BreakSet
Break Set is a little program that you can use to help remind you to take regular breaks from your PC. When you install it a little, red, alarm clock will appear in the bottom, right-hand corner of your screen.
Whilst Break Set is running, it will count down for a set amount of time and then a black splash-screen will pop up, reminding you to either "...look away..." or "...take a break...".
It is advisable to set it to so that you are reminded to look away from your screen for a few seconds, approximately every 5 minutes. You should also consider setting the second timer so that, approximately once per hour, you are reminded to take a 5 minute break from the PC.
Download BreakSet (v3.0)
Please notice that I cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from the use or installation of BreakSet (either to you or your computer).
To get the latest version of the programme, click BreakSet.zip. It is a simple little programme, which I have written using Visual Basic. You can open the zip file and save the BreakSet.exe to a convenient location on your computer (e.g. your desktop or "C:\Program Files\BreakSet").
To enable BreakSet to run you will also need to have a copy of the following file msvbvm60.dll. You can download it from Microsoft's website (as part of Service Pack 6 for Visual Basic 6.0) here. This should install it into the right location; if you get a copy of the file from somewhere else you will need to move it to "C:\WINNT\system32".
Changing the settings
Double-click on the red alarm-clock icon in the bottom right-hand-corner of your screen. This will allow you to change the settings of your breaks. The example shows the standard breaks: "Avert eyes from screen" for 10 seconds every 5 minutes, and "Take-a-break" for 5 minutes every 55 minutes. When you have finished, select the "Options" menu and then "Reset"; you can then click on "Hide" to keep Break Set running in the background.
You must Register your copy of Break Set if you want it to remember your settings for when you next log in. You can do this in the "Options" menu.
Top tips
- You can get Break Set to run every time you start your computer by making a shortcut to the BreakSet.exe programme, and moving it to your StartUp folder, e.g. in "C:\Documents and Settings\CBeales\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
- The Escape key will get you out of the splash screen but obviously using this rather defeats the object of the program!
- If you ever wish to know how much time is remaining before your next break, hold your mouse pointer over the alarm clock icon the time will pop up.
- If you are only interested in setting one reminder, you can always set the interval for "...take a break" to be the same as for "...avert eyes".
I designed BreakSet to help me to avoid muscle strains and eye strains that I could be prone to as a high-intensity computer-user. I hope you find it useful but you must realise that it cannot be relied upon to prevent these symptoms: you should find out more information on how to use a computer safely (e.g. occupational health and safety guidance, speak to a health professional, research on the internet).
Look after yourself!
Chris Beales
March 2008