Lotus is an automated time capture software.
You know the old saying “if only I had a penny for every time”?
Well, imagine that you could. That’s Lotus.
Every time you flick between projects, change screens, send an email or search “best team bonding activities”, Lotus keeps track. Every productive minute is another penny in the jar. The jar in this scenario is metaphorical, the pennies are very real.
Let’s continue with this metaphor and explain things a little further.
Think of Lotus as your personal secretary. Only this secretary doesn’t wear beige suits or sit at their desk all day questioning their life choices. This secretary is efficient, witty and loves wearing fun ties. They have a great one with seahorses on it.
When installed on your work device, it’s secretary Lotus’ job to pay attention to what project you’re working on and record how much time you spend on said project.
For example, imagine that you’re currently working on a file called ‘Why Wearing Sunglasses At Night Isn’t Fashion.doc’. Your trusty secretary friend – Lotus – will collect the metadata from this file and send it back to the engine in the cloud.
The Engine? Let us explain.
Think of the engine as what keeps Lotus running, and the cloud as where information about your workflow is stored. Only metadata – technical information, file paths, window titles – is recorded by Lotus.
No personal information is captured or stored, your browsing history is yours and yours alone.
Think of Lotus as your
personal secretary.
In the Lotus engine, live various client/project folders. Within each folder, there are multiple buckets – let’s call them penny jars – for different work relating to that client/project.
Let's use a metaphor.
You send your car to the mechanic to get your engine, tyres and brakes repaired.
Your car, in this case, is its own ‘folder’ within Lotus – it is the client/project that needs completion.
Each part of the car that needs fixing – the engine, tyres and brakes – is its own penny jar within the project folder. Lotus tracks the time the mechanic spends fixing each individual part of the car and drops pennies into the relevant penny jar.
2 hours fixing the engine at $50 P/H = $100 in the engine penny jar.
1 hour and 2 minutes replacing and pumping tyres at
$30 P/H = $32in the tyres penny jar.
30 minutes oiling the brakes at $30 P/H = $15 in the
brake penny jar.
In Lotus, time literally = money.
Things to note about Lotus penny jars
Lotus folders and penny jars don’t only have to relate to specific projects or clients. Folders and jars can be created for business admin, personal work or any other work you want your time accounted for.
You can choose to have one master penny jar per client/project where all the work you do and the time you spend on that client/project is captured.
So we know how Lotus is organised. How does it actually work?
1
The secretary – remember that guy? – notices that you’re working on a file relating to Client A: WhyWearingSunglassesAtNightIsn’tFashion.doc.
2
Secretary Lotus calls up the engine and says “Looks like they’re writing something for Client A, please log time in the relevant penny jar within the Client A folder.”
3
The more time you spend on the one task, the more pennies you get in the relevant jar.
4
If you move between tasks Lotus will recognise this and allocate pennies into the relevant jar, either in the same client file or another client file if it relates to another client/project. You are able to manually create new client files and/or penny jars as you need them.
Lotus does not track quick flicks. If you’re completing work for Client A but quickly view something relating to Client B, Lotus will not record the changeover; the system will continue to log time for Client A. However, if you get stuck working on Client B, then Lotus will recognise this and begin to track time. Seconds aren’t worth pennies, minutes are.
Worth Noting
5
At the end of your work shift, you have automated time capture for everything you worked on. Lotus will prompt you to confirm that the information is correct. You have the option to accept or edit the timesheet. Your employer will be able to see if edits were made, but Lotus does not report specific changes. We’re not in the business of snitching.
6
Once confirmed, your timesheet will be saved within lotus and/or submitted to other systems for invoicing. Just like magic. Only in this case, your trusty assistant is a computerised AI rather than a blonde in sequins.
Let's use a metaphor.
In the Lotus engine live various client/project folders. Within each folder there are multiple buckets – let’s call them penny jars – for different work relating to that client/project.
You send your car to the mechanic to get your engine, tyres and brakes repaired.
Your car, in this case, is its own ‘folder’ within Lotus – it is the client/project that needs completion.
Each part of the car that needs fixing – the engine, tyres and brakes – is its own penny jar within the project folder. Lotus tracks the time the mechanic spends fixing each individual part of the car, and drops pennies into the relevant penny jar.
2 hours fixing the engine at $50 P/H = $100 in the engine penny jar.
1 hour and 2 minutes replacing and pumping tyres at
$30 P/H = $32in the tyres penny jar.
30 minutes oiling the brakes at $30 P/H = $15 in the
brake penny jar.
In Lotus, time literally = money.
Things to note about Lotus penny jars
You can choose to have one master penny jar per client/project where all the work you do and the time you spend on that client/project is captured.
Lotus folders and penny jars don’t only have to relate to specific projects or clients. Folders and jars can be created for business admin, personal work or any other work you want your time accounted for.
So we know how Lotus is organized. How does it actually work?
1
The secretary – remember that guy? – notices that you’re working
on a file relating to Client A: WhyWearingSunglasses
AtNightIsn’tFashion.doc.
2
Secretary Lotus calls up the engine and says “Looks like they’re writing something for Client A, please log time in the relevant penny jar within the Client A folder.”
3
The more time you spend on the one task, the more pennies you get in the relevant jar.
4
If you move between tasks Lotus will recognise this and allocate pennies into the relevant jar, either in the same client file or another client file if it relates to another client/project. You are able to manually create new client files and/or penny jars as you need them.
Lotus does not track quick flicks. If you’re completing work for Client A but quickly view something relating to Client B, Lotus will not record the changeover; the system will continue to log time for Client A. However, if you get stuck working on Client B, then Lotus will recognise this and begin to track time. Seconds aren’t worth pennies, minutes are.
Worth Noting
5
At the end of your work shift, you have automated time capture for everything you worked on. Lotus will prompt you to confirm that the information is correct. You have the option to accept or edit the timesheet. Your employer will be able to see if edits were made, but Lotus does not report specific changes. We’re not in the business of snitching.
6
Once confirmed, your timesheet will be saved within lotus and/or submitted to other systems for invoicing. Just like magic. Only in this case, your trusty assistant is a computerised AI rather than a blonde in sequins.
Have questions?
Fire away!
Frequently Asked Questions
In the case that Lotus is unsure which penny jar to allocate time into, it will ask. For example, within the Hot Takes file, you have jars for fashion, lifestyle and relationships. Lotus AI recognises that you’re working on a file called ‘Why I Broke Up With My Partner Over Their Coffee Order’ (true story) but is unsure which jar to allocate it into.
So Lotus AI asks you in real-time. “It looks like you’re working on a Hot Take, but which jar should it go into?’. You’d tell Lotus that it’s the Relationships bucket. It will allocate time into this bucket and remember for later auto-allocation. Abracadabra.
AKA ‘what if I want to do some online shopping when I should be working?’. You activate Lotus ‘personal time’.
This mode allows you to use your device for non-work-related business. Your employer will be unable to see what you’re doing but you will still appear online.
Lotus is able to detect when you’re in personal time, even if you don’t turn it on. A quick crosscheck of keywords tells the software that ‘best’ and ‘chocolate chip cookie recipe’ doesn’t relate to any of your clients.
If you forget to toggle personal time on, Lotus will prompt you. And the same goes if you forget to toggle it off.
Question: How many times a week do you use your phone to do something work-related?
Follow-up question: How often do you do this outside work hours?
Answer: Too many to count, we bet.
Well, now you can keep track thanks to the Lotus app.
If you leave your desk but continue to work, the Lotus app takes over. This is useful for keeping track of on-the-go tasks (ever tried sending an email on a crowded train? Not easy) and for anyone who has an on-the-road component to their job, such as tradies, account managers, and freelancers.
The Lotus app works by using location data.
The Lotus app also uses location data to check you in and out of the jobs that have been allocated to you on a given day. As an employee, these jobs may be allocated by your superior. If you are self-employed, you can allocate tasks for yourself within Lotus.
The app is able to track the time you spend working on a job by monitoring how long you stay at the location allocated to said project.
So, if you allocate ‘going to the corner store to get my fifth coffee of the day’ as a job within Lotus, the app will recognise when you arrive, record how long you stay, and stop recording when you leave.
And it won’t embarrass you when you tell the barista to “you too” when they tell you to enjoy the coffee they just handed you.
Lotus desktop and the Lotus app are similar in all ways but one: control.
Where the desktop version is designed to automatically respond to user flow, the app is more regulated by the user. Not only can you set up tasks for yourself/an employee to complete in a day, you can also set expected start and end times.
This way you can track if you/an employee arrives at a job early, on time, late or not at all, as well as how long the job takes to complete.
The tracking stops there. The Lotus app does not take any screenshots or view any of your private information. Only relevant app meta data and location data are recorded. So both the employee and employer can feel confident that nothing shady is going on.
The Lotus app also allows you to manually check-in and out of jobs and add comments for your own/ a supervisor’s reference.
The rest is left to Secretary Lotus. The app, like the desktop version, automatically organises and collates work hours for you. And it makes a mean cup of English Breakfast tea.*
*Disclaimer: app does not really make tea
The Lotus App is useful if you’re:
An organisation
with in-office
and on-the-road
staff.
Lotus mobile provides one set of insightful data across all jobs and employees. No double-dipping or confusing analytics.
A business
owner or sole
trader.
With the Lotus mobile app, there’s no need to clock-watch or time-track. Your trusty pocket secretary – your phone – does the number-crunching for you.
A business
owner or sole
trader.
With the Lotus mobile app, there’s no need to clock-watch or time-track. Your trusty pocket secretary – your phone – does the number-crunching for you.
An organisation
with in-office
and on-the-road
staff.
Lotus mobile provides one set of insightful data across all jobs and employees. No double-dipping or confusing analytics.
Why have we done things this way?
Easy to use.
And we mean it. Simply install Lotus onto your work device, log in to the software – you only need to do this once – and let it do the rest.
You are in control.
You, the user, are in control of your data and where your time is allocated.
Time-saving, life-changing.
Lotus automatically recognises and records workflow, learns user habits and totals billable hours for you, making the timesheet process more efficient.
Transparent every step of the way.
On the other end, Lotus provides business owners with visibility and understanding of key insights by reporting data back to you. Get the insights you need for managing clients, billables, productivity, and if need be, performance management.
Proactive insights = proactive conversations.
Track the performance of an employee or project as things progress. If things aren’t going to plan, use key data from Lotus to start proactive conversations. Maybe you need to replace an underperforming employee or maybe you need to change the scope of a project before the budget blows out. Lotus helps you see issues as they arise and pivot to fix them in real-time.
Always learning, always improving.
We always look for opportunities to improve. So if we’re unsure, we’ll ask. Lotus prompts you with super quick and easy questions to make sure it’s on the right track. A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer and you’re on your way; no distractions, no lost time.
Flexible working.
We look at your time as a whole, not only within a set shift or timeframe. Lotus reports the total number of hours worked, by penny jar, for the day. Whilst the data is there, Lotus doesn’t focus on what you did from 9-5, but what you did when it suited you. If you have an appointment to get to, a school trip to make or a nap to take but make up the time later, you’re not impacted as Lotus still captures your full day’s work (even though a few hours were completed early/late).
Your secrets are safe with us.
Because we don’t know them. Lotus does not take screenshots, webcam shots, or screen scrapes. So if you’re on your banking or searching weird things about your ex, we don’t fish for details. We know what site or app you’re using, what project you’re working on, and when – so we can keep track of the time you’ve spent working – but that’s about it. We even let you flag what is unrelated to work so we know not to share any personal metadata with your boss. Some stuff is sacred.