It can happen to anyone. You’re working away and totally into what you’re doing, suddenly 3 hours has passed and your body is aching, your mouth is dry, and your bladder is screaming at you. It’s time for a break!
Who has time to stretch, stand, drink and hit the bathroom when you’re under deadline?!
The side effects of this “work till you drop” lifestyle are simple: heart disease, weight gain, herniated discs, diabetes, chronic fatigue, low back pain, neck pain and diabetes… just to name a few.
No big deal. Sitting is only considered the new “smoking”.
Yes I’m trying to scare you. Is it working?
We all know we should take breaks from our technology on a regular basis. What better way to take a break from technology, than to use technology to force us to take a break. There are tons of companies trying to capitalize on this need, and a variety for formats that provide “take a break” applications.
First, I tried some applications designed to be used on my smartphone. Right away I realized the flaw in using that platform. When a notification went off I barely looked at it. It was far too easy to ignore.
So I explored Google Chrome extensions. With Chrome being one of the most often used browsers across all platforms (over 60% or online surfers use Chrome), this seemed like the best tool. Especially since you most often need to take breaks when you are actually at your computer, most likely sitting in a posture compromising position.
For those of you who don’t know what a Chrome extension is, it’s a application you can download into your browser. They are usually free and very easy to download and plug in. You can visit the Chrome web store here.
Choosing the right application can be overwhelming, so luckily I did the work for you. An awesome site called WomenLoveTech featured my article on this topic, and now I can share it with you.
Hold on I’ll be right back…..
And…. I am just back from taking a break forced upon me by Break Timer application.
Anyway check it out. It will take 3 minutes to read and 2 minutes to pick one, download and get your work breaks automatically set.
Take a break! Your body will thank you.
