Workrave

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffJune 17, 2013This free tool makes small demands with potentially big benefits, but only if you take advantage of them, of course. Workrave's miniscule window pops up at regular intervals to prompt you to take breaks long enough and frequently enough to be of real benefit to your health and productivity, yet short enough not to break your stride.Workrave's main interaction with the user is a desktop applet that's probably not much bigger than your Recycle Bin icon, plus a series of equally small pop-up reminders. But Workrave isn't a stripped-down app, even though it's free, as its 42MB Program folder showed. Much of Workrave's data consists of helpful (and healthful) exercise tips in 3D animation that demonstrate stretches and other beneficial actions -- some as easy as tilting your neck or moving your eyes to the corner of your screen. Workrave's system tray icon and Preferences sheet make setting things up just as easy on the user as its quickie exercises. Tabs on the Preferences sheet let us configure Micro-breaks, Rest breaks, and Daily Limits. We could also enable alternate monitors and use our own sound clips for alerts. Of course, we could easily dismiss or postpone breaks when necessary.Seemingly endless platitudes extol the cumulative virtues of small but consistent and persistent efforts. Let's state unequivocally that downloading, installing, configuring, and, yes, paying attention to Workrave can make just such a difference in your day and your life. But only if you do what you told it to tell you to do!