How to Install ActivityWatch on POP! OS Latest

ActivityWatch is an open-source time tracking and productivity monitoring tool. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of installing ActivityWatch on POP! OS Latest.

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have the following:

• A running instance of POP! OS Latest.
• A user account with administrative privileges.

Step 1: Update System Packages

First, we need to update the system packages using the terminal. Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T. Then, run the following command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This command will update the system packages to the latest versions and also upgrade the already installed packages.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Before we can install ActivityWatch, we need to install some dependencies. Run the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install python3-dev python3-pip python3-venv build-essential libffi-dev libssl-dev

This command will install Python 3, pip, venv, build-essential, libffi-dev, and libssl-dev.

Step 3: Install ActivityWatch

Now, we can install ActivityWatch using pip. Open the terminal and run the following command:

pip3 install -U activitywatch

This command will install the latest ActivityWatch version along with its dependencies.

Step 4: Run ActivityWatch

To run ActivityWatch, open the terminal and run the following command:

activitywatch start

This command will start ActivityWatch and it will track your activities. You can view the tracked data through the ActivityWatch dashboard, accessible via a web browser at http://localhost:5600.

Step 5: Start ActivityWatch on Boot

If you want to start ActivityWatch automatically when your system boots up, follow these steps:

1. Create a systemd service file by running the following command:

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/activitywatch.service
   

2. Paste the following code in the file:

   [Unit]
   Description=ActivityWatch Service
   After=network.target
   
   [Service]
   Type=simple
   User=<your_username>
   ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/activitywatch start
   Restart=always
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   

   Replace <your_username> with your actual username.

3. Save and close the file by pressing Ctrl + X, then Y, then Enter.

4. Enable the service by running the following command:

   sudo systemctl enable activitywatch.service
   

5. Start the service by running the following command:

   sudo systemctl start activitywatch.service
   

That's it! You have successfully installed ActivityWatch on POP! OS Latest and configured it to start automatically on boot. Enjoy tracking your activities!

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