Taking breaks from your computer

Hamish Taylor
Thursday, 12 June 2008 18:00

Opinion and Analysis

Hi and welcome to my first post as an iTWire blogger! Firstly, I'd like to say thanks to the iTWire team for letting me rattle on about one of my favourite subjects – using Linux. Secondly, thanks to my loyal fanbase, as it was your insistance that the iTWire editorial team listened to and they then approached me to do this.

What I'd like to do is get your input on what you want to know about using Linux. What are those questions you always wanted answers to? I have a few ideas that I want to share, so together I hope we can make this work.

Firstly, I want to chat about taking breaks from your computer.

I am a mature-age student (which is a weird title, as I wouldn't say that I am at all mature!) most of the way through a Master of Business Information Technology at RMIT University. I spend long hours in front of my laptop trying to bash assignments and exams into shape (we had a week long “take home” exam. Blergh).

I also work part-time contracting to the Victorian Government and I have read some of their OH&S material, which recommends taking regular breaks, including getting up and moving around.

I am particularly bad at doing this, so I started to look for some software to remind me to take a break. When I used to use Windows I had heard of and briefly used, WorkRave.

There is a Linux version as well, which I installed but found that the user interface was a bit too busy for my liking. This is purely personal preference, as I am sure that if I persevered all would be revealed and I would come to like it, but I was focussing on the assignments and exams and didn't want to spend even a short amount of time working it all out.

However, if you are on Windows then I sincerely recommend that you download, install and play with Workrave.

I happened to be digging around wanting to change a shortcut key mapping, and went into Preferences → Keyboard (instead of Keyboard Shortcuts where I should have gone to change it). It was there that I found the motherlode!

A tab on the far right named “Typing Break”. I had a quick look there and found exactly what I was after. Three configuration options: how long the work interval lasts (in minutes), how long the break interval lasts (also in minutes) and a checkbox to allow for postponing of the break. It doesn't get much easier than that! CONTINUED