Break Reminder Programs

It's a good idea to take frequent breaks from the computer during your work day in order to help prevent repetitive stress injuries. Most sources I've read have recommended taking a break at least every half hour for 2-3 minutes, with some recommending a break every 15 minutes.

There are a number of break reminder programs out there, some free, some that cost $20-30 (most of these have a free trial). I'm on the hunt for a good one right now. I was just doing the Oh-I-know-when-it's-been-20-minutes thing, but it's easy to let an hour pass without realizing it.

I'm going to try a few and I'll let you know which I like best.

I've been using Albion StopNow for about two days, and so far it's the one to beat. It doesn't have any annoying popups that knock you away from your current window, and it recognizes when I'm using Drgon NaturallySpeaking and counts that as time. It resides in the system tray and turns red and beeps (annoyingly if you ignore it--but that's the point) when it's time to take a break. You set the break lengths and times during the fst and easy setup. The only downside is that if you don't generally work with your speakers on, it'd be somewhat easy to miss the warning and just work through. Albion is free to try for 10 days, and then you have to pay $25 to keep it.

I downloaded Break Reminder which is a free program, but the setup was 11 steps, and I was tired of messing with it by step 7. There's too much junk about micropauses and what should be counted as work time and break time and yadda yadda. After Albion, it was a pain so I said forget it early on.

I don't mind paying the money for something I like, so Albion remains the one I'm using for now, but I'm going to try a few more programs before the 10 days is up and see if there's something as good out there that is free. If I find something better, I'll post it.

Comments

[nancy]

Hello,
Is there a law that protects us or allows to take 5 minute breaks every hour?
I usually take a break every hour, but lately my boss has been complaining if the too many breaks.
I think I read a fews years back in the New York Times an article where workers by law have a right to these breaks.
Thanks,
nancy

[Ergoblog]

Hi Nancy,

I don't know of any laws that require a break every hour (not that I'm an expert on such things), but there are quite a few stretches and exercises you can do from your chair, so the boss doesn't notice you roaming around. Try http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/rsi.html for some ideas, or when looking for a break reminder program, select one that shows exercises on the screen during your breaks.

[Dave]

The law will depend on what state you live in and, in some cases, what industry you are in. Washington state, where I work, requires a 10 minute break in the first four hours, a 30 minute meal period between hour 3 and 6, and a 10 minute break in the last 4 hours of an eight hour shift. Check with whatever the labor authority in your state is.

[Ergoblog]

Good advice; thanks, Dave!

[Jennifer Grucza]

I've just started trying a program called Workrave (http://www.workrave.org/welcome/). It's free, and seems pretty nice so far. It shows pictures of stretches and exercises during the longer breaks.

[blahblah]

I think you need to revisit your opinion of Break Reminder. I like it alot, and, indeed, the setup is kind of ocnfusing and painful--but there are presets for various levels of ergonomic safety and they work great. I really like Break Reminder.

[Alan Seiden]

Break Reminder is the most important part of my healthy computer use. I didn't have to configure much. I accepted most of the program's default settings, which force me to take 20-second micropauses that hide the screen. I need to be forced because I'm often concentrating intensely and otherwise would ignore the breaks. An added benefit of the breaks is that "stepping back" gives me a smarter perspective on whatever I was doing.

[Greg Nixon]

Micropauses are critical but they do not need to be very long. We sell a product called Peak Performance and recommend 8-10 seconds every five minutes. If you use it right you should never actually get a reminder because it is training tool and you just take your hands of the keyboard and relax them for 3-4 seconds every couple of minutes and the software takes into account your natural break.

[Andrew]

Another piece of software to try is Quick Pause - www.quickpause.com. Recently this has become freeware. This tool also has a good logging feature thats enabled me to set and monitor my targets ( less than 2 hours solid typing per day )

[Dmitri Sennikov]

Free fitness break reminder app with 3 different exercises to do on each break. It also reminds you to drink your water. It is available at www.fitness-break.com.

[Andy Hames]

I've made one too and there is a free version of it so another one to try new for 2009. BreakHandler 2.0, very cool design and keeps things simple its at www.breakhandler.com