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43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

Three OS X Timers

I know I'm not the only timer nerd here -- check out three Mac-friendly ways to time your activities and make sure you stay on track.

ProdMe - Dashboard - Status

Looking forward to trying this, but the DL link appears to be temporarily overwhelmed.

Clock chimes return to Mac OS X! ProdMe replicates this greatly-missed feature from Mac OS 9, and also provides two additional modes for repeating audio alerts. In addition to traditional clock chimes, ProdMe also provides the option to play a sound at any time interval, using any of the available alert sounds. Great for anyone who finds that time tends to slip away faster than expected.

Features:

  • Chimes can be set at either arbitrary time intervals or synchronized with the clock (like traditional clock chimes).
  • Multiple copies of the widget can be open at once, with independent settings for each copy.
  • Choice of five different background colors.
  • Honors 12-hour or 24-hour time format (as specified in the International system preferences).

Konfabulator - Gallery - TenPlusTwo

Haven't tried this one yet either (don't use Konfabulator, myself), but I'm a fan of its inspiration:

Can't stop procrastinating? Force yourself to work for 10 minutes, then force yourself to take a 2 minute break. Repeat.

Leave this countdown timer running, and it changes colors and plays sounds to indicate what you should be doing.


Minuteur 4.3 - MacUpdate

Finally, in other timer news, my own timer of choice, Minuteur, just keeps on adding great little tweaks. From the version 4.3 update notes:

  • Add fullscreen mode.
  • Add Dock menu.
  • Add dynamic Dock icon.
  • The ruler contextual menu is now editable.

Fullscreen mode is pretty sweet if you want to run a timed dash but not let the allure of your Mac distract you. Just creates a big old black screen with the time counting down. Very cool.

And don't forget -- Minuteur's got tons of neat little affordances to control the timer, so be sure to read the "About Minuteur" section for instructions.

Jesse Grosjean's picture

I'm the author of Clockwork...

I'm the author of Clockwork another timer that you might like. Two things that make it different are applescript support and a plugin architecture. Thanks for taking a look.

 
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