—and make adjustments to create breathing space.

3. Improve Planning and Forecasting

Understanding how much time goes into meetings, internal communication, or training allows for more accurate project planning.

For example, if data shows that 30% of employees’ time is spent on meetings, managers can adjust project timelines or capacity planning accordingly.

4. Encourage Healthier Work Habits

Breaks and downtime are essential for focus and creativity. Tracking them with Time bot ensures employees actually take them—and helps managers promote a balanced approach to work, not just productivity.

A Draugiem Group study found that employees who took regular breaks were 31% more productive than those who worked long stretches without pause. Time bot helps teams strike that balance.

5. Provide Data for Process Improvement

Once you have visibility into how much time is spent on non-core activities, you can start optimizing. Maybe certain recurring meetings can be shortened—or replaced with asynchronous updates.

Tracking time isn’t about policing—it’s about finding opportunities for smarter work.

What Counts as Non-Project Time?

Before we dive into how to track it, it’s helpful to clarify what falls under “non-project” work. Common categories include:

• Meetings: Team syncs, status updates, client check-ins, and retrospectives.
• Internal communication: Emails, Slack messages, or internal reporting.
• Training and learning: Workshops, professional development, and onboarding.
• Breaks and downtime: Coffee breaks, lunch, or mental recharge periods.
• Administrative tasks: Timesheet updates, expense reporting, or system management.
• Internal planning: Goal setting, roadmap sessions, and brainstorming meetings.

All these contribute to overall productivity, even if they’re not tied to specific deliverables.

How Time Bot Makes Non-Project Time Tracking Effortless

Unlike traditional time-tracking systems that rely on manual input, Time bot integrates directly into your workflow, making it simple to log both project and non-project activities in real time.

Here’s how it works:

1. Automated Prompts in Your Work Chat

Time bot sends gentle reminders within platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams, asking users what they’re working on. Employees can quickly log a “meeting,” “break,” or “training” without switching tools.

This keeps time tracking lightweight and accurate—no spreadsheets or forgotten entries at the end of the day.

2. Customizable Categories

You can create custom categories for non-project activities such as “Internal Meeting,” “Break,” or “Admin Work.” This allows managers to track trends in how much time goes into each type of task.

3. Visual Reports and Insights

Time bot compiles the data into clear dashboards and reports that show:

• The percentage of time spent on project vs. non-project work
• Meeting-heavy days or departments
• Patterns of overwork or underutilization
• Break adherence and work-rest balance

These insights help leaders make evidence-based decisions about scheduling, capacity, and resource planning.

4. Encouraging Accountability, Not Micromanagement

Because Time bot operates transparently and automatically, it promotes accountability without making employees feel watched. The goal isn’t to control time—it’s to understand it.

With visibility into all work hours, teams can have honest conversations about capacity, priorities, and wellbeing.

Practical Ways to Use Time Bot for Non-Project Tracking

Let’s look at a few examples of how teams can use Time bot in their daily routines:

For Managers:

• Review weekly reports to identify days when employees spend too much time in meetings.
• Adjust workloads based on actual time data, not assumptions.
• Spot patterns that signal burnout risk or time inefficiency.

For Employees:

• Log breaks intentionally to make sure they’re taking them.
• Gain insights into how much time goes to meetings versus focused work.
• Use personal time data to improve productivity and balance.

For Teams:

• Use Time bot’s aggregated data to discuss meeting culture—what can be shortened, merged, or replaced with async communication.
• Track how training and internal initiatives affect workload distribution.
• Celebrate when teams successfully balance project and non-project time efficiently.

The ROI of Tracking Non-Project Time

When organizations start tracking all hours—including meetings, breaks, and admin time—they often see quick improvements in efficiency and morale.

For instance:

• Teams that track all time categories report 25% fewer missed deadlines, according to a Hubstaff study.
• Harvard Business Review found that employees who track their time holistically are 23% more likely to report feeling in control of their workload.
• Visibility into non-project time helps companies reduce unnecessary meetings by up to 35%, freeing more time for deep work.

These aren’t small gains—they compound into stronger focus, better planning, and happier employees.

Final Thoughts

In modern workplaces, productivity isn’t just about doing more—it’s about understanding how time is spent.

By using Time bot to track non-project time like meetings, breaks, and training, you can uncover hidden inefficiencies, protect employee wellbeing, and make smarter decisions about workloads and deadlines.

The insights you gain will help build a culture where people’s time is respected—and every hour counts.

With Time bot, tracking becomes effortless, visibility becomes powerful, and time management transforms from guesswork into growth.