Ideas for beeminding computer breaks?

(apologies if this is in the wrong category)

I use timeout (mac app) for taking breaks on my computer. However, I’m pretty bad about quitting the timeout app oftentimes.

Any ideas on how to force myself to take breaks at a certain frequency and beemind that?

Also, I want to do this with my windows machine at work, which cannot run timeout.

My ideas so far

  1. use applescript to call timeout and log entry into beeminder

  2. export rescuetime data and make sure the total #hours logged per hour is never > certain ratio

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I think the solutions depend on what you mean by a “break”. I’m not familiar with the timeout app, but are you trying to stop using the computer completely during your break? Or are you looking to avoid working in certain programs or websites?

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Whatever you do, make sure you are explicitly measuring breaks.

Do NOT measure ‘all time’ - ‘time using the computer’ which lets you too easily slip into bad habits of not reporting time using computer and having that count as breaks.

Can you find an app that logs when your screen is locked and beemind from that data?

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Working in tocks or pomodoros can help with taking regular breaks because there’s a natural punctuation between finishing one task and starting the next.

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The former. Completely stop using the computer

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Yeah, sounds complicated doesn’t it? At that point, I should just have the self discipline to take breaks - probably better investment of time than writing the automation around this :smile:

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Ah, in that case you could have a Do Less goal for the time the screensaver is off? It is pretty easy to tell if it is on/off on linux/mac although I don’t know about Windows.

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