Time Out - Break Reminders App Reviews

Sometimes we need to do boring stuff to achieve our goals and most of the time we forget how refreshing our heads a little bit is actually more productive than drowning in works. Time Out reminds you of that. It obligates you to stretch up, walk around, grab a glass of water, forget the computer for a few seconds. Its an amazing little application to make the work weight less on your shoulders.

Hi, - I’ve checked several apps for breaks/pauses here in the app store - all others were dissatisfying as I could NOT set up really individually fitting timers, features etc. - looking at „Time out“ at first glance in the app store I thought it was too ‚complicated‘/‚complex‘ - as I was looking for something ‚small‘ and simple and didn’t want to spend precious work time on a new app, learning the usage of it etc... - … BUT: NOW I know that „Time out“ is the best - and that the very few moments it takes to set it up are definitely worth all the great features and experiences it gives you afterwards - when using such a pause/breaking app for me it is important to make it really ‚fitting‘ to my habitudes - Time out is the ONLY app that REALLY allows you to do this successfully and easily (quite fun to set it up and individualise the features 100 % to my wishes - it makes you satisfied afterwards - the user interface and some longer text in the description may give the impression that it is complex and lot’s or work to get it going. But: honestly it isn’t - it’s totally simple and easy to use - giving you a really good pause-and-break-freeling in the long run, especially if you use such an app intensively and every day - MY RECOMMENDATION: don’t waste time or money on other apps - you will regret it afterwards and ask yourself "WHY didn’t I choose Time out right at start?!!“ ;-)

If you work at the computer all day, this app is what you need!! It’s a perfect reminder to take regular breaks, and I love the graphics that come with a small donation to the author.

Ive had this app for a few years, and its a solid program in the right context. It does what is says it does very well. If youre the type who sits at the keyboard and just keeps going until you get super stiff, this is a great app. Totally progammable it reminds you to take a break, stretch, look around. If youre the type who easily loses focus, maybe not the best for you. Its free, no harm in giving it a try.

Okay here is some advice from a graphic designers point of view.... Change the icon, not gunna lie the icon turned me off when first saw this app. Make the icon just the zen guy in the colour black (shiny black) and take out the clock. And when the time out arrives make the "Time Out" text white, because if you make screen fade out to any other colour other then grey it looks terrible... I had my time out screen colour turn red, and the green text that just killed it so I made it grey again... Better solution then white? Make the text that says "time out" customizable! In both colour and text! Imagine! I could say make it say... "Hey Max give your eyes a break! or just simply "Time out Max!". These are my simple suggestions that I think could make this app 70% better. Thanks! Max.

This is exactly what I was looking for. But I am using this tool as a means to help me focus. I use the timer to help me focus for a set period of time. For example, work consecutively for 45min, and then I get a 15min break. This app tells me when my scheduled breaks are so I can stop looking at a clock. I think the devs should add this use case to the app description because Im sure others would use the app this way as well. Keep up the good work!

Yeah, so as the above title says... It didnt work. It opened and no options showed up. I expected such a simple application to just work.

Very practical for those who are dealing with injuries or physial issues that are aggravated by sitting too long at the computer. As I am just recovering from whiplash, I cant be sitting at the computer too long. This app is helping to remind me to take a break and has prevented getting headaches from staying at the computer too long! The price is right too. However, I would gladly pay for it if the graphics were improved, perhaps with choices of colours etc. as was suggested by another user?

This is the most amazing tool. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has trouble disciplining themselves regarding time spent at the computer. My neck, shoulders and back thank the developers for this!

Im glad this is on the App Store, but its in need of an update. I know Time Out 2 has been in development for about 4 years but even an update so the icon is not always on the dock would be nice.

OK I work on my computer most days for several hours a day. I also like to take breaks by playing games. I never realized how poorly I was organizing my time untill I tried this app. Not only does it help give your focus a reset but it also gives you a reference scale for how much time you spend doing different tasks. It is easy to skip or ignore and has a very pleasent way on notifying you about breaktime. When I first installed it I did not realise it runs completely in the background and the only time the interface shows up is breaktime. I would have paid for this one. Thanks

This is really a simple, but really nice application. I think everyone should use it and take a break once in a while. Best of all, its free!

Great job, creators!

THIS IS HOW TO CHANGE THE ICON (no hack necessary) : when the app shows up in the dock, command click it then click on it in Finder. press file>get info on the top left corner you will see that ugly green icon (from google, or your own files, copy the new image that will become your new Time Out icon) then, go back to the get info window in Finder press on the icon on the top left and press edit>paste From now on, your dock will never show that ugly icon again!!! Hope this helps!!

Does what it says it does, and gets me off the laptop... one nice addition would be to have the option to put text in... to say something like "Get back to Art Project!" or "Get Outside" :) It would be a perfect app then! Thanks. :)

I use it all the time and it hs greatly improved my back. However, when I first installed it I could adjust all the setting. Once you set them, there is no way to go back and set them again. Please fix

As a student, studying computer science, I spend many hours each day sitting in front of my computer. As a result, I have developed fairly constant lower back and neck stiffness/pain. These problems had gotten so bad, I began questioning whether I could continue in this line of study. Physiotherapy and Chiropractic helped, but could not solve the problem. Then I found this incredible app! It gently reminds me, every 15 minutes, to sit up, move my head and neck, stretch my back, etc… After an hour, it kicks me off the computer for 10 minutes to go for a walk, make some tea, do some stretches. This has done more for alleviating my back/neck issues than anything else Ive tried. I feel physically better than I have for years. Thank you!

The fade-in/out is a killer feature. Its so brilliant because it does not try to fight against our natural attemp of procrastinating breaks but give us time to fade out our procrastination. Other apps Ive tried (Windows/Mac/Linux) all took the "instant blackout" approach, which was too intrusive. Right now I found an issue though: If you have multiple desktops (created by Spaces), then the break cycle does not work if you are not on the primary desktop. I hope the developer can fix this soon.

Its a great app for keeping track of how long youve been at the computer and when its time to get away from the thing. My only gripe is that there is no option to let you see how long before the next break. Other than that, very solid

I absolutely love this app. Totally helps prevent headaches, and also makes you more mindful of how much time your spending (or wasting!) on something.