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Using Rize Effectively

This guide walks you through how to use Rize effectively, whether you're tracking time as an individual or managing a team. Follow these steps to get the most out of Rize's automated time tracking and productivity features.

Getting Started: First Steps​

1. Download and Install Rize​

  1. Download Rize for macOS or Windows
  2. Install the app and sign in or create your account
  3. Install browser extensions for better website tracking:

2. Configure Basic Settings​

Navigate to Settings and configure these essential settings:

  • Time Zone: Set your time zone so all times are accurate
  • Work Hours Target: Set your daily work hours goal
  • Automatic Tracking Schedule: Configure when Rize should automatically start and stop tracking
  • Start of Day: Customize when your day begins (useful if you work past midnight)

Using Rize as an Individual​

Step 1: Let Rize Learn Your Work Patterns​

When you first start using Rize, it automatically creates tracking rules based on your job title. The AI will learn your work patterns over time.

What to do:

  • Use Rize normally for the first few days
  • Review and accept AI categorization suggestions
  • The system will get smarter as it learns your patterns

Step 2: Set Up Your Projects, Clients, and Tasks​

Organize your work by creating:

  1. Clients (if you work with multiple clients)

    • Go to Clients > Overview
    • Click "New Client" and add client details
    • Add keywords to help Rize recognize client-related work

  2. Projects (to organize related work)

    • Go to Projects > All Projects
    • Click "New Project" or create from the Home tab
    • Add keywords for automatic project assignment

  3. Tasks (for specific work items)

    • Go to Tasks > All Tasks
    • Create tasks manually or sync from ClickUp/Linear
    • Add keywords to help with automatic assignment
tip

Add keywords to your Clients, Projects, and Tasks to improve AI suggestion accuracy. Rize will learn from these keywords and your work patterns.

Step 3: Review Time Entry Suggestions​

Rize automatically suggests Clients, Projects, and Tasks for every time entry using GPT-5-powered AI.

Daily workflow:

  1. Use the Time Entry Inbox to quickly review your day
  2. Accept AI suggestions with a single click
  3. Modify suggestions if needed
  4. Add keywords when you notice patterns that Rize should learn

Customize suggestions:

  • Go to Settings > Time Entries to customize how suggestions are generated
  • Add custom instructions for activity summaries, task suggestions, project suggestions, and client suggestions
  • Enable/disable specific suggestion types (tasks, projects, clients)

Step 4: Use Focus Sessions for Deep Work​

Improve your focus and productivity:

  1. Create Focus Sessions

    • Go to Sessions > Planning or use the timer
    • Set a duration and select focus categories
    • Start the session to block distractions

  2. Configure Focus Categories

    • Go to Settings > Focus
    • Select which categories count as focus work
    • Enable distraction blocker for non-focus apps

  3. Review Focus Metrics

    • Check Productivity > Focus to see your focus time trends
    • Use insights to improve your deep work habits

Step 5: Review and Analyze Your Time​

Daily Review:

  • Use the Time Entry Inbox to quickly review and approve time entries
  • Ensure all time is properly categorized and assigned

Weekly Review:

  • Check Projects > Reports to see time spent per project
  • Review Clients > Reports for client-level insights
  • Analyze Productivity > Work Hours to track your work patterns

Monthly Review:

  • Export reports for billing or analysis
  • Review profitability metrics if using billing features
  • Adjust your work patterns based on insights

Using Rize as a Team​

Step 1: Create and Configure Your Team​

  1. Create a Team

    • Click "+Add Team" under the Teams navigation
    • Set a team name
    • Configure team settings

  2. Add Team Members

    • Go to Teams > [Team Name] > Settings > Team Members
    • Click "+ Add Member" and invite team members
    • Set roles and hourly rates for each member

  3. Configure Team Settings

    • Currency: Set billing currency
    • Billing Rate Strategy: Choose Team Member Hourly Rate or Client Hourly Rate
    • Time Zone: Set team time zone
    • End of Day Auto-Approve: Enable automatic approval of time entries

Step 2: Set Up Shared Clients, Projects, and Tasks​

Create shared resources that all team members can use:

  1. Team Clients

    • Go to Teams > [Team Name] > Clients
    • Create clients that team members can assign time to
    • Set hourly rates for billing

  2. Team Projects

    • Go to Teams > [Team Name] > Projects
    • Create projects for team work
    • Associate projects with clients

  3. Team Tasks

    • Go to Teams > [Team Name] > Tasks
    • Create tasks or sync from ClickUp/Linear
    • Team members can assign time to these tasks

Step 3: Integrate with Project Management Tools​

ClickUp Integration:

  • Connect multiple ClickUp accounts in Settings > Integrations
  • Sync ClickUp tasks to Rize automatically
  • Time tracked in Rize syncs back to ClickUp

Linear Integration:

  • Connect Linear accounts in Settings > Integrations
  • Sync Linear issues as tasks
  • Track time against Linear issues

Creating Teams from Integrations:

  • Use "Create via ClickUp" when creating a team
  • Import team members and tasks automatically
  • Set up syncing for seamless workflow

Step 4: Establish Team Workflows​

Time Entry Review Process:

  1. Team members track time throughout the day
  2. Use Time Entry Inbox for quick daily reviews
  3. Enable End of Day Auto-Approve for automatic approval
  4. Team admins can review and adjust entries as needed

Billing Workflow:

  1. Set up billing types (Hourly, Retainer, or Hybrid) for clients
  2. Configure hourly rates for team members or clients
  3. Review profitability reports regularly
  4. Export reports for invoicing

Reporting:

  • Use team reports to see time distribution across projects
  • Review client reports for billing insights
  • Analyze team productivity metrics

Step 5: Monitor Team Productivity​

Team Metrics:

  • Review Teams > [Team Name] > Planning for team time overview
  • Check Teams > [Team Name] > Profitability for financial insights
  • Use reports to identify bottlenecks or efficiency opportunities

Best Practices:

  • Encourage team members to review their Time Entry Inbox daily
  • Set up regular team reviews of time allocation
  • Use insights to optimize project planning and resource allocation

Best Practices for Both Individuals and Teams​

1. Consistency is Key​

  • Review your Time Entry Inbox daily
  • Accept or modify suggestions promptly
  • The more you use Rize, the smarter it gets

2. Use Keywords Effectively​

  • Add keywords to Clients, Projects, and Tasks
  • Use specific, relevant keywords
  • Review and update keywords periodically

3. Leverage AI Suggestions​

  • Trust the AI suggestions - they improve over time
  • Customize suggestion settings to match your workflow
  • Provide feedback by accepting or modifying suggestions

4. Regular Reviews​

  • Daily: Review Time Entry Inbox
  • Weekly: Check project and client reports
  • Monthly: Analyze trends and adjust workflows

5. Focus on Deep Work​

  • Use Focus Sessions to block distractions
  • Configure focus categories accurately
  • Review focus metrics to improve habits

6. Integrate with Your Tools​

  • Connect ClickUp or Linear for task management
  • Use Zapier for custom integrations
  • Export data for external analysis

Troubleshooting Common Issues​

Time entries not being suggested correctly:

  • Add more keywords to your Clients, Projects, and Tasks
  • Review and customize suggestion settings
  • Give the AI time to learn your patterns

Team members not seeing shared resources:

  • Ensure team members have accepted invitations
  • Check that resources are created under the correct team
  • Verify team member roles and permissions

Tracking not working:

  • Check that tracking is enabled (power icon in dashboard)
  • Verify browser extensions are installed
  • Check macOS Automation permissions (Settings > Security & Privacy > Automation)

Suggestions not accurate:

  • Review custom instructions in Time Entry settings
  • Add more keywords to improve recognition
  • The system learns over time - be patient and consistent

Next Steps​