经常长时间坐在电脑前意味着您会增加出现视觉疲劳、背痛、椎间盘病等健康问题的风险。为了减少健康风险，定期休息是个好主意。医疗建议说，你应该每小时离开电脑 5-10 分钟。在一些国家，这也是法律要求。但是你每天是怎么做的呢？使用一个简单的休息提醒(break reminder)应用程序，如stretchly：
使用有弹性的方式改善您的健康和生产力(health and productivity)
Stretchly可以用作健康改善工具(health improvement tool)、生产力应用程序(productivity app)，或两者兼而有之。我们在搜索可以帮助我们定期休息的应用程序后开始使用它，以便我们掌握每天坐在电脑前的时间。在使用了一个月之后，又测试了其他类似的应用程序，我们爱上了stretchly，放弃了其他应用程序，坚持使用stretchly。然后我们注意到我们也可以将它用作生产力应用程序(productivity app)，并实现番茄工作法(Pomodoro Technique)，以提高我们的注意力，并在不中断的情况下完成任务。这个技巧说你应该在一个任务上工作 25 分钟，不要被打断。然后，您稍作休息（大约 5 分钟）并继续处理相同的任务（如果尚未完成）或切换到另一个任务再持续 25 分钟。在四个“番茄钟”（完成四个 25 分钟的工作间隔）之后，您应该进行更长时间的休息，大约 20 到 30 分钟。我们使用有弹性(stretchly)的方式实施了这项技术，因此，我们改变了我们的日常生活，并在健康和生产力(health and productivity)方面都取得了胜利。
拉伸是如何工作的？
Stretchly是由位于捷克共和国(Czech Republic)布拉格的(Prague)软件开发人员(software developer)Jan Hovancik创建的开源应用程序(source app)。该应用程序适用于Windows、macOS 和Linux。任何人都可以免费下载(download it)、安装和使用它。安装应用程序后，您需要对其进行配置并设置诸如您希望多久进行一次微休息（5-10 分钟的小休息），以及您想多久休息一次（更重要的是 20-30 分钟的休息）。您还可以设置是否能够跳过其中任何一个。
然后，您配置应用程序在发出休息结束信号时发出的声音，以及用于用户界面的配色方案。(color scheme)
接下来，如果您希望应用程序向您展示有关如何休息的想法，是否在休息开始前通知您，以便您做好准备等等，您可以设置是否要全屏休息。伸展(stretchly)的另一个积极特征是多语言支持。正如您在下面看到的，用户界面(user interface)有多种语言版本。
完成设置后，stretchly开始在后台工作。默认情况下，它每 10 分钟显示一次提醒窗口(reminder window)，即打开 20 秒，其中包含微中断（或中断）的想法。在任何休息之前，它可以显示一个小通知，以便您根据为自己设置的规则为休息做好准备并按时停止工作。如前所述，我们发现将其设置为每 25 分钟休息 5 分钟和每 125 分钟休息 20 分钟是理想的。
休息提醒显示在一个大窗口中，该窗口位于其他打开的应用程序窗口的顶部。如果你有双屏配置，stretchly可以在两个屏幕上显示休息提醒。(break reminder)您还可以设置拉伸(stretchly)以全屏显示这些提醒并禁止您取消它们。这个应用程序的另一个很酷的方面是它显示了有用的休息技巧，如下所示。它们都是基于您从医生和健康专家那里获得的健康建议。
初始配置后，您可以更改其他设置，方法是右键单击任务栏通知区域中的(notification area)stretchly(stretchly's)图标。您可以使用右键菜单跳到下一个休息时间、拉伸暂停、(stretchly)访问其设置等等。
该应用程序简单易用，任何人都可以使用。如果您认真对待改善您的健康和生产力(health and productivity)，您会喜欢使用它。
安装(Install)和使用可伸缩，让您定期休息
下载(Download stretchly)到您的计算机上，并尝试一下。我们相信您会喜欢使用它。我们非常喜欢它，因此我们决定贡献并将其翻译成我们的当地语言——罗马尼亚语。因此，0.17.0(version 0.17.0)或更高版本包含罗马尼亚语作为用户界面的语言。试过之后，再回到这篇文章发表评论：你喜欢伸展运动吗？它是否有助于改善您的健康或生产力(health or productivity)？下方评论，一起讨论。
Schedule regular PC breaks and implement the Pomodoro Technique with stretchly
Regularly sitting in front of your computer fоr long hours means that you increase the risk of developing health рroblems like visυal fatigue, back рaіn, discopathy, and more. To reduce the health risks, it is a great idea to take regular breaks. The mеdical adviсe says that you should take a 5-10 minutes break аway from уour computer еach hour. In some countries, this is also a legal requirement. But how do yоu do that every day? Uѕe a simple break reminder аpр like stretchly:
Improve your health and productivity with stretchly
Stretchly can be used as a health improvement tool, as a productivity app, or both. We started using it after searching for apps that help us take regular breaks so that we get a grip on how much we sit in front of our computers every day. After using it for a month, and testing other similar apps, we fell in love with stretchly, ditched other apps, and stuck to using stretchly. We then noticed that we could also use it as a productivity app, and implement the Pomodoro Technique, to improve our focus, and work on tasks without interruptions. This technique says that you should work on a single task, without interruptions, for 25 minutes. Then, you take a small break (about 5 minutes) and continue working on the same task (if it is not finished) or switch to another task for another 25 minutes. After four "pomodoros" (completing four 25-minutes work intervals), you should take a more extended break, of about 20 to 30 minutes. We implemented this technique using stretchly and, as a result, we changed our daily routine and won both in health and productivity.
How does stretchly work?
Stretchly is an open source app created by Jan Hovancik, a software developer based in Prague, Czech Republic. The app is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Anyone can download it, install it, and use it for free. After you install the app, you need to configure it and set things like how often you want to take microbreaks (small 5-10 minutes breaks), and how often you want to take breaks (more significant 20-30 minutes breaks). You also set if you are going to be able to skip any of them.
Then, you configure the sounds the app makes when signaling that a break has ended, and the color scheme used for the user interface.
Next, you set if you want the breaks to be fullscreen if you want the app to show you ideas on how to take breaks, whether it notifies you before a break starts, so that you can prepare yourself, and so on. Another positive feature in stretchly is the multi-lingual support. As you can see below, the user interface is available in several languages.
Once you are done setting it, stretchly starts working in the background. By default, it shows reminder window every 10 minutes, that is open for 20 seconds, containing an idea for a microbreak (or break). Before any break, it can display a small notification, so that you prepare for that break and stop working on time, according to the rules that you have set for yourself. As mentioned earlier, we found it ideal to set it to take a break every 25 minutes, for 5 minutes, and a longer 20 minutes break every 125 minutes.
The break reminders are shown in a big window that sits on top of other open app windows. If you have a dual-screen configuration, stretchly can display the break reminder on both screens. You can also set stretchly to display these reminders full-screen and forbid you to cancel them. Another cool aspect about this app is that it shows useful tips for taking breaks, like the one below. They are all based on health recommendations that you get from doctors and health specialists.
After the initial configuration, you can change other settings, by right clicking on stretchly's icon in the notification area, on the taskbar. You can use the right-click menu to skip to the next break, pause stretchly, access its settings, and so on.
The app is simple and easy to use by anyone. If you are serious about improving your health and productivity, you will love using it.
Install and use stretchly, so that you take regular breaks
Download stretchly on your computer, and try it out. We are sure that you will appreciate using it. We loved it so much that we decided to contribute and translate it into our local language - Romanian. As a result, version 0.17.0 or newer includes Romanian as a language for the user interface. After you try it out, come back to this article and leave a comment: Do you enjoy stretchly? Did it manage to help improve your health or productivity? Comments below and let's discuss.
