# Break Reminders — Break reminders and 20-20-20 eye rest for Mac

Gentle reminders to rest your eyes (20-20-20), stand up and drink water. They wait while you're on a call. Part of OneMacTools, 148 private tools in one native Mac app (macOS 26 or later); category: Utilities. Runs on your Mac; nothing is uploaded.

Every 20 minutes, look at something 6 metres away for 20 seconds; every 45, stand up; every hour, some water. Reminders come as a notification or a calm full-screen break with a countdown that Esc skips. Time away from the keyboard and a locked screen count as a break, and reminders wait while an app is using the microphone or something is playing full screen. It checks every 30 seconds and costs nothing you'd notice.

Page: https://www.onemactools.com/tools/break-reminders · Download: https://www.onemactools.com/download · Pricing: https://www.onemactools.com/pricing

## How to use it
1. **Choose your reminders.** Rest your eyes, stand up and drink water, each on or off.
2. **Set how often.** Eyes every 20 minutes by default, standing every 45, water every hour.
3. **Choose how to be reminded.** A notification, or a full-screen break with a countdown.
4. **Click Save.** Reminders run in the background, even with the window closed, until you turn them off.

## Options
- **Reminders:** On or Off for all of them.
- **Rest my eyes:** Look at something about 6 metres (20 feet) away for 20 seconds: the 20-20-20 rule.
- **Every (eyes):** 20, 30 or 45 minutes.
- **Stand up and stretch:** A minute on your feet.
- **Every (standing):** 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes.
- **Drink some water:** Off to start; always a notification.
- **Every (water):** 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes.
- **Remind me with:** A notification, or a full-screen break on every display that counts down and ends by itself. Esc or Skip ends it early.
- **Wait while I'm on a call or watching full screen:** Holds reminders while an app is using the microphone or something fills the screen, and reminds you right after.

## Tips
- Five minutes away from the keyboard, or a locked screen, counts as a break, so you're never reminded just after one.
- Try the full-screen break for eyes: it's easier to actually look away when the screen does too.
- Allow notifications for OneMacTools the first time it asks, or reminders can't appear.
- Turn on Focus modes as usual: notifications follow your Focus settings.
- Set standing to 45 or 60 minutes rather than 30 on busy days, so it doesn't feel like nagging.

## Questions
**What is the 20-20-20 rule?**
Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (about 6 metres) away for 20 seconds. It relaxes the eye muscles that tire from focusing on a screen.

**Will it interrupt my video calls?**
No. With Wait while I'm on a call turned on, reminders hold while any app is using the microphone, and come once the call ends.

**Does it remind me right after I've been away?**
No. Five minutes without touching the keyboard or trackpad, or a locked screen, counts as a break and restarts the eye and standing timers.

**Can I skip a full-screen break?**
Yes. Press Esc or click Skip. It never locks the Mac.

**Does it slow my Mac down?**
No. It checks once every 30 seconds how long you've been idle, which takes a fraction of a millisecond.

**How do I turn the reminders off?**
Set Reminders to Off and click Save.