Workrave reminds you to take a break

I'm still busying writing a conference paper and marking some assignment reports and programs. So the long lagging post has to wait. I'm just taking a few minutes to write a short post. (It still got long. ha)

I've tried small software application called Workrave for a few weeks. It reminds me to take a break periodically. It works quite well for me.

The application can be downloaded from the official website: http://www.workrave.org/

It helps me to remember to look away from the computer screen and relax for few seconds every now and then. I find that I get tired more slowly. I have less eyestrain. The program is also supposed to help people to prevent or recover from RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury).

It's really simple. You set timers for the intervals that the program reminds you to take a break. One timer is for the micro-breaks, which is to pause and to let your eyes relax for a few seconds. The other timer is for rest breaks, which is to take a break for a few minutes after working for an hour or so.

The application is quite configurable so I can tweak it to make it suitable for my usage. Currently, I use a 10-minute timer for micro-breaks and take 15-second breaks. I use a 50-minute timer for rest breaks of 5 minutes.

It detects your mouse and keyboard input. So if you leave the computer for a moment. It detects that you have no input for a while, it assumes that you've taken a break and resets the timer. This is quite useful so it doesn't remind me again soon after I've just taken a break myself. However, one problem is that I often read documents when I work at the university computer. Because I don't use the mouse and the keyboard while I'm reading, it resets the timer. So, I turn off the function of resetting timer when no input is detected.

Another setting that I set differently for home and work is whether it blocks the keyboard and mouse input during breaks. I'm afraid that I may have more urgent operations to do when I work, so I turn this option off for my university computer. In fact, the program can block the screen too. I guess that forceful approach is needed for people who are recovering from RSI.

I guess many of us use computers for many hours a day. I recommend giving this application a try. You can get rid off it later if you find it annoying. Hopefully it reduces the physical strain of using computers over extended time.