Time Out

Time Out supports URL schemes to control some functions:

• timeout://break/micro/start will start the Micro break.
• timeout://break/micro/postpone1 to postpone the Micro break by the first postpone amount.
• timeout://break/normal/postpone2 to postpone the Normal break by the second postpone amount.
• timeout://break/mybreak/skip to skip "My Break"; use lowercase and omit spaces and punctuation for the break name in the URL.
• timeout://break/micro/reset to reset the Micro break.
• timeout://break/micro/pause/1h will pause only the Micro break for one hour.
• timeout://break/micro/resume to resume only the…

I got a support request for Time Out, my popular break reminder tool, asking to display a fixed image during the break.

Time Out uses HTML pages as break themes, so it is possible to have a fixed image as a theme — in fact the default theme, Icon, does just that, with the app icon.

So one way to have a fixed image is to:

1. Choose the Reveal Themes command at the end of the Theme pop-up menu to open the Themes folder in the Finder.
2. Duplicate the Icon theme folder and give it a new name.
3. Replace the icon.png file with your chosen image.
4. Edit the index.html to adjust the name and size of the…

Time Out comes with a number of built-in sounds that you can play as part of the Break Actions, plus it lists all sounds you have installed on your Mac, which includes system default ones, and any you have added to the standard sound folders.

It's worth noting that you can also have Time Out play any music from your Apple Music library, too.

Find more sounds

To add more sounds, you first need to find and download them from a website.

There are many sites that offer sounds of varying length, quality, themes, etc. Some for free, some as paid offerings. Usually with previews so you can listen…

In ye olde days, software was sold once, for what would be considered nowadays to be a high price, and every year or so the developer would release a major paid upgrade, typically charging about half of the original price.

I still do this for Simon, my pro tool to monitor websites and servers for changes or failures, since that model is still common for pro apps. Though it is also available on Setapp, as part of a subscription along with hundreds of other apps.

But for Time Out, my popular break reminder app, I wanted to try something different. I introduced a "supporter" model, where people…

I'm pleased to announce an update of Time Out, my popular break reminder tool.

This update includes some nice fixes and tweaks:

• Now uses more modern ways to start the break helper, the automatically start on login option, and access the System Settings.
• Fixed app icons not appearing in the Activity log for apps with display names that don't match their filename.
• Fixed a break sometimes stopping too early when using the Ask When to Start option.
• Fixed a break not being rescheduled past midnight when a natural break occurs.
• Added themes for the Sinclair Trails blog and YouTube channel, and…