Setting Up LookAway

Customize LookAway to fit your workflow and wellness goals.

LookAway provides a fully customizable experience. You can open and configure the settings by clicking on the LookAway menu bar icon and clicking Settings.

Example Configurations

Depending on your needs, you can adjust short breaks, work duration, and long breaks for an optimized experience.

Skip Difficulty

There are 3 ways to customize the Skip behavior in LookAway:

1. Casual - This lets you skip a break anytime without any restrictions
2. Balanced - This lets you skip a break after a small delay. The Skip button staus disabled for a few seconds before you can click it.
3. Hardcore - In this mode, you won't be able to skip breaks at all - whether before the break or during.

Break Options

• Don't show breaks while I'm typing or dragging – LookAway will delay the break until you finish typing or dragging so that you're not interrupted mid-sentence or when you're moving files or something else.
• Let me "End Break" early if nearly done - The Skip break button gets replaced by End break button when enough time has passed.
• Lock my Mac automatically when a break starts – When the break starts, LookAway automatically locks the screen to add extra enforcement for stepping away.

Break Reminders & Nudges

Break reminders help you maintain healthy work habits by prompting you to take regular breaks from your screen. This feature includes customizable reminders and helpful nudges to encourage better work-life balance.

Basic Reminder Configuration

• Show a reminder before a break appears - Toggle this on to receive advance notice before your scheduled break
• Show reminder timing - Set how far in advance you want to be notified (default: 1 minute)
• Keep the reminder visible for - Controls how long the reminder notification stays on screen (default: 10 seconds)

Break Countdown

The countdown feature provides a visual timer showing when your next break will begin.

Overtime Nudge

The overtime nudge helps prevent overwork by tracking when you've exceeded your planned screen time. Encourages awareness of extended work sessions and promotes taking breaks even when you're "in the zone." This feature is particularly helpful for preventing eye strain and maintaining productivity over longer periods.

Best Practices

• Start with shorter reminder intervals and adjust based on your work patterns
• Enable both countdown and overtime nudges for comprehensive break awareness
• Use the advance reminder to develop a habit of natural stopping points in your work
• Pay attention to overtime nudges as they indicate when you might be pushing too hard

Custom Break Messages

During breaks, LookAway can display custom messages to keep you motivated. You can:

• Write reminders like “Blink and breathe” or “Stretch your shoulders”
• Display affirmations such as “Take a deep breath and relax”
• Enter messages in any language for a personalized touch

Office Hours

You can set specific days and hours when LookAway should remind you to take breaks. This helps prevent reminders outside of work hours. Learn more

Smart Pause

LookAway can detect when you're in meetings, watching videos, gaming, or using deep-focus apps and postpone breaks accordingly. Learn more

Wellness Reminders

LookAway includes Posture and Blink Reminders to encourage healthy sitting habits and prevent eye strain.

Automations

You can trigger custom automations when a break starts or ends, such as:

• Dimming the screen
• Pausing music
• Turning on Do Not Disturb

Learn more about Automations