diff --git a/abstutil/src/time.rs b/abstutil/src/time.rs
index 389fd0671e..66414f9ee5 100644
--- a/abstutil/src/time.rs
+++ b/abstutil/src/time.rs
@@ -38,10 +38,7 @@ impl Progress {
 
         if self.processed_items == self.total_items {
             let elapsed = elapsed_seconds(self.started_at);
-            let line = format!(
-                "{}: {}/{}... {}s",
-                self.label, self.processed_items, self.total_items, elapsed
-            );
+            let line = format!("{} ({})... {}s", self.label, self.total_items, elapsed);
             // TODO blank till end of current line
             println!("\r{}", line);
             return Some((elapsed, line));
@@ -70,6 +67,8 @@ enum StackEntry {
 pub struct Timer {
     results: Vec<String>,
     stack: Vec<StackEntry>,
+
+    outermost_name: String,
 }
 
 struct TimerSpan {
@@ -80,14 +79,19 @@ struct TimerSpan {
 }
 
 impl Timer {
-    pub fn new() -> Timer {
-        Timer {
+    pub fn new(name: String) -> Timer {
+        let mut t = Timer {
             results: Vec::new(),
             stack: Vec::new(),
-        }
+            outermost_name: name.clone(),
+        };
+        t.start(&name);
+        t
     }
 
-    pub fn done(self) {
+    pub fn done(mut self) {
+        let stop_name = self.outermost_name.clone();
+        self.stop(&stop_name);
         assert!(self.stack.is_empty());
         println!("");
         for line in self.results {
diff --git a/convert_osm/src/main.rs b/convert_osm/src/main.rs
index 3cab91c785..5af865d155 100644
--- a/convert_osm/src/main.rs
+++ b/convert_osm/src/main.rs
@@ -7,13 +7,11 @@ use structopt::StructOpt;
 
 fn main() {
     let flags = Flags::from_args();
-    let mut timer = abstutil::Timer::new();
-    timer.start("converting OSM");
+    let mut timer = abstutil::Timer::new(format!("generate {}", flags.output));
     let map = convert(&flags, &mut timer);
     println!("writing to {}", flags.output);
     timer.start("saving map");
     abstutil::write_binary(&flags.output, &map).expect("serializing map failed");
     timer.stop("saving map");
-    timer.stop("converting OSM");
     timer.done();
 }
diff --git a/editor/src/ui.rs b/editor/src/ui.rs
index a46385caff..6e979ffeb9 100644
--- a/editor/src/ui.rs
+++ b/editor/src/ui.rs
@@ -231,8 +231,7 @@ impl PluginsPerMap {
 
 impl PerMapUI {
     pub fn new(flags: SimFlags, kml: &Option<String>) -> (PerMapUI, PluginsPerMap) {
-        let mut timer = abstutil::Timer::new();
-        timer.start("PerMapUI setup");
+        let mut timer = abstutil::Timer::new("setup PerMapUI");
 
         let (map, control_map, sim) =
             sim::load(flags.clone(), Some(sim::Tick::from_seconds(30)), &mut timer);
@@ -251,7 +250,6 @@ impl PerMapUI {
         let neighborhood_summary =
             plugins::neighborhood_summary::NeighborhoodSummary::new(&map, &draw_map, &mut timer);
 
-        timer.stop("PerMapUI setup");
         timer.done();
 
         let state = PerMapUI {
diff --git a/halloween/src/main.rs b/halloween/src/main.rs
index 03c1acf47a..059f81e95e 100644
--- a/halloween/src/main.rs
+++ b/halloween/src/main.rs
@@ -37,7 +37,11 @@ struct UI {
 
 impl UI {
     fn new(flags: Flags) -> UI {
-        let map = Map::new(&flags.load_map, RoadEdits::new(), &mut Timer::new()).unwrap();
+        let map = Map::new(
+            &flags.load_map,
+            RoadEdits::new(),
+            &mut Timer::new("load map for Halloween"),
+        ).unwrap();
         UI {
             canvas: Canvas::new(),
             draw_map: DrawMap::new(map),
diff --git a/headless/src/main.rs b/headless/src/main.rs
index df1079cf06..cc1e058f25 100644
--- a/headless/src/main.rs
+++ b/headless/src/main.rs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ fn main() {
 
     // TODO not the ideal way to distinguish what thing we loaded
     let load = flags.sim_flags.load.clone();
-    let mut timer = Timer::new();
+    let mut timer = Timer::new("setup headless");
     let (map, control_map, mut sim) = sim::load(
         flags.sim_flags,
         Some(sim::Tick::from_seconds(30)),
diff --git a/precompute/src/main.rs b/precompute/src/main.rs
index dbf33774d6..a02792dd48 100644
--- a/precompute/src/main.rs
+++ b/precompute/src/main.rs
@@ -15,12 +15,13 @@ fn main() {
     log::set_logger(&LOG_ADAPTER).unwrap();
 
     let flags = SimFlags::from_args();
-    let mut timer = Timer::new();
-    timer.start("precompute map");
+    let mut timer = Timer::new(format!(
+        "precompute {} with {}",
+        flags.load, flags.edits_name
+    ));
     let (map, _, _) = sim::load(flags, None, &mut timer);
     timer.start("save map");
     map.save();
     timer.stop("save map");
-    timer.stop("precompute map");
     timer.done();
 }