If you find yourself working at your Mac with no break for hours on end, perhaps Dejal Systems’ recently updated Time Out 2 app can help you. The app reminds Mac users to take regular breaks, allowing them to stretch and relax, easing stress and muscle strain.
The app offers two different types of breaks by default, although users can also easily set up their own custom breaks. A “Normal” break last 10 minutes, and occurs once each hour. This type of break allows users to get up form their desk, stretch, move about, maybe take a “bio” break. A “Micro” break, last 15 seconds, and occurs every 15 minutes, and offers a chance for users to adjust their posture, stretch, and look away from the screen to give their eyes a quick rest.
When a break occurs, the screen will slowly dim, and display a customizable break theme. (Users can easily customize break screens, using web standards such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and a break screen can even display a webpage form a remote server.)
A break can be postponed, or even skipped, allowing flexibility as needed. Breaks can also be set to not occur if a particular app is loaded, or is the frontmost app, allowing users to avoid issues when watching video, or perhaps running a presentation.
Time Out 2 can also display the remaining time until the next app, and even display a convenient icon indicating which type of break is on its way, all in the menu bar on the Mac desktop.
The app is quite customizable, even performing certain actions before, during, or after a break. It can display a notification, speak text, play a sound, or even run Automator or AppleScript actions if so desired.
I’ve had the chance to use a beta of Time Out 2 the last week or so, and I’ve found it to be a helpful tool to get my dead butt up out of my office chair and take a break. I’ve set the hourly reminder to take place at the same time as my Apple Watch’s stand reminder, to help reinforce the idea to get up and take a break.
Time Out 2 is free, and is available in the Mac App Store, or directly from the Dejal Systems website. Advanced features are available via in-app donations. For more information, visit the Dejal Systems website.
