Chrome: We’ve discussed the 20-20-20 Rule before, where every 20 minutes you take a 20 second break and look at an object 20 feet away to relieve eyestrain and rest your eyes. The 20 Cubed add-on for Chrome will automatically remind you to take those breaks so you don’t have to set your own timer. More »
We’ve often recommended taking breaks to avoid burnout, reduce eyestrain, and stay motivated throughout the day. Working in focused intervals also can help you get more high-quality work done — in less time, the Harvard Business Review reminds us. More »
Mac: We’ve discussed how important it is to take breaks and get up from the computer regilarly, and we love apps that help you do it. Coffee Break for Mac is one of those apps, but instead of just reminding you every so often to take a break, you can schedule the breaks whenever it suits. When it’s break time, the app will darken your computer screen for the duration of your break so you can’t just ignore it. More »
Windows only: Eye Relax is a small Windows application that reminds you to take a break from the computer and give your eyes a much needed break. Many programs designed as break reminders are simply timers under a different name, but Eyes Relax has a host of unique features that put it one step beyond. In addition to the basic setup, where you plug in your work period and break time lengths, you can also customise how Eyes Relax shows up to enforce eyeball rest: a balloon tip in the system tray, a screen blank-out, or a pre-selected image pop-in. There’s also a “parent mode” where you can set a password to lock the reminder screen—which would certainly put an end to dinner-time calls of “Just five more minutes!” One of the handiest features by far however is the ability to save the settings as profiles. When you’re poring over minute edits and restoration in Photoshop, for example, it fatigues your eyes much quicker than casual web browsing. Eye Relax is freeware, Windows only.
Eye Relax [via gHacks]
