Show HN: I Made a Chrome Extension to Prevent Developer Burnout

Show HN: I Made a Chrome Extension to Prevent Developer Burnout(deskbreak.app)

1 points by miguelfernandez 1 year ago | 1 comment

I made a Chrome extension to help developers and other desk workers prevent burnout. As a frontend developer, I found myself neglecting my health during long coding sessions. This extension provides customizable break reminders and guided activities to help you stay productive and healthy.

If you’re curious about it, you can try it out here: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/deskbreak/fcmmkgomk...

Why I Made It:

After experiencing burnout myself, I realized that long hours of coding without proper breaks were affecting my productivity and well-being. This extension is my solution to help others avoid the same problem. It’s designed to be non-intrusive while ensuring regular, healthy breaks to help prevent burnout.

What You Can Do After Setup:

- Set your preferred break intervals according to your work schedule

- Receive customizable break reminders

- Try guided activities like stretches and eye exercises

- Track your progress over time

- Integrate breaks seamlessly with your workflow

Tech Stack:

- React for the UI

- JavaScript for core functionality

- Chrome Extension APIs for browser integration

- Tailwind CSS for styling

- Vite for the build process

Challenges I Faced:

- Balancing non-intrusiveness with effectiveness in a developer’s workflow

- Ensuring user privacy while storing preferences

- Optimizing performance within Chrome extension limitations

Feedback:

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how this could fit into your workflow. What additional features would make it more useful? Are there any issues you encounter while trying it out?

miguelfernandez 1 year ago |

Hey HN, I’m Miguel, a frontend developer who built this extension as a side project to solve my own burnout issues.

For years, I’ve been coding long hours without realizing how it was affecting my health. This tool is my way of staying productive without sacrificing well-being.

To activate the extension, you can sign up on the website.

How It Works:

- Chrome's Storage API is used for storing user preferences locally.

- React helps keep the UI modular and easy to maintain.

- Chrome's Alarm API schedules break reminders to fit your schedule.

Sign-Up Process:

The sign-up is necessary to activate the extension, manage your preferences, and enable future features like streaks and synced activities.

Questions:

How do you currently manage breaks during coding sessions? Is the sign-up and activation process smooth enough? Would you find value in features like Pomodoro integrations or more advanced reminders?

I’m here to answer any questions, so feel free to share your thoughts!