Prerequisites for creation and idea
I’m working as IT project manager and spend almost all my working day at PC. Until recently I worked at the PC all day without any breaks except lunch. Usually to the end of the day I felt very tired and had unpleasant sensations in my eyes. I started to investigate what I can do to correct this state of affairs and have found a method how to feel myself fresh till the end of the day and to get rid of that sensation of tiredness in my eyes. The method is actually very simple – one has to make regular breaks in a work and periodically stay away from PC.
I visited various web-sites of different medical institutions and found a lot of information about correct way to work on PC. This includes correct settings of PC’s display resolution and monitor frequency, correct sitting posture, good chair and computer table, lightning and so on. And one of the most important things is to make regular breaks, better stand up and go away for a short walk from computer. Thus you will refresh your mind and body, and will give necessary rest and relaxation to your eyes.
Many people from all over the world suffer from modern disease - Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). And there are a number of other diseases caused by long immovable sitting staring at the screen.
Besides, those people who spend hours doing one and the same routine work without any breaks (programming, accounting, etc.) little by little start losing their concentration, which slows down their "performance rate" dramatically. Imagine: you’re sitting, looking at the letter "i" in a loop description ... for one minute ... for two minutes ... starting to look through menus – one by one – looking for something ... damn, can't remember what you actually wanted to do ... again looking at "i" trying awfully hard to remember what you was going to do! Isn't it a familiar situation?
A strict working schedule filled with necessary periodic breaks is the established, efficient way to prevent the problems caused by lengthy mental tasks. Educational institutions all around the world maintain a strict schedule, where one lesson never lasts longer than one academic hour followed by a mandatory break. This provides a clear example of how this rule works. It helps students to endure long concentration periods and avoid health problems caused by maintaining stationary positions for long periods. This principle is the very best for computer users!
But knowing the rule is only one half of the task. The second is to follow it. I tried to follow it, but almost every time there is something urgent to do, or I forget about the break because of doing some task or something else prevent me to do the break. That’s why I needed a utility that would remind me about the time of the break and as a plus could block my PC to force me make a break, because of lack of self discipline. I tried to find that kind of software in the Internet but failed to find free and convenient one. Then I decided to create such small utility myself (as I was a programmer in the past). And because I use a lot of open source and free software and share its principles and ideas I have decided to provide this program as free software to everyone.
I will be thankful if you let me know if this program is useful to you.