Providing clock context when stopping the clock (enhancement request)

Providing clock context when stopping the clock (enhancement request)

[Peter Frings]

Hi all,

summary: provide the context of the running clock in the note buffer  
when clocking out.


I might not be doing well in the 'getting organized' department,  
because I often forget what I was doing... :-)  So I have a little  
enhancement request that would make my life a little easier...

Here's the situation: I have org-log-note-clock-out set so I can enter  
a little note about what it was I was doing. Now, I often get  
interrupts while banging away at the keyboard (not necessarily in  
emacs). Often, I don't get the time (or I simply forget) to switch to  
emacs, clock out and describe what I was doing. Especially not when  
someone is standing next to me jumping up and down in a very stressful  
manner.

So, when I return to my desk, maybe a hour later, I need to enter the  
interrupt in my time sheets. So I enter a brief note under the right  
heading in my time sheet, clock in, and org-mode of course first wants  
me first to clock out. It prompts me for what I was doing... and I  
don't know anymore (it's not uncommon to work on several different  
things during a single day, interrupting one interrupt for another --  
and sometimes getting a stack overflow...). So there I am, staring at  
the clock-out note buffer, trying to remember what the heck I was  
doing before I got interrupted. Now, org-mode helpfully mentions the  
time on which the active clock was started, which is nice, but not  
enough. It would be *really* helpful when it would show the heading  
(maybe context) of the running clock, right there, in the note buffer,  
staring at my face.[1]

I know one can first jump to the active clock, read it, and then  
proceed to clock out/in. But you wouldn't need to do all that when the  
note buffer shows the context, would you? It sure would help me.

Does this make sense?

Thanks,
Peter -- who is still learning org-mode, and appreciating it a lot!


BTW: there's a small typo in the description of org-log-note-clock-out:
"Non-nil means, recored a note when ..."
s/recored/record/


[1] slightly off-topic: this is similar to what Don Norman (in "The  
Psychology of Everyday Things") refers as 'knowledge in the world'  
versus 'knowledge in the brain'. The more info and context a system  
provides, the less the user has to remember, and the easier it is for  
him to use the system.

Re: Providing clock context when stopping the clock (enhancement request)

[Carsten Dominik]

Hi Peter,

the latest git version implements your request.  Thanks!

- Carsten

On Aug 8, 2008, at 5:25 PM, Peter Frings wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> summary: provide the context of the running clock in the note buffer  
> when clocking out.
>
>
> I might not be doing well in the 'getting organized' department,  
> because I often forget what I was doing... :-)  So I have a little  
> enhancement request that would make my life a little easier...
>
> Here's the situation: I have org-log-note-clock-out set so I can  
> enter a little note about what it was I was doing. Now, I often get  
> interrupts while banging away at the keyboard (not necessarily in  
> emacs). Often, I don't get the time (or I simply forget) to switch  
> to emacs, clock out and describe what I was doing. Especially not  
> when someone is standing next to me jumping up and down in a very  
> stressful manner.
>
> So, when I return to my desk, maybe a hour later, I need to enter  
> the interrupt in my time sheets. So I enter a brief note under the  
> right heading in my time sheet, clock in, and org-mode of course  
> first wants me first to clock out. It prompts me for what I was  
> doing... and I don't know anymore (it's not uncommon to work on  
> several different things during a single day, interrupting one  
> interrupt for another -- and sometimes getting a stack overflow...).  
> So there I am, staring at the clock-out note buffer, trying to  
> remember what the heck I was doing before I got interrupted. Now,  
> org-mode helpfully mentions the time on which the active clock was  
> started, which is nice, but not enough. It would be *really* helpful  
> when it would show the heading (maybe context) of the running clock,  
> right there, in the note buffer, staring at my face.[1]
>
> I know one can first jump to the active clock, read it, and then  
> proceed to clock out/in. But you wouldn't need to do all that when  
> the note buffer shows the context, would you? It sure would help me.
>
> Does this make sense?
>
> Thanks,
> Peter -- who is still learning org-mode, and appreciating it a lot!
>
>
> BTW: there's a small typo in the description of org-log-note-clock- 
> out:
> "Non-nil means, recored a note when ..."
> s/recored/record/
>
>
> [1] slightly off-topic: this is similar to what Don Norman (in "The  
> Psychology of Everyday Things") refers as 'knowledge in the world'  
> versus 'knowledge in the brain'. The more info and context a system  
> provides, the less the user has to remember, and the easier it is  
> for him to use the system.
>
>
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