How to Use the Command 'watson' (with Examples)

Watson is a command-line interface (CLI) tool designed to help users track their time efficiently across various projects. Whether you’re a freelancer, a developer, or anyone keen on monitoring their productivity, Watson delivers simple yet powerful functionalities for starting, stopping, and reviewing your time logs. With Watson, you can easily manage your time, attach relevant tags to sessions, and edit or remove entries as needed.

Use Case 1: Start Monitoring Time in a Project

Code:

watson start project

Motivation:

The initial step to effectively managing your time with Watson is starting a session for a project. Whether you’re beginning your working day or transitioning to a new task, this command is crucial for marking the start of a time-tracked session. Launching a session allows you to organize your workload and maintain a record of the time dedicated to specific projects.

Explanation:

• watson: This calls the Watson command-line tool.
• start: The command to initiate the tracking of time.
• project: This is a placeholder for the name of the project you’re working on. It’s essential to replace ‘project’ with the actual name of your project to facilitate accurate tracking and reporting.

Example Output:

Starting project: 'WebDevelopment'

Use Case 2: Start Monitoring Time in a Project with Tags

Code:

watson start project +tag

Motivation:

Augmenting your time tracking with tags offers a more granular level of detail, allowing you to categorize and filter your sessions by specific themes or action points. This is incredibly useful for projects with multiple components or when you want to associate certain activities with notable events, making analytics and audits easier.

Explanation:

• watson start: Similar to the first use case, this begins a new session.
• project: Represents your project’s name.
• +tag: Adding a + sign prefixes a tag, which can be a specific category or identifier associated with the session. This helps in keeping the data organized and more meaningful.

Example Output:

Starting project: 'WebDevelopment' with tags: 'bugfix'

Use Case 3: Stop Monitoring Time for the Current Project

Code:

watson stop

Motivation:

Ending your session is as important as starting one. It marks the completion of a work phase and ensures that your logging is accurate and up-to-date. Whether you’re taking a break, switching tasks, or concluding your working day, stopping the timer is essential for precise timekeeping.

Explanation:

• watson: The main command invoking the Watson CLI tool.
• stop: This halts the current session, finalizing the logged time for the project being worked on.

Example Output:

Stopping project: 'WebDevelopment', started an hour ago

Use Case 4: Display the Latest Working Sessions

Code:

watson log

Motivation:

Having a log of your recent working sessions enables you to review your productivity patterns, catch any anomalies in your time management, and ensure you are on track with your project goals. It serves as a quick reference to how time was allocated among different tasks.

Explanation:

• watson: Again, this is the command to interact with the Watson tool.
• log: Retrieves and displays a list of your most recent work sessions, typically including details such as project names, tags, and durations.

Example Output:

Latest working sessions:
1. [WebDevelopment] 1h 15m on 2023-10-12
2. [Design] 2h 30m on 2023-10-11

Use Case 5: Edit the Most Recent Frame

Code:

watson edit

Motivation:

In any time-tracking process, errors or changes are bound to occur. Editing the most recent frame allows you to correct these inaccuracies or adjust any project details, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of your timeline.

Explanation:

• watson: The command initiating the Watson CLI.
• edit: This command opens the latest session entry, allowing modifications to project name, tags, start, or end times.

Example Output:

Session edited: [WebDevelopment] 1h 20m on 2023-10-12

Use Case 6: Remove the Most Recent Frame

Code:

watson remove

Motivation:

Sometimes, mistakes in time logging need complete removal to maintain the accuracy and relevance of your tracked data. Removing the most recent frame helps you eliminate such erroneous entries from your history, ensuring clarity in your reports.

Explanation:

• watson: Utilizes the Watson command functionality.
• remove: Deletes the last recorded session, cleaning up your logs and preventing incorrect data from affecting analyses.

Example Output:

Removed the most recent frame.

Conclusion:

Watson offers a streamlined approach to time tracking that is both flexible and powerful. By understanding and employing Watson’s various functionalities, users can optimize their productivity and maintain a clear and organized record of their project progression. Whether you are starting a new session, logging your activities, or correcting previous entries, Watson serves as an indispensable tool for effective time management.