How to Build a Tiny Python App That Reminds Me to Take Breaks

Spending all day at a screen is brutal on the eyes, the back, and the brain. So I decided to whip up a desktop toast that nudges me every hour to stand, stretch, sip water anything except keep slouch-coding. What started as seven lines of Python turned into a surprisingly fun mini-project that now lives in my toolbox.

• “I only intended to write one quick script… then I fell down the rabbit-hole.”

Below is the journey, the full code, and a handful of ideas you can riff on.

Define Code

from plyer import notification

if __name__ == "__main__":
    while True:
        notification.notify(
            title="ALERT!!!",
            message="Take a break! It has been an hour!",
        )
        time.sleep(3600)

Install the only dependency:

pip install plyer

and run:

python break.py

Your OS pops up a toast every 60 minutes. Job done kind of.

What each line is doing

Great for a proof-of-concept; painful in real life. I wanted:

• Flexible intervals (--interval 20m, 2h, 90s…)
• Custom titles/messages
• A finite number of pings (helpful in pomodoro workflows)
• Random healthy-habit tips if I’m lazy
• A gentle console beep (toast may be hidden)
• Tidy logging with timestamps
• Graceful shutdown no ugly tracebacks when I quit

Level-up: the extended script

Below is break_timer.py in full, then read on for usage examples.

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
break_timer.py – flexible desktop break-reminder
"""
import argparse
import datetime as dt
import random
import sys
import time
from plyer import notification

# ---------- tiny knowledge base ----------
_TIPS = [
    "Stand up and stretch your legs 🦵",
    "Look away from the screen for 20 seconds 👀",
    "Roll your shoulders a few times 🙆‍♂️",
    "Drink a glass of water 💧",
    "Take three slow, deep breaths 😮‍💨",
]

def parse_interval(text: str) -> int:
    """Turn '45m', '2h', '30s' into seconds (int)."""
    units = {'s': 1, 'm': 60, 'h': 3600}
    if text[-1].isdigit():        # default to minutes
        return int(text) * 60
    value, unit = int(text[:-1]), text[-1].lower()
    if unit not in units:
        raise ValueError("Use s, m or h as units.")
    return value * units[unit]

def beep() -> None:
    """Cross-platform console bell."""
    print('\a', end='', flush=True)

# ---------- main ----------
def main():
    p = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Desktop break reminder")
    p.add_argument('-i', '--interval', default='60m',
                   help='Time between reminders (e.g. 20m, 2h, 45s).')
    p.add_argument('-c', '--count', type=int, default=0,
                   help='Number of reminders then exit (0 = unlimited).')
    p.add_argument('-t', '--title', default='ALERT!!!',
                   help='Notification title text.')
    p.add_argument('-m', '--message',
                   help='Notification body; omit → random tip.')
    args = p.parse_args()

    wait = parse_interval(args.interval)
    remaining = args.count

    print(f"[{dt.datetime.now():%H:%M:%S}] Timer started – every "
          f"{wait//60 if wait>=60 else wait} "
          f"{'min' if wait>=60 else 'sec'} "
          f"({ '∞' if remaining==0 else remaining} alerts). Ctrl-C to quit.")

    try:
        while remaining != -1:            # -1 means we hit the limit
            body = args.message or random.choice(_TIPS)
            notification.notify(title=args.title,
                                message=body,
                                app_name="Break Timer")
            beep()
            print(f"[{dt.datetime.now():%H:%M:%S}] Notified: {body}")

            if remaining > 0:
                remaining -= 1
                if remaining == 0:
                    break
            time.sleep(wait)
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        print("\nStopped by user. Have a healthy day! 👋")
        sys.exit(0)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Running the upgraded version

install plyer           # one-time
python break_timer.py -i 45m                 # ping every 45 min
python break_timer.py -i 20m -c 6            # six pings then exit
python break_timer.py -i 90s -t "Hydrate" \
       -m "Sip some water 🚰"                 # custom text

Quick flag reference

Stretch goals I’m tinkering with

1. System-tray icon with pause/resume for meetings.
2. Work-hours window so it only nags 09:00-18:00.
3. CSV/JSON logging to track how often I actually moved.
4. Tkinter GUI so colleagues can set it up without CLI knowledge.
5. GIF micro-exercises—imagine a shoulder-roll animation popping up.
6. Voice alert via pyttsx3 for the perpetually alt-tabbed.

Final thought

Writing this tiny utility reminded me why I love Python:
a couple of imports + the right library = instant quality-of-life boost.

Feel free to fork, tweak, and ship your own flavour. Just remember: the best code you’ll ever write might be the one that literally tells you to stop coding for a minute.