Philip Withnall
pwithnall@gnome.org
Tracking how long you use the computer for, and helping plan when to take breaks.
Aniket Deshpande <djaniketster@gmail.com>, 2013; संदिप शेडमाके
sshedmak@redhat.com २०१३.

# Screen time and break reminders

# Screen time

If you would like to keep track of how much time you spend on the computer, you can enable screen time recording and, optionally, limits to help you not spend too long per day on the computer. Do this by:

Open the Activities overview and start typing Settings.

Click on Settings.

Click on Wellbeing in the sidebar to open the panel.

Press the Enable button under Screen Time to enable screen time recording. If a chart is visible on the page then screen time recording is already enabled.

When screen time recording is enabled, the amount of time you have spent logged in to the computer each day will be stored for the previous few weeks. The times are displayed in the chart, along with averages for days and weeks, allowing you to explore how your screen time varies over time. Use the arrow buttons below the chart to scroll through past weeks, and click on the bar for each day to view its data.

Screen time data is not shared outside this computer, or with other users on this computer, and it’s deleted after a few weeks or if you disable screen time recording.

If you would like to set yourself a limit on the amount of time you spend on the computer each day, switch Screen Time Limit to on and choose a limit as the Daily Limit. When this limit is reached, you will receive a notification when you’ve used the computer for that much time each day, and the screen will fade to grayscale.

Your daily limit is represented as a dashed line on the screen time usage chart.

It’s recommended to not spend more than 8 hours on the computer each day, and to make time for physical activity around and during those hours. One way to help remind yourself to take physical activity breaks is to enable break reminders.

If you would like to disable screen time recording, press the ⋮ button above the screen time chart, then press Disable Screen Time. This will also disable screen time limits.

# Break reminders

If you would like to be periodically reminded to take a break from using the computer, you can enable break reminders. Do this by:

Open the Activities overview and start typing Settings.

Click on Settings.

Click on Wellbeing in the sidebar to open the panel.

Switch Eyesight Reminders or Movement Reminders to on.

When either Eyesight Reminders or Movement Reminders are switched on, you will receive a notification at a chosen interval to remind you to take a break from using the computer.

It is recommended to choose the break intervals so that you take breaks before you get tired, rather than to recover. Frequent breaks help prevent fatigue, eye strain, upper limb problems and backache. You can choose different intervals for short eyesight breaks and for longer movement breaks.

Eyesight breaks are intended to give you a reminder to look away from the screen and focus your eyes on something else. Blink, stretch and change position. Movement breaks are to give you a chance to move around more, for example by walking away from the computer completely to stretch your legs.