Tracker

[estefan-pangan]

Is it possible to turn on another contract while another one is running?

When I try to do so, it would prompt me " Job tracking in Progress. Would you like to stop tracking time?

do I have to use another device and install another tracker?

[sofia2008]

You want to work on 2 hourly contracts at the same time?

[estefan-pangan]

Yes, is it possible?

[feed_my_eyes]

How would that be possible? Do you have four hands and two brains?

[estefan-pangan]

Never underestimate the power of multitasking. I know someone who works with two clients with the same time zone and a whole ton of workload, it's just that her contract is not under Upwork. I started this discussion to seek professional advise and insight from senior freelancers and if my intention is to deceive both of my clients then I would not have started this discussion in the first place. I did not expect to  receive response like this. Thank you for your remarks, have a good day!

[petra_r]

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Estefan P wrote:

Never underestimate the power of multitasking. 

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It's not called "multitasking" - it is called fraud.

When a client pays hourly, they pay you for an hour's worth of work and they pay for your undivided attention.They don't expect you to do another client's work in the time they pay for.

[deardipu]

Estefan,

• Estefan wrote,"Is it possible to turn on another contract while another one is running?"

No, it isn’t. 

• Estefan wrote,"When I try to do so, it would prompt me " Job tracking in Progress. Would you like to stop tracking time?"

You can use Upwork time tracker app only for one hourly contract at a moment. 

• Estefan wrote,"do I have to use another device and install another tracker?"

Still, you will not capable of tracking your time via multiple devices at the same time. 

[estefan-pangan]

I'm confuse, I was told before that its okay to have another tracker on another device...

[deardipu]

Estefan,

Your intention is suspicious. How can an individual work on two different hourly contracts on two different devices via using two time tracker at the same time?

[estefan-pangan]

I hope there is an option to mention the member who told me that its okay to have two tracker on two different device.

-most freelancers do this but since the contract in under Upwork, I want to make sure that I'm not violating anything. If you think I do, please attach a screenshot on this discussion.

[sofia2008]

You can have tracker installed on multiple devices. You just cannot use them at the same time. 

[estefan-pangan]

Thanks for clarifying!

[jr-translation · Accepted solution]

You can only work for one client at a time. Charging one client while working for another is a ToS violation. Having the tracker on two devices is not the same as running it on two devices at the same time. What you are planning is a serious ToS violation.

[estefan-pangan]

I appreacite your clarification on this one. This is why I have opened a discussion for me to be enlighten about this.

[chillynguyen]

If you were doing multitask, just simply turn the tracker off/on once you were working on the other job.

For example: You were planning to work for 2 clients. For client A, you use your laptop. For client B, you use your desktop. When you work for client A, turn on your tracker in the laptop. Then, when you swap to client B's job, just turn off the laptop's tracker and turn the deskptop's tracker on.

While I found multitasking interesting, I still can't look at two different sheets at the same time. I could swap between them though.

I understand that turning on/turning off the tracker is time consuming and cut the thinking flow, but without it, Upwork can't know at what specific time that you worked on which job. (maybe in the future, they may develop an AI which can make this happen?) If they allow you to log on job A at the time you were reading job B's document, they might get in trouble with clients.

[estefan-pangan]

This is very insightful and no worries I will raise this concern to my second client to see how we can work on this issue. Though I have been transparent with him in the first place that I'm already working with another client. It just so happens that both timezone overlaps..

[chillynguyen]

If your client is aware of it, maybe you could ask him to allow manual time? I'm not sure about this case. Maybe a moderator can answer you if that's legal.

[petra_r]

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Nhu Nhu N wrote:

For example: You were planning to work for 2 clients. For client A, you use your laptop. For client B, you use your desktop. When you work for client A, turn on your tracker in the laptop. Then, when you swap to client B's job, just turn off the laptop's tracker and turn the deskptop's tracker on.

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That doesn't work at all. She'd have to wait for a new 10 minute segment every time. It is not possible to track time for more than one contract in any one 10-minute segment.

[chillynguyen]

Oh I'm not aware of that. In my experience, when I turn off the tracker at the middle of a 10 minute segment, the program left it there and added up every bit of time I retracked until it reached the full amount and took a snapshot (sometimes it took a snapshot right after I clicked on the "On" button!).

I don't know if this still works now, since it has been such a long time since I still have more than 1 hourly contract.