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Developing unhealthy habits is a common problem when working long hours on the computer. Prolonged sitting, continuous screen staring, and forgetting to hydrate are ways we neglect our well-being, which can impede productivity.
Thankfully, various excellent tools are available to help avoid these detrimental habits. If you are a Mac user, you can download several free tools to assist in developing healthy desktop habits.
Mac Tools for Regular Short Breaks
Short breaks are crucial, no matter how hectic your workday or tasks may seem. A sedentary lifestyle can have adverse effects on your health. With a smartwatch like the Apple Watch, you can receive reminders to take breaks using various break reminder apps on your iPhone. Additionally, you can download a break reminder app on your Mac, which will notify you on your screen when it’s time to take a break.
1. Timeout – Break Reminders
It only takes a minute to set up the break reminders. The app offers two breaks: a “normal” break every hour for around 10 minutes and a “mini break” of just 15 seconds every 15 minutes. These short breaks allow you to rest your eyes, stretch, and adjust your posture to avoid discomfort.
The app is user-friendly and allows you to customize the duration of the breaks and the intervals between them. You can choose from several customizable themes; a progress bar shows you how much time is left before your break ends.
Download: Timeout – Break Reminders (Free)
2. Awareness timer
Unlike a break timer, the Awareness Timer is a straightforward timer application that appears on the menu bar of your Mac. It displays a countdown to zero or elapsed time if preferred.
When the allocated time ends, the Awareness Timer provides a gentle nudge. You can personalize it to your preferences, or if it doesn’t suit you now, you can ignore it. It serves as a helpful reminder and, over time, can help develop the habit of taking breaks regularly.
Download: Awareness Timer (Free)
Mac Tools to Protect Your Eyes
To avoid eye fatigue when working on a computer for extended periods, it’s advisable to take a break every 20 minutes and shift your gaze to a different focal length. This is another reason why downloading a break reminder app is essential.
Moreover, ensuring that your computer screen’s brightness and contrast are not too high or too low is crucial. You can adjust these settings using the built-in configuration or install a specialized app to help you achieve optimal settings.
3. Filter screen colors
The screen color filter helps alleviate eye strain caused by high-energy visible light (HEV) emitted by electronic devices such as computers, tablets, and phones.
This free app offers 16 pre-set color filters for your screen, which respond to the ambient light in your environment. It enables you to work more efficiently in low-light conditions. Additionally, you can adjust the colors using the dimmer slider and invert the color palette entirely at the press of a button. This tool is not only helpful in preventing eye strain but can also aid workers with dyslexia by adjusting the screen color reproduction. Check out 8 Best Dyslexia Apps For Android And iOS
Download: Screen Color Filter (Free)
Reminders to check and correct posture
Maintaining proper posture while sitting at a desk is crucial to preventing neck, shoulder, and back pain. Several websites offer guidance on improving your posture, but it’s common to forget to sit correctly while engrossed in work. To tackle this problem, you can download an app that monitors and corrects your posture while you work.
4. HLTH Posture and Break Reminders
HLTH is an app that utilizes your Mac’s built-in webcam to monitor your posture while you work. It continuously tracks and scores your position in real time and sends notifications if you lean too far forward or backward. The app runs in the background and only displays a small “traffic light” icon in the menu bar.
Although the app assures users of their privacy by not storing or sharing any captured images, some may find it unsettling to have their webcam on while working. Despite this, using HLTH can help improve your posture if you overlook these concerns. It also sends notifications reminding you to take breaks after extended work periods. Check out UNIQUE Productivity Apps for Android and iOS to Achieve Daily Goals and Objectives.
Download: HLTH Posture and Break Reminders (Free in-app purchases available)
Mac apps that use background sounds to help you focus
Background sounds can aid in concentration and productivity when working in a noisy environment. Music with lyrics may prove distracting, but ambient white noise tracks with repetitive sounds can minimize distractions and promote a sense of calmness.
5. Background clips with surround sound from Apple
Your Mac has a built-in white noise generator, which you may not know about. It’s found in the accessibility settings, which can be easily overlooked. To access it, go to System Preferences and click “Accessibility” in the sidebar. Then, click on “Audio” in the menu. Use the “Play Audio” checkbox to turn background sounds on or off. You can also use other settings here to adjust the background sound’s type volume and whether to turn off background sounds when your Mac is locked or the screen saver is turned on.
There are several good options to choose from, including:
- Balanced ambient noise
- Bright ambient noise
- Dark ambient noise
- Ocean
- Rain
- Stream
You can also download each sound for offline use.
6. White Noise Lite
White Noise Lite is a feature-rich app that provides 50 high-resolution environmental sounds to choose from and combine into a mix that suits your preferences. The app features beautiful natural sounds with smooth images, allowing you to switch between sounds easily. You can save your favorite sounds in the “Favorites” section.
In addition to this, you can also set timers and alarms, and the sounds will gradually increase or decrease. If you’re traveling and need help relaxing or falling asleep, White Noise Lite will be a great companion. Check out Best Apps for Listening to Calming Nature Sounds on iOS.
Download: White Noise Lite (Free)
Tools to avoid dehydration
Staying hydrated is essential for maintaining good health, but it can be easy to forget to drink enough water at your desk. To help with this, you can download a water-tracking app on your Mac to keep track of your water intake throughout the day.
7. Water Tracking
The Water Tracker app is an easy-to-use app with a simple interface that lets you set a water intake goal, log each cup you drink, and receive notifications to remind you to drink more water. Setting up only takes a few minutes, and your health and focus benefits are worth it.
Download: Water Tracker (Free)
Mac Tools for a Brief Moment of Mindfulness
After incorporating regular breaks to improve your posture, relieve eye strain, boost concentration, and hydrate, you can further benefit from a moment of silence to allow your brain to rest. There are numerous mindfulness apps available that can help you achieve this while performing tasks.
8. Mindfulness Bell Menu Bar
Consider installing Mindfulness Bell on your Mac to incorporate mindfulness into your workday. This app lets you choose a specific time interval and plays a soft or loud bell chime at the designated time, prompting you to pause, take a deep breath, and be present at the moment. The app can be accessed from the menu bar on your Mac, making it easy to set up and customize according to your preferences.
Download: Mindfulness Bell Menu Bar (Free)
Use your Mac as a wellness tool
It’s common to get caught up in a busy day and forget to care for your physical and mental well-being. Fortunately, many free apps for your Mac can help you stay mindful of your health needs. Taking care of yourself can improve your concentration and productivity and make you feel less tired at the end of the workday.
You can now view 6 Apps That Will Improve Multitasking On MAC
