The most common reason is unexplained breaks. DoTally’s Focus score counts away time you haven’t given a reason for against you, even when it was a meeting or a call. Add a reason to each break on that day, and your Focus score updates straight away.

You have unexplained breaks

How to tell: open the day in My Work and look at Away Time. Any break showing Click to provide reason is unexplained. Calls, videos and presentations where you didn’t touch the keyboard or mouse show up here too.

Fix: add a short reason to each one, such as “Client call” or “Lunch”. Explained breaks no longer count against Focus, and the score recalculates as soon as you save. See How does DoTally decide when I’m away?

Apps you used for work are classified as unproductive

How to tell: in the day’s app list, a work app or site is labelled Unproductive, or a lot of time sits in Neutral. Focus uses these labels: unproductive time breaks up a focus block, and neutral time counts for only half.

Fix: reclassify the app or window with the pencil next to its label. If the same client name or job code keeps getting the wrong label, add a Keyword Rule. DoTally re-analyses the day after a reclassification. See How do Keyword Rules work?

You switched between unrelated things a lot

How to tell: the day was full of short stretches across different apps and topics. Moving between the tools the same work needs, such as Figma, a browser and Slack for one design, doesn’t count. Neither do video calls or quick checks of a chat app. Switching between unrelated work does, and so does dipping into a streaming or social site, such as YouTube, Netflix, TikTok or Reddit. DoTally goes by the brand name, so a window called “Video call” or “Game plan.docx” is still work.

Fix: if heavy switching is normal for your work, say so in the calibration questions (below). Otherwise, the score is telling you something real about the day.

DoTally doesn’t know your role

How to tell: your Job Title in Profile Settings is empty, out of date or very general. DoTally uses it to decide how long a focus block should be and how much switching is normal. For example, a support role is expected to switch more than a developer.

Fix: update your job title and industry in Profile Settings. New days use it straight away.

You haven’t answered the calibration questions

How to tell: after analysis, a How did today feel? window offers a few questions, and you skipped it.

Fix: answer them next time. If you switch a lot by design, choose Normal for my work. DoTally will then measure your switching against your own normal, not the typical one for your role. What it learns is listed under Focus Score Calibration in Profile Settings, where you can remove anything you’d rather it unlearned.

The How did today feel? window asking about app switching, with Normal for my work as the first answer

It’s one day compared with your usual

How to tell: after a week or so of logged days, Focus is measured partly against your own history. A day that’s normal for most people can score lower if it’s below your usual.

Fix: open Score Details on Focus to see the day next to your weekly and monthly averages. One low day among good ones isn’t a trend.

Still not working?

Email awesome@dotally.app with the date and what you were working on that day. Don’t include anything you wouldn’t want to share.

Available on: Team Professional, including the 14-day trial.

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