I've added an hourly chime to my work computer's clock, similar to a Casio wristwatch. It's a subtle reminder of the passing time, prompting me to pause, reflect, and reassess my actions to stay on track and avoid procrastination.
I like this constant on screen reminder though and might give it a try myself :)
teddyh 6 hours ago [-]
The gods confound the man who first found out
how to distinguish hours! Confound him, too,
who in this place set up a sundial,
to cut and hack my days so wretchedly
into small portions! When I was a boy,
my belly was my sundial — one surer,
truer, and more exact than any of them.
This dial told me when ’twas proper time
to go to dinner, when I had aught to eat;
But nowadays, why even when I have,
I can’t fall-to unless the sun gives leave.
The town’s so full of these confounded dials
the greatest part of the inhabitants,
shrunk up with hunger, crawl along the street.
When there is a meeting too starting at the hour, its a bit too much :)
TimByte 5 hours ago [-]
Pairing that with the on-screen focus prompt could create a nice feedback loop.
InfiniteLoup 6 hours ago [-]
I did something similar with a Telegram bot in order to remind myself to look away from the screen, get up and stretch for a bit. However I started to ignore it in favor of "more pressing" tasks and now the chime has become just a faint signal somewhere on the outer edge of my awareness, too easily forgotten about.
You need to condition yourself to not ignore it or it will lose its effectiveness.
bmacho 3 hours ago [-]
It probably depends on what your goal is. To get up and stretch every n minutes, a more forceful approach could work better.
But a just an hourly subtle sound can *just remind you that time passes.
Alex_001 4 hours ago [-]
It’s interesting how much of modern “focus tooling” adds friction: you have to open an app, track something, respond to prompts. But here, just glancing at the clock reminds you what you meant to be doing. No willpower needed.
hallgrim 5 hours ago [-]
On macOS there is xBar (haven't tried it) and SwiftBar [1]
Its really cool because it lets you use any shell-executable file, including bash scripts, python scripts (with shebangs and made executable), as a menu bar tool. The standard output is expected to follow a very simple structure and will be used to create the menu bar tool's text/icon. You can have your scripts simply output emoji as well!
Not just that, but any output after a `---` will be treated as drop down options, and depending on format, those can contain info, or be exectuable actions.
A timer is one of the most underrated ways to stay focused.[1]
We have all been there where you are supposed to work on that boring but critical bug for the project, where a few other team members are waiting, but you end up booking a domain, building a landing page, and launching a waiting list. By dinner, as you are talking to potential alpha users in your community and start spreading the word, you realize you have not touched that bug.
Anyway, I like timers; the only complication in my Watch is a timer.[2] At my desk, I use a physical hourglass regularly. The physical hourglass helps me not be constrained by the Pomodoro-ish restrictions and work past the finish line.
For distractions (that seem important and sometimes are) while I'm on a specific task, I usually have my handy notebook, and I write them down quickly with a pen so I can return to them later. That helps me prevent launching ideas into landing pages.
Once you are good with a process/pattern, whatever tool you build/buy/use, as a timer in this case, helps your focus on your current situation.
That "launch a landing page instead of fixing the bug" story hit a little too close to home. Been there more times than I’d like to admit.
The way you describe hourglass not as a constraint, but as a way to reframe the session is kinda interesting. I’ve noticed that physical tools tend to change my mindset more than digital ones—they’re harder to ignore and don’t come with tabs.
Also really like the point about writing distractions down instead of chasing them—feels like the simplest tools (timer, notebook) often win because they don’t compete for attention. They just hold space.
TimByte 5 hours ago [-]
There's something about a physical timer that creates a sense of presence digital ones just can't replicate
RandomWorker 9 hours ago [-]
I love the idea of hourglass! Thanks for sharing I’ve ordered mine on Amazon today. It’s about a foot tall. This is also a great way to signal to other people in the office that I’m busy.
InfiniteLoup 3 hours ago [-]
>It’s about a foot tall. This is also a great way to signal to other people in the office that I’m busy.
Why do I now imagine a queue of colleagues standing restlessly at your desk, waiting for the hourglass to run out?
wtkd 3 hours ago [-]
i bought a 30min hourglass. i wanted to do something like this but i can't be adding more buzzing, pinging, alerting things to my digital life.
rpdillon 50 minutes ago [-]
The post is essentially the digital equivalent of sticking a sticky note on your clock. I think the entire point is that there is no alert or interruption associated with it.
physicles 2 hours ago [-]
Super cool hack.
For something slightly less hacky, check out the Argos gnome shell extension. It creates a folder where any script dropped there will get executed every N seconds, and the output placed on the title bar.
It’s been life-changing.
gnarlouse 12 hours ago [-]
This is neat. Low cost, built from stolen parts. 10/10 engineering.
sheepscreek 11 hours ago [-]
Indeed! Using dconf to achieve this is very impressive. Is there a KDE plasma equivalent to this?
baby_souffle 10 hours ago [-]
Came here to ask this.
Most plasma widgets use a config file so this should be possible.
TimByte 5 hours ago [-]
I like how it doesn't try to reinvent the wheel with some clunky productivity tool, just quietly enhances something you already glance at a hundred times a day
bound008 8 hours ago [-]
I built a simple SwiftUI/Swift Data app to do the same thing across my Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Desktop.
With the heavy lifting of SwiftUI/Swift Data, and iCloud providing automatic and private syncing, this is the cloc output for my project, (including widgets and all of the code and projects needed to target all of these platforms.)
If you live in the apple ecosystem and want to make a simple tool for yourself, you really should go ahead and do that.
It started as a desire to have a "focus" on my Apple Watch at all times, and in less than 10 hours, I have widgets, shortcuts (and Siri) integrations, and syncing across every apple platform (although I haven't yet tried it on tvOS).
I've thought about productizing it, and I might one day, but that would add orders of magnitude to the time of making this something that people should be asked to pay for.
And I'm not going to open source it, because it is ~500 loc, with no libraries plus a bunch of Xcode generated stuff.
rcarmo 8 hours ago [-]
You could post a gist of it, though. I’d love to do the same thing.
bound008 5 hours ago [-]
I might do that at some point... this is the main part of it, just a swift data model and one file of views. Plus a bunch of example code for making widgets work.
```
import Foundation
import SwiftData
@Model
final class FocusItem {
let created: Date = Date()
var completed: Date?
var theFocus: String = "New Focus"
var details: String?
The stock Basta puts a clock (date + time) into a scroll-protected status line, host name and current working dir.
Basta works fine on MacOS, but you need to get a more recent build of Bash from somewhere (Homebrew ...). I should attempt a Zsh port one of these days; the name wouldn't change, though. :)
bflesch 7 hours ago [-]
Good idea, thanks for sharing. Happy to see fellow linux users modifying their system to improve productivity.
nairboon 5 hours ago [-]
Has anyone created a similar solution for KDE plasma?
There's a focus-plasmoid (pomodoro timer), but that one doesn't display text.
winrid 12 hours ago [-]
I like to set timers. I use the taskbar timer in xfce to set it to say 30mins, and then I work on getting something done in that time. It works really well. Not sure if this has a common name.
This was really helpful when I redid the FastComments admin area, as that was a big slog of UI work that I quickly got tired of. This was before Claude :)
hug 11 hours ago [-]
Sounds a lot like the Pomodoro Technique.
winrid 11 hours ago [-]
I don't take breaks per se, which is a core part of that technique iirc.
dexwiz 10 hours ago [-]
I think the break can be a reflection and note taking period. Unfocus a bit, but not too far.
winrid 6 hours ago [-]
Interesting. I use the timer thing just for long running tasks I want to make progress on every day. Then I go work on other stuff.
guerrilla 3 hours ago [-]
Thank you. This is perfection.
ThrowawayTestr 7 hours ago [-]
This kind of stuff makes me understand why people like Linux.
teekert 2 hours ago [-]
For me it's more the "No TPM chip, no updates" and the "Here's some ads in your start menu". Both not valid for Apple obviously, but there it's the high price and I lost an otherwise perfectly fine MacBook Pro to a GPU issue (after de-soldering one component it worked for a ~day on the iGPU, but an update wrecked it after all, all 2 months after upgrading the ram, putting in an SSD and a new battery). Still a bit sour about that... but hey, at least thy won't let me do that anymore ;)
I buy second hand business models (~300 eur), I have 2 (Dell and HP), both never failed despite being 10 and 6 y/o, both looked unused as advertised. Both are more powerful than I or my family need.
globular-toast 4 hours ago [-]
Free software in general. Doesn't have to be Linux. But yeah, this is one of the reasons I use it. Even in free software some of it is more amenable to hacking than others, for example example Emacs vs LibreOffice. But software that is actively hostile and prevents you from hacking? No way.
globular-toast 5 hours ago [-]
I spend all my time in Emacs so I implemented a similar thing there. Been using it for, hmm.. a decade now?
Org-mode includes clock in/out features and can display this in either the modeline or frame title (or both). I did the frame title because it's basically unused space otherwise.
I used to use this in conjunction with the Pomodoro method. I don't need to use that these days, though.
I can easily add a task to any project, or the currently active one, without breaking my flow at any time. I recently added an "immediate" task that will instantly clock me in for those things that randomly come up during the day.
The nice thing is I get a complete breakdown of how all my time was spent during the week. I need to report on this for current job so it's a win/win.
This is also a good example of why I use Emacs. I hacked this together in a few minutes and been using and building on it for years.
inatreecrown2 12 hours ago [-]
is there something similar for macOS?
hackermanve 11 hours ago [-]
I used this for something similar, and is very customisable
This isn't quite the same thing, but I have my Mac set up to announce the time every 15 minutes. You can customize the voice, and the voice I'm using causes the computer to sing the time.
All of this is built into the OS, I think the settings are in the control center
# Set focus text from command line argument or prompt user
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
echo "What's your current focus?"
read FOCUS
else
FOCUS="$1"
fi
if [ -z "$FOCUS" ]; then
echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M')\007"
else
echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M') Focus: $FOCUS\007"
fi
echo "Focus set to: $FOCUS"
`
for MaxOS zsh, uncomment `DISABLE_AUTO_TITLE="true"` in .zshrc and do:
`
#!/bin/zsh
# Set focus text from command line argument or prompt user
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
echo "What's your current focus?"
read FOCUS
else
FOCUS="$1"
fi
if [ -z "$FOCUS" ]; then
echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M')\007"
else
echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M') Focus: $FOCUS\007"
fi
echo "Focus set to: $FOCUS"
`
chthonicdaemon 10 hours ago [-]
macOS and iOS have a whole feature called Focus modes which allows you to choose a focus and do things based on this focus. Your current focus is shown in the menu bar.
I like this constant on screen reminder though and might give it a try myself :)
(Originally posted 11 years ago: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7007731#7008338>)
[1]: https://sindresorhus.com/dato
But a just an hourly subtle sound can *just remind you that time passes.
Its really cool because it lets you use any shell-executable file, including bash scripts, python scripts (with shebangs and made executable), as a menu bar tool. The standard output is expected to follow a very simple structure and will be used to create the menu bar tool's text/icon. You can have your scripts simply output emoji as well!
Not just that, but any output after a `---` will be treated as drop down options, and depending on format, those can contain info, or be exectuable actions.
Verrrry useful for all sorts of things.
1. https://github.com/swiftbar/SwiftBar
We have all been there where you are supposed to work on that boring but critical bug for the project, where a few other team members are waiting, but you end up booking a domain, building a landing page, and launching a waiting list. By dinner, as you are talking to potential alpha users in your community and start spreading the word, you realize you have not touched that bug.
Anyway, I like timers; the only complication in my Watch is a timer.[2] At my desk, I use a physical hourglass regularly. The physical hourglass helps me not be constrained by the Pomodoro-ish restrictions and work past the finish line.
For distractions (that seem important and sometimes are) while I'm on a specific task, I usually have my handy notebook, and I write them down quickly with a pen so I can return to them later. That helps me prevent launching ideas into landing pages.
Once you are good with a process/pattern, whatever tool you build/buy/use, as a timer in this case, helps your focus on your current situation.
1. https://brajeshwar.com/2023/timer/
2. https://brajeshwar.com/2024/watch-tiny-handy-computer/
The way you describe hourglass not as a constraint, but as a way to reframe the session is kinda interesting. I’ve noticed that physical tools tend to change my mindset more than digital ones—they’re harder to ignore and don’t come with tabs.
Also really like the point about writing distractions down instead of chasing them—feels like the simplest tools (timer, notebook) often win because they don’t compete for attention. They just hold space.
Why do I now imagine a queue of colleagues standing restlessly at your desk, waiting for the hourglass to run out?
For something slightly less hacky, check out the Argos gnome shell extension. It creates a folder where any script dropped there will get executed every N seconds, and the output placed on the title bar.
It’s been life-changing.
Most plasma widgets use a config file so this should be possible.
With the heavy lifting of SwiftUI/Swift Data, and iCloud providing automatic and private syncing, this is the cloc output for my project, (including widgets and all of the code and projects needed to target all of these platforms.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Language files blank comment code
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
XML 13 0 0 579
Swift 19 131 142 548
JSON 4 0 0 115
YAML 1 7 0 43
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUM: 37 138 142 1285
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you live in the apple ecosystem and want to make a simple tool for yourself, you really should go ahead and do that.
It started as a desire to have a "focus" on my Apple Watch at all times, and in less than 10 hours, I have widgets, shortcuts (and Siri) integrations, and syncing across every apple platform (although I haven't yet tried it on tvOS).
I've thought about productizing it, and I might one day, but that would add orders of magnitude to the time of making this something that people should be asked to pay for.
And I'm not going to open source it, because it is ~500 loc, with no libraries plus a bunch of Xcode generated stuff.
``` import Foundation import SwiftData
@Model final class FocusItem { let created: Date = Date() var completed: Date? var theFocus: String = "New Focus" var details: String?
}struct FocusItemDescriptors { static let currentFocusPredicate = #Predicate<FocusItem> { $0.completed == nil }
} `````` import SwiftData import SwiftUI import WidgetKit
struct ContentView: View { @Query( filter: FocusItemDescriptors.currentFocusPredicate, sort: [FocusItemDescriptors.sortDescriptor]) private var items: [FocusItem] @Environment(\.modelContext) private var modelContext
}struct FocusItemDetailView: View { @Environment(\.dismiss) private var dismiss let item: FocusItem
} struct AddFocusItemView: View { @Binding var isPresented: Bool let addItem: (String) -> Void @State private var newFocusText = "" ```https://www.kylheku.com/cgit/basta/about/
The stock Basta puts a clock (date + time) into a scroll-protected status line, host name and current working dir.
Basta works fine on MacOS, but you need to get a more recent build of Bash from somewhere (Homebrew ...). I should attempt a Zsh port one of these days; the name wouldn't change, though. :)
There's a focus-plasmoid (pomodoro timer), but that one doesn't display text.
This was really helpful when I redid the FastComments admin area, as that was a big slog of UI work that I quickly got tired of. This was before Claude :)
I buy second hand business models (~300 eur), I have 2 (Dell and HP), both never failed despite being 10 and 6 y/o, both looked unused as advertised. Both are more powerful than I or my family need.
Org-mode includes clock in/out features and can display this in either the modeline or frame title (or both). I did the frame title because it's basically unused space otherwise.
I used to use this in conjunction with the Pomodoro method. I don't need to use that these days, though.
I can easily add a task to any project, or the currently active one, without breaking my flow at any time. I recently added an "immediate" task that will instantly clock me in for those things that randomly come up during the day.
The nice thing is I get a complete breakdown of how all my time was spent during the week. I need to report on this for current job so it's a win/win.
This is also a good example of why I use Emacs. I hacked this together in a few minutes and been using and building on it for years.
https://github.com/matryer/xbar
If the something you are asking about is a pre-built tool, I would think the menubar is the MacOS place to put a reminder and it looks like someone has built that: https://lifehacker.com/tech/one-thing-app-turns-your-macs-me...
All of this is built into the OS, I think the settings are in the control center
` #!/bin/bash
# Set focus text from command line argument or prompt user if [ -z "$1" ]; then echo "What's your current focus?" read FOCUS else FOCUS="$1" fi
if [ -z "$FOCUS" ]; then echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M')\007" else echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M') Focus: $FOCUS\007" fi
echo "Focus set to: $FOCUS" `
for MaxOS zsh, uncomment `DISABLE_AUTO_TITLE="true"` in .zshrc and do:
` #!/bin/zsh
# Set focus text from command line argument or prompt user if [ -z "$1" ]; then echo "What's your current focus?" read FOCUS else FOCUS="$1" fi
if [ -z "$FOCUS" ]; then echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M')\007" else echo -n "\033]0;$(date +'%b %d %H:%M') Focus: $FOCUS\007" fi
echo "Focus set to: $FOCUS" `