Workrave
Today, I gave a program called "Workrave" a try to see if it helps with my productivity. It's basically a reminder program that reminds you to stretch and walk away from the computer every now and then. Overall, I think I like the program, except for a couple of minor annoyances:
First, the micro-break timer. The default break seems to be too long for the interval between those breaks. Because I spend all day, every day, on the computer, it gets a bit disruptive. I spent some time tweaking with the time between micro-breaks and the length of the break, and 10 minutes of work to 15-30 seconds of micro-break seem to work the best for me so far.
I also had to tweak the rest break settings. Currently, I have it set to five minutes of break after 55 minutes of work, and it seems to be working out fairly well.
Finally, the daily limit is completely useless to me, since I work 9.5 hour days, with a variable-length lunch (30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on if I have class that day or go out with my wife, or just have something at my desk).
Overall, it's a nifty little program (I think I discovered it through Lifehacker). For anyone looking for a timer program, I'd recommend that they give Workrave a look.
Technorati Tags: productivity, timer, workrave
First, the micro-break timer. The default break seems to be too long for the interval between those breaks. Because I spend all day, every day, on the computer, it gets a bit disruptive. I spent some time tweaking with the time between micro-breaks and the length of the break, and 10 minutes of work to 15-30 seconds of micro-break seem to work the best for me so far.
I also had to tweak the rest break settings. Currently, I have it set to five minutes of break after 55 minutes of work, and it seems to be working out fairly well.
Finally, the daily limit is completely useless to me, since I work 9.5 hour days, with a variable-length lunch (30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on if I have class that day or go out with my wife, or just have something at my desk).
Overall, it's a nifty little program (I think I discovered it through Lifehacker). For anyone looking for a timer program, I'd recommend that they give Workrave a look.
Technorati Tags: productivity, timer, workrave
