Sit up straight for a sec. Ever had lower back pain? Hands feeling heavy? Vision a bit blurry?
Yeah, me too.
It was after a few consecutive weeks of intense work that I realized I was completely ignoring my body. I'd code for hours, focused, productive — but end the day with a sore tailbone, wrist pain, and a headache. And the worst part: it seemed normal.
That's when I created Breakpoints.
🧠 The Idea
The name gives it away: the goal is to insert real breakpoints into your routine, but outside of your code.
The app reminds you to take strategic breaks throughout the day: stretching, visual rest, and micro-interactions that relieve the most common tensions for those who sit and program for long periods.
Nothing invasive. Nothing loud. Just a subtle, customizable, and efficient system to keep you healthy — without breaking your flow.
⚙️ Stack: Tauri + React + TypeScript
I wanted something that would run like a truly native app, not a giant Electron instance consuming 800MB of RAM just to show a button.
I went with:
- Tauri: because it's lightweight, fast, and has solid Rust integration (haven't needed it yet, but it's there).
- React + TypeScript on the frontend: for familiarity and speed.
- Tailwind for a lean and responsive UI.
- Turborepo + pnpm workspaces to keep the landing page and desktop app in the same monorepo.
The app is desktop-first, designed to run in the background without getting in the way.
💡 MVP Features
- Configurable timer for three types of breaks:
- Posture break (e.g., stand up and stretch)
- Visual break (e.g., look away for 20s)
- Full break (e.g., stand up, breathe, walk around)
- Native notifications, with or without sound
- Automatic silent mode during fullscreen (to avoid interrupting calls or VS Code in Zen Mode)
Everything saves to localStorage — no backend, no login, no tracking.
🎨 UX: Less Friction, More Discipline
I knew if the app was annoying, no one would use it. Including me.
That's why I made some intentional decisions:
- Minimal interface. Almost no text. Clear icons.
- Visual breaks with smooth animations (without looking like a meditation coach)
- Keyboard shortcuts to skip/postpone breaks
- Starts with "easy mode" enabled — light breaks every 30min, just stretching
The idea is: if you don't take any breaks in your day, taking one is already 100% progress.
🧭 Strategy and Vision
From the beginning, I set a few rules for this project:
- Core features will always be free
- Account creation will be optional (only if you want to sync across devices in the future)
- Not open source — because I prefer to keep the focus on the product rather than managing PRs and issues on GitHub
- Freemium model in the future: customization packs, advanced statistics, and integration with productivity apps
🚀 Want to test, give feedback, or follow along?
I'm still finalizing the last adjustments of the MVP, but if you want to follow along or give some feedback, hit me up on LinkedIn.
👉 Start taking care of your health with Breakpoints
I'm documenting everything there and here on the devlog (with more details)!
Breakpoints exists because our bodies can't handle while(true). And it's okay to stop.
