It’s a well-known fact that sitting for delayed hours staring at a screen effects on the human body. It can cause variety of problems ranging from back pain to eye strain. Because of the way of our work, sometimes it’s not possible to eliminate the time spent on the computer.
5 macOS apps to stay healthy while working on your Mac:
1. Time Out
A popular rule out there is the “20-20-20” rule, which states that every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Time Out is a nifty little utility for Mac, which boosts users to take short breaks after a specified amount of time. We can set the default “20-20-20” rule to reduce eye strain or we can go a step further and customize the time between breaks.
Time Out has a free version and is highly customizable. We can schedule the break to run after a certain amount of time, change themes and set the background color to be shown during the break. we can even instruct Time Out to not run when certain application is in the foreground. This could be particularly useful when we watching a movie and do not need to be distracted. Optionally, we can also select to postpone a break in case we working on something really important. Lastly, this is how your screen reduces after the specified amount of time to force to stand up and look away from the screen.
Time Out is a great tool that helps eye strain while working on your Mac. There are a lot of similar apps available, but Time Out manages the work perfectly. Time Out is available in a free version, but if we need to the app to remember the changes, we will have to support the developer through an in-app purchase of either $2.99 or $4.99 or $9.99.
[ad type=”banner”]2. f.lux
The cause why looking at any desktop/mobile screen is extremely damaging because it emits blue light. The blue light emitted by the way of display screen reaches deeper into the eye and reason damage to the retina. The blue light can cause all kind of problems like headaches, eye fatigue and even deprive you of sleep.
f.lux aims to combat this problem by shifting your screen color to a warmer/yellowish tone. The display can look weird at first but you’ll get used to it after a while. You can adjust the amount of yellowish color manually. It also allows to enter your location, so it can automatically enable itself when the sun sets and adjust the color accordingly.
LEFT: Display with f.lux, RIGHT: Normal display
It also has an additional color effect the darkroom mode. The darkroom mode is a aggressive mode, which turns the screen in a black-and-red shade that is helpful if you’re working late nights. f.lux is available for free and along with macOS, it’s also available for Windows, iOS and Android.
Download (Free)
3. Nekoze
Nekoze is a menu-bar app for Mac that monitors your posture using the MacBook’s iSight camera. The first time set it up, Nekoze asks you to sit straight, so that it can “calibrate” your ideal posture. Once calibrated, it monitors your posture using the camera and notifies you when you slouch.
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In case you feel like Nekoze is being way too aggressive, there’s an option that allows you to set the frequency. Using Nekoze requires the camera to be turned on all the time. Battery wise, this shouldn’t be a trouble for someone who plugs-in his MacBook all the time. But of course, you’ve to be okay with the fact which you are being monitored all the time.
[ad type=”banner”]Download (Free)
4. Noizio
Auditory interruptions at workplace can be a major problem, considering it really sets back your productivity level. While Noizio doesn’t magically transport you to such places, it features an extensive list of relaxing sounds. Just plug in your earphones and you can enjoy the sound of sea waves, wind chimes, or the melodious rain.
The best part is that you can mix-and-match various sounds, so you can get the feeling that you’re sitting in a coffee house while it rains. Noizio can greatly enhance productivity while you work on your Mac.
[ad type=”banner”]Download ($4.99)
5. Tomato One
The Pomodoro technique is a big success among productivity. The technique encourages you to take short breaks after every 25 minutes.
Tomato One is an easy Mac app primarily based on the Pomodoro principle. It notifies to take a break of 5 minutes after every 25 minutes. This entire cycle is called one Pomodoro. You can additionally try this using the earlier mentioned “Time Out” app, but Tomato One shows your history from the last two weeks, which can motivate you to do more Pomodoros. It is a must-have app to stay focused and healthy on your Mac. The app is available for free but includes advertisements, but you can remove them via an in-app purchase of $1.99.