Repetitive Strain Injury is no laughing matter. And Big Stretch Reminder, this little free application that reminds you about how important it is to know when to stop, it is also a tool that we should take very seriously.
Not many people performing repetitive tasks for countless hours pay much attention to RSI or to its symptoms, but it is a fact that this condition exists. Wrong postures, repetitive movements, too many hours in front of your computer without stretching yourself every now and then do affect tendons, muscles, and nerves. Big Stretch Reminder will not cure any of these symptoms, but will certainly let you know - at given intervals of time - that you should stop doing things wrong. The settings you need to customize are really simple, and it will take you just a few seconds. The time between breaks is probably the most sensitive one – here you have to decide how many breaks you think you need during your working day. The program can show you random tips or your preferred message, and it can do it in a discreet way (with a bubble that pops up from your system tray) or in a more straightforward and more intrusive way, with a larger window reminding you that it is time for a break.
All in all, a useful little tool worth having – it will do nothing but help you, as long as you want to be helped.
Pros
- It will not interfere in your normal work
- No specific knowledge required to use it
- Easy to configure
Cons
- None
I set it up one way, but when I tried to open the program and adjust the settings it would not open. I uninstalled and will have to reinstall to get the settings I want. It did work reliably, but I just couldn't make any adjustments to my reminders after the initial setup.
I had like 30 messages I had typed in over months of things I wanted to be reminded of, and one day I tried to open the program and they were all gone. Like I had never typed in a single one. I'm never going to be able to remember what those comments were. Why?