LookAway
Productivity
break reminder
SHOW HN2026
77points
26comments
#872of 4,366 in 2026
Top 20%of 2026 by points
How HN took it
DebatedReal support and real criticism
5 positive, 1 neutral or asking, 4 mixed, 7 critical, out of 17 comments about the project. Thread score -0.16.
Idea: 2 for, 2 againstPricing: 1 for, 3 againstPerformance: 0 for, 2 againstDesign: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Non-invasive and simple, with useful posture and blink reminders
From 3 comments
I've found the posture and blink reminders have been really helpful. I do find myself having to postpone the breaks because they like to pop up when I'm in deep focus. Thing is,…
telman17 on HNI use this through Setapp, mostly for posture reminders. The only thing I would love is more notification sound options, the current one scares me a bit.
murats on HNGood to hear! Looking forward to the updates. Thanks for making a simple, non-invasive app.
telman17 on HN
Helped reduce eye pain for a long-time computer user
From 1 comment
I used to suffer from pretty chronic eye pain when I was looking at the computer every day for work for 5+ hours. Consciously taking a breaks every 20 minutes has completely the…
redbackthomson on HN
Objections
Pop-ups interrupt deep focus, especially while writing
From 3 comments
I've been using it as part of my Setapp subscription, and it's a love-hate relationship. On the one side I appreciate the posture hint and the app nudging me to take a break. But…
Kovah on HNI've found the posture and blink reminders have been really helpful. I do find myself having to postpone the breaks because they like to pop up when I'm in deep focus. Thing is,…
telman17 on HNThey work in that they induce taking more breaks (20/20/20 rule) but they're also annoying in that they interrupt deep focus. If the latter can become a bit smoother about not…
tedmiston on HN
Lifetime license with paid updates feels like a subscription
From 1 comment
The license scheme makes me sad. It reads like a subscription pretending to be a one-time purchase.
sosodev on HN
Website scrolling laggy on Firefox
From 2 comments
Two things regarding the website: - scrolling is so extremely laggy that the website is almost unusable on Firefox on macOS on an idle MacBook Pro (even if it seems smooth at…
trinix912 on HNFirefox 152.0.2, try scrolling to the bottom and back up at different speeds, keep the page open for a few minutes, try again... Dunno if it's the case with yours but many…
trinix912 on HN
Price too high for a break reminder
From 2 comments
Distilled, this would be a nice macOS or Raycast feature, but I don't see myself giving up either $29 or 150MB RAM.
holistio on HNLooks nice, but hate that pricing.
hailtothechimp on HN
Requests
Custom wellness reminders such as drink water
From 1 comment
I've found the posture and blink reminders have been really helpful. I do find myself having to postpone the breaks because they like to pop up when I'm in deep focus. Thing is,…
telman17 on HN
Smarter detection of deep focus
From 2 comments
I've been using it as part of my Setapp subscription, and it's a love-hate relationship. On the one side I appreciate the posture hint and the app nudging me to take a break. But…
Kovah on HNThey work in that they induce taking more breaks (20/20/20 rule) but they're also annoying in that they interrupt deep focus. If the latter can become a bit smoother about not…
tedmiston on HN
More notification sound options
From 1 comment
I use this through Setapp, mostly for posture reminders. The only thing I would love is more notification sound options, the current one scares me a bit.
murats on HN
Questions
Do break reminder apps actually work long term?
From 1 comment
Curious to hear from anyone with long term success: do these kinds of apps actually work or do they more just make you feel like you’re doing something about it?
Waterluvian on HN
Alternatives named
Time Out (Mac)
From 2 comments
Few alts for other platforms https://workrave.org/ (not mac) https://github.com/hovancik/stretchly (everywhere) Both are open source. Then there’s this…
crossroadsguy on HNTime Out is okay but extremely annoying in that it always seems to pop up and take over the screen at the worst possible times even with configuration to make it less…
tedmiston on HN
Stretchly (cross-platform, open source)
From 1 comment
Few alts for other platforms https://workrave.org/ (not mac) https://github.com/hovancik/stretchly (everywhere) Both are open source. Then there’s this…
crossroadsguy on HN
Workrave (open source, not Mac)
From 1 comment
Few alts for other platforms https://workrave.org/ (not mac) https://github.com/hovancik/stretchly (everywhere) Both are open source. Then there’s this…
crossroadsguy on HN
Clock app timer with Keyboard Maestro
From 1 comment
on macos, you can also just set a timer on the Clock app that comes for free on macos. i use a 47 min timer to remind me of getting up and shaking out and a tiny Keyboard Maestro…
HSO on HN