Staring at a screen for hours dries out your eyes, stiffens your neck, and slowly drains focus. LookAway is a lightweight menu-bar companion for macOS that notices before that happens and nudges you to rest so you can return feeling fresh instead of fatigued.
What LookAway does:
- Schedules micro and long breaks automatically - Choose a classic 20-20-20 routine or set your own work–rest rhythm. Skip or snooze when you genuinely need a few more minutes, and LookAway will adapt without nagging.
- Knows when not to interrupt - It detects active microphones and screen recording to stay quiet during calls or demos, and it can even exclude specific apps. Calendar integration pauses breaks during the events you pick, so presentations run smoothly.
- Gives gentle, purposeful nudges - Subtle cursor wiggles, a running timer in the menu bar, soft chimes, and full-screen visuals remind you to blink, stretch, or simply look away before discomfort sets in.
- Covers more than eye strain - Separate reminders keep tabs on posture, blink rate, and overall screen overtime. Timers reset after each successful break so you start every session with a clean slate.
- Fits right into macOS workflows - Control it with Shortcuts or AppleScript, automate pause–resume flows, and manage seats or devices from a simple license dashboard when you add teammates.
- Stays feather-light and private - LookAway idles at under 1 % CPU and 100 MB of memory, processes everything locally, and never ships your activity off your Mac.
Who LookAway is for:
- Designers, developers, writers, and gamers who spend most of the day in front of a monitor
- Remote workers bouncing between back-to-back video calls
- Anyone battling dry eyes, headaches, or that foggy post-screen feeling
If that sounds like you, give LookAway a spin. Set your first break cycle and feel the difference after just a few sessions -- your body (and your work) will thank you.
