diff --git a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/GridworksServlet.java b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/GridworksServlet.java
index 725baffb4..acf9615ef 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/GridworksServlet.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/GridworksServlet.java
@@ -155,6 +155,19 @@ public class GridworksServlet extends HttpServlet {
         _commands.put("mqlread", new MQLReadCommand());
         _commands.put("mqlwrite", new MQLWriteCommand());
     }
+    
+    final static protected long s_autoSavePeriod = 1000 * 60 * 1; // minutes
+    static protected class AutoSaveTimerTask extends TimerTask {
+        public void run() {
+        	try {
+        		ProjectManager.singleton.save(false); // quick, potentially incomplete save
+        	} finally {
+            	_timer.schedule(new AutoSaveTimerTask(), s_autoSavePeriod);
+            	// we don't use scheduleAtFixedRate because that might result in 
+            	// bunched up events when the computer is put in sleep mode
+        	}
+        }
+    }
 
     @Override
     public void init() throws ServletException {
@@ -164,17 +177,10 @@ public class GridworksServlet extends HttpServlet {
         ProjectManager.initialize();
                 
         if (_timer == null) {
-            _timer = new Timer();            
+            _timer = new Timer("autosave");
+        	_timer.schedule(new AutoSaveTimerTask(), s_autoSavePeriod);
         }
         
-        long period = 1000 * 60 * 5; // 5 minutes
-        _timer.scheduleAtFixedRate(new TimerTask() {
-            @Override
-            public void run() {
-                ProjectManager.singleton.save(false); // quick, potentially incomplete save
-            }
-        }, period, period);
-        
         logger.trace("< initialize");
     }
     
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/ProjectManager.java b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/ProjectManager.java
index da41fbb2c..a714c1514 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/ProjectManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/ProjectManager.java
@@ -49,7 +49,12 @@ public class ProjectManager {
     /**
      *  What caches the joins between projects.
      */
-    transient protected InterProjectModel _interProjectModel = new InterProjectModel(); 
+    transient protected InterProjectModel _interProjectModel = new InterProjectModel();
+    
+    /**
+     *  Flags
+     */
+    transient protected int _busy = 0; // heavy operations like creating or importing projects are going on 
     
     static public ProjectManager singleton;
     
@@ -260,6 +265,16 @@ public class ProjectManager {
         }
     }
     
+    public void setBusy(boolean busy) {
+    	synchronized (this) {
+    		if (busy) {
+    			_busy++;
+    		} else {
+    			_busy--;
+    		}
+    	}
+    }
+    
     public void addLatestExpression(String s) {
         synchronized (this) {
             _expressions.remove(s);
@@ -275,8 +290,10 @@ public class ProjectManager {
     }
     
     public void save(boolean allModified) {
-        saveProjects(allModified);
-        saveWorkspace();
+    	if (allModified || _busy == 0) {
+    		saveProjects(allModified);
+    		saveWorkspace();
+    	}
     }
     
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/CreateProjectCommand.java b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/CreateProjectCommand.java
index 487da5c3f..3eba2b4c6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/CreateProjectCommand.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/CreateProjectCommand.java
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ public class CreateProjectCommand extends Command {
     public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
             throws ServletException, IOException {
         
+    	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(true);
         try {
             /*
              * The uploaded file is in the POST body as a "file part". If
@@ -97,6 +98,8 @@ public class CreateProjectCommand extends Command {
                 ParsingUtilities.encode("Failed to import file: " + e.getLocalizedMessage())
             );
             e.printStackTrace();
+        } finally {
+        	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(false);
         }
     }
     
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/ImportProjectCommand.java b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/ImportProjectCommand.java
index 9e11d55da..fb6670687 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/ImportProjectCommand.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/ImportProjectCommand.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ public class ImportProjectCommand extends Command {
     public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
             throws ServletException, IOException {
         
+    	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(true);
         try {
             Properties options = ParsingUtilities.parseUrlParameters(request);
             
@@ -63,6 +64,8 @@ public class ImportProjectCommand extends Command {
             }
         } catch (Exception e) {
             e.printStackTrace();
+        } finally {
+        	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(false);
         }
     }
     
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/UploadDataCommand.java b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/UploadDataCommand.java
index a25ffcd5c..53274f78b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/UploadDataCommand.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/edit/UploadDataCommand.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
 import org.json.JSONException;
 import org.json.JSONObject;
 
+import com.metaweb.gridworks.ProjectManager;
 import com.metaweb.gridworks.browsing.Engine;
 import com.metaweb.gridworks.commands.Command;
 import com.metaweb.gridworks.exporters.TripleloaderExporter;
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ public class UploadDataCommand extends Command {
     public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
             throws ServletException, IOException {
         
+    	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(true);
         try {
             Project project = getProject(request);
             Engine engine = getEngine(request, project);
@@ -48,6 +50,8 @@ public class UploadDataCommand extends Command {
             
         } catch (Exception e) {
             respondException(response, e);
+        } finally {
+        	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(false);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/info/ExportRowsCommand.java b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/info/ExportRowsCommand.java
index 6d355b0bb..593329c1c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/info/ExportRowsCommand.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/metaweb/gridworks/commands/info/ExportRowsCommand.java
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import javax.servlet.ServletException;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
 
+import com.metaweb.gridworks.ProjectManager;
 import com.metaweb.gridworks.browsing.Engine;
 import com.metaweb.gridworks.commands.Command;
 import com.metaweb.gridworks.exporters.Exporter;
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ public class ExportRowsCommand extends Command {
     public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
             throws ServletException, IOException {
         
+    	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(true);
         try {
             Project project = getProject(request);
             Engine engine = getEngine(request, project);
@@ -53,6 +55,8 @@ public class ExportRowsCommand extends Command {
             }
         } catch (Exception e) {
             respondException(response, e);
+        } finally {
+        	ProjectManager.singleton.setBusy(false);
         }
     }
 }