BlinkReminder 👀

A minimal, native macOS menu bar application designed to reduce digital eye strain. It gently reminds you to blink and look away from your screen every 20 minutes (following the 20-20-20 rule).

Features

• Menu Bar Workflow: Runs unobtrusively in your menu bar.
• Smart Overlay: A full-screen, dimming overlay guides you through a 20-second break.
• Pause/Resume: Easily pause reminders during meetings or movies.
• Customizable Intervals: Choose from 20, 10, or 5-minute intervals.
• Notification Mode: Fallback to system notifications if you prefer not to use the overlay.
• Motivations: Randomly displayed motivations, you can choose from (Nepali, English, Hindi)

Installation

Option 1: Homebrew (Easiest)

You can install BlinkReminder directly from this repository:

brew tap ntn0de/blink-reminder https://github.com/ntn0de/blink-reminder
brew install --cask blink-reminder

Updating

To update BlinkReminder to the latest version via Homebrew:

brew update
brew upgrade --cask blink-reminder

Option 2: Build from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ntn0de/blink-reminder.git
   cd blink-reminder

2. Build the app:

   ./build.sh

3. Install: Move the app to your Applications folder (critical for notifications to work):

   mv BlinkReminder.app /Applications/

4. Run: Open BlinkReminder from your Applications folder.

Usage

1. Start the App: You will see a small “eye” icon (👀) in your menu bar.
2. Take a Break: When the timer hits, a screen overlay will appear. Follow the breathing exercise and look away for 20 seconds.
3. Pause: Click the menu bar icon and select Pause to temporarily stop the timer.
4. Settings:
   • Interval: Change the frequency of breaks (default is 20 minutes).
   • Use Screen Overlay: Uncheck this to receive standard macOS notifications instead of the full-screen overlay.

Troubleshooting

• ”App is damaged” or can’t open: Because this is a self-signed app, macOS might flag it. You can fix this by running:

  xattr -cr /Applications/BlinkReminder.app

  Alternatively, right-click and select Open the first time, or go to System Settings > Privacy & Security to allow it.

• No Notifications: Ensure the app is in the /Applications folder and that “BlinkReminder” is allowed in System Settings > Notifications.

Source Code

The app is fully open source and available on GitHub:

• View on GitHub
• Latest Releases

License

MIT License