Rest Now - Screen Break Timer

Product Introduction

1. Definition: Rest Now is a native macOS menu bar application functioning as a screen break timer. It operates as a background process that enforces periodic rest intervals to combat digital eye strain.
2. Core Value Proposition: This tool exists to mitigate screen-induced health issues like eye fatigue, headaches, and mental burnout for prolonged macOS users. Its primary value lies in merging productivity with preventative health through automated, non-disruptive break scheduling.

Main Features

1. Menu Bar Timer: Runs persistently in the macOS menu bar with real-time countdown display. Built using Swift for native performance, it minimizes CPU/memory usage (<1 MB RAM) while providing instant access to pause/skip functions.
2. Eye-Friendly Reminders: Triggers full-screen break notifications with soft visual cues instead of auditory alarms. Uses macOS native notification APIs to overlay non-interruptive prompts adhering to the 20-20-20 rule (20-second breaks every 20 minutes).
3. Customizable Intervals: Offers preset configurations (e.g., 20-20-20) and manual duration sliders for work/break cycles. Settings are stored locally via UserDefaults, requiring zero cloud dependencies.
4. Privacy-First Architecture: Collects zero user data or analytics. All operations occur locally without internet permissions, verified through its open-source codebase on GitHub.
5. Lightweight Execution: Compiled as a single notarized .dmg binary with no background processes, ensuring <0.1% CPU utilization during idle states.

Problems Solved

1. Pain Point: Digital eye strain and decreased focus from uninterrupted screen exposure during coding/design workflows.
2. Target Audience:
   • macOS developers in extended IDE sessions
   • UI/UX designers using Figma/Adobe Suite
   • Remote professionals handling marathon video calls
   • Students conducting research or writing theses
3. Use Cases:
   • Preventing migraine triggers during late-night coding sprints
   • Maintaining posture awareness via scheduled stretch reminders
   • Reducing dry-eye symptoms for contact lens wearers
   • Minimizing context-switching fatigue in agile work environments

Unique Advantages

1. Differentiation: Unlike web-based break timers (e.g., Stretchly) requiring browser windows, Rest Now operates at OS-level with menu bar integration. Outperforms competitors with 10x lower resource usage and zero telemetry.
2. Key Innovation: Patent-pending "flow-state protection" logic that detects full-screen apps (e.g., presentations) and auto-delays breaks until activity concludes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does Rest Now support macOS Sonoma/Ventura?
   Yes, Rest Now is compatible with macOS Catalina (10.15) through Sonoma (14.0), using native APIs for all functionality.
2. Can I customize break durations for Pomodoro technique?
   Absolutely. Settings allow 1-60 minute work intervals and 10-second to 10-minute breaks, supporting any time-management methodology.
3. Is Rest Now truly free with no hidden costs?
   Rest Now is 100% free, open-source (MIT license), and lacks in-app purchases, subscriptions, or paid tiers.
4. How does Rest Now impact battery life during mobile work?
   Energy impact is negligible (rated "Very Low" in Activity Monitor), consuming less power than a single Safari tab.
5. Can enterprises deploy Rest Now company-wide?
   Yes, silent installation is supported via brew install --cask krjadhav/restnow/restnow for centralized MDM deployment.