Check overlapping intervals without deleting valid work
Quantify overlap and escalate competing interpretations.
Calculate the shared interval, then investigate why it exists. An overlap is a record question; it does not automatically mean duplicate work or justify deleting time.
Normalize the interval before comparing it
Use the same contributor identity, date and zone convention. Two local clock intervals from different zones cannot be compared reliably without that context. Also distinguish intervals from duration-only summaries: a daily total does not reveal when work occurred. Do not invent start and end timestamps to make a duration-only row fit an overlap detector.
Work through a concrete overlap
A fictional interval A runs 09:00–10:00 and B runs 09:45–10:15 on the same day and zone. The shared portion is 15 minutes. Their durations sum to 90 minutes, but the union covers 75 minutes. Which total is appropriate depends on what the records represent and the recipient’s rules; arithmetic alone cannot decide it.
Two-interval overlap check
Same day and time zone only; end must be after start. Adjacent intervals have zero overlap. No record is classified as invalid by this calculation.
Investigate the possible causes
Ask whether one interval is a manual correction covering automatic data, a timer left running, a different task recorded in parallel, or two versions of the same event. Inspect the original IDs and provenance. Confirm with the contributor or reviewer through the agreed process. Do not resolve the case from an activity score or assume the shorter interval should always be removed.
Record the chosen treatment
Keep the original intervals, explanation, reviewer and resulting representation. If one entry replaces another, mark that relationship explicitly. If both remain valid for distinct purposes, avoid aggregating them as one elapsed-time measure without an agreed rule. The calculator is limited to same-day HH:MM intervals and does not handle overnight or daylight-saving cases; use full timestamps for those.
Continue this work-record check
Use the linked guide for the next decision in this workflow. Keep your original records separate from experiments and record any unresolved requirement before changing a live process.
Sources and boundaries
Primary documentation supports the dated product facts. Proposed checks and fictional examples are our editorial method, not observed product results.
- DeskTime — manual · checked September 23, 2026
- Clockify — detail · checked September 23, 2026