Time Out for Mac

2.8.1

2.8.1

See all Versions

Works Great - Love this App!

Working from home is much easier with this. Worth the small price to me

Excellent time alert. Just became the full-time supporter for a year and enjoy various themes provided as they do pop up on micro-breaks and normal breaks. Due to work from home situation, this has become even more prominent.

Great app

Thank so much

This is really about the gentlest way that you can help remind yourself to be a better and healthier you. And if you don't feel like it in the moment, there's no shaming you if you tell it to go away. Simple, effective.

One of the most powerful and convenient application to handle breaks . I have been using this application since 2 years and it worked fine and I donot have any other app on my Mac . It features many awesome options for breaks , themes and how much do I spent on a certain project. Very brilliant app and highly recommend

Best app for ADHD! It is the only way I've found, to make my brain stop running after the last squirrel, long enough to reconnect to my plan for the day, and make a conscious decision. I set it to fully cover my screen, several times a day. Most breaks are 5 seconds, or 22 seconds to look at the horizon and stretch. I have a couple of 5 minute ones, too, when I get out of my chair. I have the screen in a happy color, and the text saying my goal for the day, or the question "Are you spending this time on the task you want?". I thought I would hate being interrupted mid-thought, but since the thing I was doing, reappears on the screen a few seconds later, I can just keep on running – but now as a choice. This app has so many options to personalize. It's simply amazing. (Like, there is an option to get a small sound a few seconds before the break starts, if you prefer a heads-up.)

I have been using Time Out for years to implement pomodoros breaks in my daily work. I use very high volume voice to tell me to come back once a break is over, this way I can go have my break anywhere in the flat instead of staying near the computer room. Awesome. Have saved me from burnout for sure.

Excellent, highly recommended. A free app worth supporting, which is entirely optional. Just today [Sunday) had a nice email correspondence with the developer, during which he diagnosed and solved an issue I had; even said he’ll add it to the FAQ. (I’m trying to remember the last time I had that degree of support from Apple, or Adobe, or Intuit

This app does Exactly what I want it to do, exactly how I want it to do it. I can choose the frequency and duration of my 'stand up and move' times, I can postpone a session if I'm in the middle of something, I can skip a session if I need to. I can tell it which sites I don't want interrupted at all. How perfect is that!

A very well-made and customizable app. Interesting and flexible payment model.

Does exactly what I want. The screen dimming feature is perfect—and the duration is adjustable. And it's easy to use.

Great app for development using pomodoro technique. It force you to get up and walk or do some eye gymnastic.

The majority of desired features are subscription base, requiring a monthly or yearly payment. That eliminates it as a consideration for me.

Great app - flexible, more functionality than I thought I needed. I find this makes a big difference b/w a day ending in an eye strain headache and a good day. Doesn't get in the way, if you need to skip a break (keyboard shortcut or mouse click on a button). Support is responsive and super-helpful, if you should need it. I have this on multiple machines and will install on any future ones. Quality software.

Best pomodoro app for mac IMHO. I've been using it for years already.

Excellent software design, full of features yet simple to use and well documented. Does what it says for free with no ads or nags, but the extras are worth the unique in-app purchase options (innovative "subscription" method on that). Instantly one of my favorite Mac menubar apps!

Lots of Flexibility to customize breaks, great for pomodoro technique. Great customize options for break screen

Time Out is one of the most important applications on my computer. I have it set to remind me to stand up ever 20 min and take a 5 min break every hour. I just set it to fade out the screen 100% and display a message saying "Are you working on THE MOST IMPORTANT THING" for one second and then fade back in again. The developer replies fast, is open to suggestions, and is constantly adding features. The new Activity feature has the potential to show me how many hours I've used a particular app in a day. Can't recommend Time Out more highly.

It's incredibly important for your physical health to not stay in one position for too long. Implementing the micro breaks in this app every 10 minutes or so could literally be life-saving! The reminders are invaluable. I find the interface to be straightforward, and once it's set you just let it run. I love it.

Very good app! People often forget how little breaks can improve their productivity, so Time Out is a nice idea to remind them. I believe this is the necessary app for every person who works with a mac all day long. Once you try it, you will never regret.

Complicated and a bit messy experience. I'll pass.

Time Out has totally saved my bacon. I'm an old person working on a PhD dissertation, and it's all too easy for me to forget I have a body until it starts complaining. Time Out reminds me to refocus my eyes, stretch my limbs, twist my spine. When I don't do that, I have to stop working. What's more, any time I've sent in a question about the app, I've gotten an immediate, personal, and helpful response. I can't recommend this app highly enough.

An indispensable tool to keep me acting in my own best interest. Flexible enough to fine-tune to the type of reminders I'll best tolerate. Every time I've turned it off (to record a podcast, or what have you) and forgotten to turn it back on, my wrists and eyes remind me why it matters; computing doesn't hurt when I use Time Out.

Well thought out app that helps me take breaks when I need to. I usually get annoyed, but... that's when you know you have a problem. :)

It is really great for improve the health of using computer!

My clipboard stopped working from time to time after installing this. A restart fixed the issue. A bug report is here http://openradar.appspot.com/25691051 . I would give it 4-5 stars if it wasn't for this bug.

wonderful app if you work a lot at the computer!!

I rely on break reminder apps to periodically remind me to take a break from computer helping me prevent RSI. I used many different apps to serve this role for as long as I remember, each had its own sets of strengths and weaknesses. Among others was Time Out which I found almost perfect but lacking what I see as core feature for this type of apps - menubar mode. The original version felt neglected for years, so was excited to hear about this update. And I must say, it delivered on all fronts. Not only it brought menubar mode, but also polished the UI as well as many other improvements - too big to list here, and they're conveniently available as part of release notes on developer website anyway... One thing to consider is pricing: v1 was free to use. v2 remains free and you get fully functional break reminder with that. However many of its new features require in-app purchase to unlock. The in-app purchase is subscription based and remains valid for the selected period. However, unlocked features remain available permanently - even after subscription expires. I'm mentioning this here because it wasn't clear to me prior purchasing (the text is not very obvious so it's possible I missed it at the time, also not sure if all purchases unlock the features permanently). You can evaluate all paid-for features before purchasing too, for 1 hour at a time. After that hour, the app returns to the basic free feature set (you can manually switch them back on for another hour, as far as I can tell you can repeat this indefinitely - I think that's nice compromise; these kind of apps require some time to evaluate). All the features that require subscription are clearly marked too, so you should have no trouble evaluating whether you need to purchase or not. With that in mind, I find the price more than fair and would have no hesitation recommending it to anyone. It's obvious a lot of thought and love went into making it and it shows throughout!

nice app, I use it every day.

Needed something to remind to worry about myself, eyes and take breaks from using the computer as I do all day. Great reminder and has helped reduce eyestrain. Free is always good if it works well

Time Out has become invaluable for me. It's the key part of my strategy to not hurt myself while being at the computer all day. Great program!

Look at the 5-star ratings, the download count, and the positive reviews. Yes, the product is clean, useful, and above all, diligently maintained by the developer.

I discovered Time Out several years ago and this latest version is excellent. The temptation of computers when you are busy is to stay glued to the screen, which is why so many people complain of eyestrain and tiredness. This app does just what you need to avoid those things and my eyes definitely felt less tired after using it on a recent project. Although it is free a lot of time and effort goes into maintaining this app to work with system changes. The small amount the dev asks is worth every penny compared to optician fees, plus the extras you get to keep are very useful. I did contact the dev to ask a question and received a really fast and polite reply. FYI. I do not know the developer but I like the way he took time to answer my question. The Mac community has gained strength because of caring third party developers and sites like MacUpdate. Honest, unbiased opinions from Macupdate members & visitors have helped me buy some of the most useful addons to my Mac and made my life easier, all Mac users should support them.

Does exactly what it should do, with enough options to keep everybody happy.

Extend your life -- really! This app makes it so much easier to be a healthy human being and not a time bomb glued to chair and screen.

This is an essential app for anyone who spends lots of time at the computer. Every 5 minutes, I have it custom set to remind me to take a deep breath and be mindful. The options to customize this app are incredible! Customer service is also very quick to respond and help with support. Look no further...this is the best app out there to help bring some calm into your digital life!

Essential

A great app, I'd mostly like the possibility to continue typing when the break starts. With this you can finish your thinking and know it's time to break for a while.

This is a great app - I'm one of those people who looks up from my Mac and is surprised to see that it's dark outside, many hours having passed since I last thought about my body, let alone the outside world!

So I am very fond of the original Time Out app gently nudging me to stop for a minute or 10, providing the space to wonder if there's something more important I should be doing, perhaps eat something, or just stand up and stretch to refresh my mind.

I made a couple of enhancement requests to David (the developer of Time Out) and I'm delighted to see that they are all present in Time Out 2.0 and quite a lot more besides. I like to tweak the apps on my Mac so they look and behave exactly as I want them, so I really appreciate Time Out 2.0's many customisation options.

Is this a subscription app as the email I have received shows " Purchase now - 12mo for $5.99 ?

Great app! Kind of surprised that it still functions fine on Mavericks. Love that it dims the screen and lets you snooze the break. Great for ADHD'rs like me. It's always helpful for my hyperfocus (on non-work stuff) to get up - gets me back on track. Hmm, is the author thinking about updating it?

exccellent app. essential really. i first used it a few years back and was too impatient with it. now i take the breaks and it actually IMPROVES my work and attitude. its called "letting go"! it breaks the work/internet trance, where i get hypnotised. at the same time if i have a deadline i can just skip the break or defer it.... highly recommended.... especially for workaholics and internetaholics... who might initially hate it like i did. someone here suggested "start small" and that is wise! thanks to Dejal.

Great tool to protect your eyes from screen work.

Time Out is a necessity for anyone spending their days in front of a computer. I use Time Out to follow the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. The trick is to start very small because the "interruptions" will seem jarring. Build the habit slowly by setting a 5 second break every hour. Over time, make the breaks more frequent and longer. Your eyes, body, and mind will thank you for it. BONUS TIP: Set the background to fully opaque or else you will keep typing. The point is to fully pause, breathe, and give yourself a break.

Nothing not to like -- you have two timeouts which you can change for duration, change color (helps me know which is which) and if you happen to need to override it is simple -- or you can postpone it. You can control the pre and exit times as well. I downloaded and thought I'd not like it but find it is very helpful to break up work sessions and remember to flex the eyes (with the short breaks) or get up and walk and get away from desk (with the longer breaks). Well worth a donation in my opinion!

Great app. Everything I want and nothing extraneous. I tried another product but Time Out's Micro and Normal breaks sold me. My optometrist said we should all take a 20 second break from the computer monitor every 20 minutes and Time Out lets me put that in as a Micro break. Then I use my Normal break to get up and move around. The only feature I'd like to see is keyboard shortcuts to Postpone a break.

This is a very useful little app. It reminds you that a work break is due, but it allows you to postpone or skip a scheduled break ea-ily. It is a good app, and when it gets the improvements promised in version 2, should rate a full 5 stars.

Great app. I just donated to help keep up with development. I've been testing Time Out for a week or so and am very happy with the much needed reminders to take breaks. I like that it has setting for frequent short breaks for things like looking away from your screen or stretching, and then longer less frequent breaks like taking a walk or lunch break. You can set the time between breaks to however you prefer and you can choose to ignore the reminders at any time.

Sitting too long is NOT GOOD for you. Timeout IS GOOD for you. Looking forward to V2.

Function-wise, Time Out is very good, and free too. The only annoying part is the big icon which comes out when the scheduled break is activated. Besides that, the icon cannot be changed! Not many people like the 'a person in meditation pose' picture. Hope Time Out will be improved in this aspect in near future.

i downloaded this new version, wanted to see what "transparent' looked like; i expected it to at least show the icon, and/or the postpone or skip buttons. instead, NOTHING showed, but i was in a 10-minute break. tried to force-quit. i could bring up that window, but could not force-quit the app. force quit NEEDS to work!

Only 10.7 & up now : - (

I have found TimeOut useful between many others which meant for this task. Customization is easy and you can work around with your timings. There are couple of features such as adding custom workout, keeping track of active session and others which developer said is in process and will be available in version 2.

I have used 'Time-Out' for years now and I appreciate everything about it: easy to set up to your own preferences; can skip the scheduled break if you are 'into' something and does what it is supposed to do, i.e., get you to take a break! Great support and the developer is responsive to suggestions and recommendations. Hi "Fives" across the board!

I'm very happy with Time out since the first day! The paradox and value of TO not only in saving your eyes, but also in increasing self-discipline factor. Thanks to micro time out option. Now i can feel how the time flies and don't let myself be distracted at work. Highly recommend!

Nice app and shouldn't complain when it's free, but there are a couple of minor annoyances. First, I agree with others that have posted here about making the app faceless or, preferably, have a menu icon so that it doesn't take up dock space. One thing that bothers me is that there is absolutely no indication, nor way of determining, how close you are to your next break. Similar apps use different techniques to do this in a subtle and unobtrusive way.

Where is the other Dejal software? Simon 3 for instance is junk. I'd like to review it for the piece of trash it is.

This would REALLY be much better as a Pref Pane!!! I've inadvertently quit the app lots of times by hitting cmd-Q when another app appeared to be in the foreground but it was really Time Out that was frontmost (I'm looking at what window is "on top" on the screen, not what app name is next to the Apple icon in the menubar).

Awesome app. I have tried Harmony but Dejal seems to be better. I like it that it allows me 30 seconds(you can change this value) before each break so that I can save any important documents, etc. I can also postpone or skip the break. And the countdown of course. Everything is just the way I want it to be. And what's more? It's for free!

Great app. Would be better as a (faceless app) Preference Pane, so it doesn't take up any dock space or menubar space, the only reason why I'm rating it 4 stars rather than 5.

Fantastic app! Developer has gone the extra mile to ensure this free application is polished. Alright, so it executes the promise of the description without any flaws. But, not only does it work without any bugs or sketchy goings-on, but "Time Out" makes it easy to adjust settings and include Apple Scripts into the app. I'm always excited when applications give the option of triggering Apple Scripts, because that pretty much means I can make them function however I want.

I suffer from sciatica and have to sit no longer than 15 minutes at a time without taking a break. It's very easy to forget, so I started looking for some kind of timed alert. Little did I realise that there were quite a few applications which catered for this kind of thing. After trying a few and being a little disappointed with the crudeness and lack of options, I stumbled across Time Out. Instantly, it struck a chord with me. It's elegant, sophisticated, and has the right amount of configurability for me. I've been using it for several months now without a problem. It feels comfortably integrated into my system and pleasantly reminds me when I need to take a time out. The author has mentioned that he is working on a new version which will integrate most of the features requested by users. To be honest, I can't see much that needs added.

Dejal's Time Out helps you combat RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) and encourages you to take frequent breaks while working or playing at your computer. It's easy to get involved in something and, before you know it, you realize that your neck, shoulders, and back are aching! That's where Time Out comes into play. It reminds you to take regular breaks. There are several customization options via the preferences menu. There is also a button that allows you to postpone the break or to skip it altogether. Many new features, some that are now available by running Automator actions or scripts, will be included when v. 2.0 is released. For now, Time Out is free. Use it, love it, and get attached to it. Consider making a donation to further Time Out's development. Anyone who makes a donation in any amount prior to the upgrade being released will receive a free license for Version 2. You can't beat that!

This program was recommended to me. I have chronic dry eye and am nearsighted and being at my iMac all day aggravates both of these. Time Out has two different kinds of breaks.There's a short break - I use that to just look away from my computer every 10 minutes for 10 seconds. The main break is long enough to get out from my chair and away from my iMac to stretch for 10 minutes. You can set either of the short or long break to take place at any interval you want FOR any time you want. Sometimes if I'm working on an article I choose to "skip" the break not to lose my train of thought. This has greatly reduced my eyestrain and helped improve my dry eyes.

Thank you so much that this is still available for Tiger users!

Couldn't agree more. Best break timer I've ever used, in every way. My shoulders say 'thank you!'

I want to thank the developer for making this great software available for free. It's very useful for avoiding the pain of repetitive stress and screen staring; but also just as useful for avoiding the frustration of wasting time browsing around. Use the breaks to "wake up"!

After 5 months spent staring at a screen for more than 7 hours a day, I realised that my productivity wasn't optimum, and my eyes were taking strain. I did a Google search and found Time Out! I've only been using this product for a day, but already my productivity and concentration has improved dramatically. Being reminded to take breaks, both short and long, helps me to focus on the task at hand and avoids me 'not seeing the forest for the trees' by getting too focussed on insignificant details. The software works well, and the customer support is fantastic - I sent feedback about the product and was contacted by the developer within a few hours. This is a great product that I'm sure will yield health and productivity benefits for years to come. Get it!

I love computing, but I have a classic ADHD mind that can get lost for hours in work or browsing, only to find myself tired and frustrated, eyes totally fried and wrists numb. Time Out! really helps jolt me back into reality and help keep me from getting lost in unhealthy states of hyperfocus. I absolutely love Time Out! I have needed something like this for years. I've even tried other anti-RSI programs, but this is the best yet, and as I understand it, the next release will include every one of the little features that are lacking in this one, such as a mandatory break mode! If you ever struggle with keeping a balance between living in your real and cyber worlds, definitely give Time Out! a try.

Works like a dream on Panther. Very useful for those like me who's mind (and fingers) wonder when they are supposed to be working instead of surfing! Works as a reminder to get back to work, but also as a way to split chucks of work into manageable sections of time, all completely configurable! Great that you can set sounds for when your break comes and when it's up! If nothing else, you should give this a try!

Very handy application. I recommend it highly especially for designers who spend a lot of screen time. Dog-ugly icon, though. 5 stars for when you get a new one. In the meantime, I've hacked my Time Out with my own icon selection.

Never a conflict on my iMac G5/17 and OS 10.3.9 through 10.4.4 I've used every take-a-break application I can find (after the one I wrote in Excel starting crash my Mac in 8.6.) Constantly monitoring my keyboard/mouse activity -- which allows for highly-configurable breaks and "counting backwards" when you take an informal break -- slows down my Mac and seems to encourage crashes. For me TimeOut!'s simplicity has meant I actually use it. Blanks the entire screen to hide the temptation of a recent email. Can't beat the price! Quick support from responsive developer.

Won't launch on my G4 dual 1.25Ghz MDD running 10.3.5 - and I got 1.5Gb RAM too. I won't rate in case its my computer, its not fair. Good app good idea though.

I found this to be an invaluable program when working continuously at the screen doing film editing work. However, in the timer section it would be nice to have a preference for adding half hour or 45 minute lunch breaks on top of the other break features.

Nice application. The only thing I would change is allowing me to adjust the times of the various things numerically instead of with sliders. I always found the slider thing to be a waste of space for most applications. The way it is, it takes far longer to figure out how much time you have allocated toward something than if I could just type '5' in a box. For instance, I like working in 45 minute blocks, but it seems difficult to get the slider right on 45 minutes.

Does what it's supposed to do pretty well, and not much more. Big memory leak, though. After a week without quitting, it balloons to using over 200MB of RAM!