Break Reminder

WHAT IT DOES

Break Reminder helps you maintain healthy work habits by reminding you to take regular breaks. The tool uses a timer that alternates between work intervals and break intervals—when the work timer reaches zero, it notifies you to take a break, and when the break timer reaches zero, it notifies you to return to work. You can configure the work interval (1-120 minutes) and break duration (1-30 minutes) to match your preferred routine. A floating timer shows the remaining time, and you can start, pause, reset, or skip breaks at any time. The tool tracks your total work sessions and total break time.

WHERE IT RUNS

The extension runs entirely within your browser's local environment using the BotGentz framework. All timer tracking, session counting, and notification handling occur on your machine without any network requests. No timer data, work habits, or user activity is ever transmitted, uploaded, or stored externally. The tool works on any website and respects the browser's security boundaries, operating within the isolated extension sandbox. The timer uses the browser's setInterval with one-second precision.

HOW TO USE

Click the extension toolbar icon to open the Break Reminder panel. The panel shows the current timer, mode (Work or Break), and session statistics. Click "Start" to begin the timer. Click "Pause" to pause the timer. Click "Toggle" to switch between start and pause. Click "Reset" to reset the timer to the beginning of the current work interval. Click "Skip Break" to skip the current break and return to work mode. Toggle "Show timer" to display a floating timer in the corner of your screen. Toggle "Enable notifications" to receive flash messages when intervals change. Toggle "Auto start on page load" to automatically start the timer when you open a page. Change the timer position using the dropdown (Bottom Right, Bottom Left, Top Right, Top Left). Adjust the "Work Interval" (1-120 minutes) to set how long each work session lasts. Adjust the "Break Duration" (1-30 minutes) to set how long each break lasts.

THE TIMER ENGINE — WHY IT WORKS

Most break reminder tools use external notifications or system alerts that can be intrusive or unreliable in a browser context. This tool uses a pure JavaScript timer engine with setInterval running every second. The engine maintains three key state variables: isRunning (boolean), isBreak (boolean), and timeLeft (seconds). When the timer ticks, it decrements timeLeft and updates the display. When timeLeft reaches zero, the engine toggles isBreak, resets timeLeft to the appropriate interval (workInterval * 60 or breakDuration * 60), and triggers a notification. The timer continues running in the background even when the panel is closed, using the same interval. The floating timer updates in real time, providing at-a-glance status without opening the panel. The statistics (total work sessions and total break minutes) are tracked in memory and increment each time the timer cycles. This approach provides a lightweight, reliable timer that works across all pages without external dependencies.

THE PANEL

The Break Reminder panel is fully draggable by its title bar and remembers its position on screen per website. It snaps to the edges of your browser window for clean alignment. Collapse the panel to a compact icon strip using the minimize button, restoring it with a single click. Resize the panel by dragging any edge or corner; the timer display and controls adjust proportionally. Press the Escape key to close the panel instantly. The panel maintains independent state for each browser tab, allowing you to run separate timers in multiple tabs simultaneously.

PLEASE NOTE

This extension requires the free BotGentz extension framework to be installed and enabled. The timer runs in the current browser tab; switching tabs or minimizing the browser does not pause the timer. The auto-start feature begins the timer when the page loads; disable it if you prefer manual control. The tool tracks work sessions and break time in memory; refreshing the page will reset statistics but not the timer if it's running. All timer data is processed locally and is never transmitted, logged, or shared. The extension requests no network permissions and functions entirely offline. The source code is fully auditable and available for review.