Big Stretch Reminder

A large variety of activities imply sitting in front of the computer all day, which can increase the risk of repetitive strain injury. All there is to it is to remember to take you time once in a while and stretch out. This is exactly what Big Stretch Reminder aims to do with a set of configurable timers and reminders at your disposal.

The main window is pretty compact and you mostly need it in case you want to make further adjustments. In the meantime, the application sits quietly in the system tray until it decides you've had enough work. Alerts are available in a few forms and trigger at specific periods of time.

From the configuration screen you can access four major areas that let you manage time, display, messages and sounds. By doing this you enable the application to alert you at a given time that it is best you take a short break to minimize the risk of injury.

Time settings let you set intervals between breaks, with the possibility to set an extra option so that the timer stops running while no user input is detected. This comes in handy because it keeps you working in an organized manner.

One of three notification methods can be chosen. You can opt for a simple balloon reminder that appears near your system tray, a pop-up window, as well as a micro-break feature that stays on screen for a given amount of time. What's more, the whole desktop can be locked down in certain methods so you don't ignore the alert.

If you've selected to be alerted with pop-up messages, these can be either RSI related facts or recommendations, motivational quotes from known people for a little boost in confidence, or you are able to create a whole list of custom phrases. The application lets you further enhance alerts with either a custom sound file or a few predefined tunes.

On an ending note, Big Stretch Reminder is good to have around, especially if your day-to-day activities are dependent of a computer. RSI is not something to disconsider, and with the help of reminders to take a little time and rest you can stay on the safe side, for more efficiency.