Take a Break from Your Computer with Workrave

Published on April 26, 2013, by Jim Mendenhall

Those of us who spend our days working at computers are well aware of the health problems associated with sitting and staring at a monitor all day. It’s very important for your health to at least stand up and walk around on a regular basis. Long periods spent at the computer can also lead to pain in the hands, arms and shoulders. Workrave is a program for Widows and Linux to help prevent Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), and it’s very useful for reminding you to get up and walk around or take a break.

You can download Workrave for Windows on the Workrave download page. For Ubuntu users, you can find Workrave in the standard Ubuntu repositories.

Once installed, Workrave will remind you to take micro-breaks every few minutes and a rest break every hour. I personally use these micro-breaks to stand up and stretch. I try to take a longer break every 45 minutes to get some fresh air and let my mind relax for a few minutes. Of course, you can always postpone a break or skip it all together if you really can’t stop what you’re working on. Workrave works great to remind you to take these much needed breaks and I highly recommend that you give it a try!

Click here to install Workrave on Ubuntu