Request, API: Webhook for when user starts and stops the stopwatch

I want to trigger certain things whenever I start (and stop) the stopwatch in the iOS/Android app. Say, I want to block distracting websites and apps with Focus or I want to turn some smart lights in my flat a certain color, or I want to set my status to Do Not Disturb in Discord or some other chat, or start and stop a pomodoro timer, … I could go on. I want a way of seeing live when progress on a goal is being made as opposed to just seeing if progress has been made in the past.

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I have this fantasy that I press a “ENGAGE WORK MODE” button somewhere and everything in my household will embrace it. My non existing smart RGB lights will switch to a certain color, my music will change, Focus app will close all distracting apps like instant messengers, and my whole environment basically goes into lockdown like in a Sci-Fi movie.
That’s kinda what I want this feature for. Amongst other things. Just think of integrating this with something like Apple Home. I think @mary mentioned something about Philips hue lights for beemergency days and I see how this could totally work. Change your environment into something your brain associates with getting stuff done.

Also think about how cool the blog post would be where you showcase your flat turning red or beeminder-yellow while you’re working on that goal.

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I actually have a button something like this! I have an Alexa button on my desk that starts an Alexa routine. It’s still pretty minimal at the moment, but I’ve been adding things to it. When I hit it, it turns my desk light to the right colour and brightness and starts a 30-minute countdown. When the time’s up, there’s a lightly audible cue, and the desk light turns blue. That cues me to stand up for a few minutes and pace while I think or to raise my desk (it’s a sit-stand desk) if I’m doing something that requires staying at my desk. The next time I sit down, I hit the button again, and it resets my light to a yellowish colour and restarts the timer.

I’ve been thinking of having it do weird things like display “On Air” on the Echo Show in the kitchen, so that if someone wants to know if they can talk to me cause I’m surfing the internet or if I need a bit of quiet cause I’m focussing, that’d be there automatically.

I haven’t tried to set this up so that it does things to my computer yet (like starting Freedom.io) or connects with Apple Home yet… but I bet there are ways! (I’m thinking… sending a text message from the echo to IFTTT which will then trigger a— Someone’s supposed to stop me when I start doing that.)

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Neat! Very neat!

What I got in mind is homebridge. That on a Raspberry PI, hooked up to the Beeminder API and bob’s your auntie!

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PS - Those glass beads are for if my self-isolation sidekick or I distract each other during work time, the offending party has to give the other one a bead and if anyone “captures” all 5 of the other’s beads during a single day, they win something. We haven’t ever gotten to 5. I think the “Wow, I’ve been disruptive enough to lose 3 beads today” reminder is plenty to clue us in.

I think Raspberry PI might be above my pay grade, coding wise. I’ve often been tempted to fiddle with it, though.

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I love the glass beads idea :smiley:

I believe your worries are unfounded. A Pi is ridiculously easy to get started with. It’s really just a linux on a computer. In fact, it might be the easiest linux to get started with because everything is already set up for you, you don’t even need to install it. You need a different excuse – “too hard” ain’t it :wink:

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Fair enough! I’ll look forward to fooling around with it some time in the (probably distant) future then and making something ridiculously overkill-ish. (Totally can’t afford to let myself get interested in learning something else right now, though, so won’t even google what it would be possible to do, or I’ll end up down a bad road!)

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