# Recess - Break Reminder

Recess is a native macOS break reminder that runs eye-rest and body-stretch timers on separate cadences and covers every display with a calm guided overlay when one is due.

- URL: https://swiftfox.studio/apps/recess
- Price: Pay what you want (suggested $3)
- Category: health (Break Reminder)
- Platform: macOS 14.0 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel
- Version: 1.0.3
- Publisher: Swiftfox Studio (https://swiftfox.studio)

## Two kinds of rest, on their own clocks.

Recess is a gentle break coach that nudges you to take eye-rest and body-stretch breaks on the cadence your body needs - not the calendar's.

### How it works

1. Set two cadences - one for eye breaks, one for body breaks - then pick a preset or dial in custom intervals.
2. Recess runs both timers quietly - idle detection pauses them when you step away, and breaks hold during Focus.
3. When a break is due, a calm overlay covers every display with a countdown and your chosen drill style.

Native, sandboxed, signed and notarized.

## Features

- Two independent timers for eye and body breaks
- Idle detection pauses breaks when you step away
- Focus/DND aware - breaks hold during meetings
- Presets - Light, Standard, Strict - or fully custom
- Guided full-screen drills, with optional chimes
- Skip penalties, strict mode and a postpone quota
- Overlays cover every display, reduce-motion friendly
- 60-day log, daily counters, weekly report - all local

## When to use it

### Your eyes ache by the end of the day

The eye timer implements the 20-20-20 idea - look far away, briefly, often - which relaxes the focusing muscle that otherwise stays locked at screen distance all day.

### You sit for three hours without noticing

The body timer runs on its own, longer cadence, because stretching every twenty minutes would be absurd and never stretching is worse.

### You are on calls and screen shares all day

Breaks hold during Focus and Do Not Disturb, so an overlay never lands on a screen you are presenting.

### You need more than a suggestion

Presets run from Light to Strict, with skip penalties and a postpone quota if a gentle nudge stops working on you.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why two separate timers?

Eyes and body need different intervals. Eye rest wants to be frequent and short; stretching wants to be occasional and longer. Running them on one clock means one of the two is always wrong.

### Will a break interrupt a meeting?

No. Recess is Focus and Do Not Disturb aware, so breaks hold while either is on and resume afterwards.

### What if I step away from my Mac?

Idle detection pauses the timers, so you do not come back to a break you already took by walking to the kitchen.

### Can I skip or postpone a break?

Yes. There is a postpone quota, and strict mode with skip penalties if you want the app to push back. A prompt you cannot dismiss is a prompt you disable entirely, which helps nobody.

### Are the overlays distracting?

They honour the macOS Reduce Motion setting and are deliberately calm - a short guided drill with a countdown rather than an animation competing for attention. Chimes are optional.

### Does it track my breaks?

It keeps a 60-day log with daily counters and a weekly report, all stored locally. Nothing is written to Apple Health and nothing is uploaded.