Jason and Nile Kelly – taking a break.
This simple wellbeing app from the London creative studio Ochee, helps creatives take regular breaks and was created by a father-son team.
Graphic designers, illustrators, web coders, and even copywriters—we all know what it’s like working in the creative industry. We spend long hours staring at a monitor, deeply ensconced in the latest project, which the client wanted yesterday—so much so that we often neglect to take breaks.
Young programmer Nile Kelly knows what it’s like twice over. The son of Jason Kelly, founder of Ochee Design, Nile often saw his father busy at a Mac for long periods while he was growing up. As he works towards his degree in Digital & Technology Solutions and apprentices as a software engineer with IBM, Nile has been experiencing the same sedentary feeling, leading to dips in energy levels, focus and productivity.
So, he came up with , a Mac application that reminds you to take regular breaks with notifications that take over your entire screen.
“I found myself working remotely a lot when I first started the apprenticeship, and at the end of each day, I would often feel very stiff and tired,” says Nile. “I tried to take breaks but often skipped them due to being immersed in my work. I thought that if I was obstructed in some form, I would have a better chance of actually getting off of the computer, so after a couple of weeks of tinkering, I built a minimal version of Ocheeflow to do exactly that.”
Using Apple’s Swift programming language, Nile developed the application and dived down the rabbit hole of macOS development, uncovering design documentation dating back to the ’90s. He wanted it to look and feel great with a clean interface, so Jason lent his design expertise to the project.
Their collaboration has resulted in an app that takes a few minutes to install and is easy to use. Full-screen reminders are more effective, but light notifications can also be set. In addition to messages like ‘Take a break!’, you can set specific messages such as ‘Stretch for five’ or ’50 push-ups’. As well as getting you to leave your workstation, Ocheeflow can remind you of other regular activities, like taking medication.
Of course, Ocheeflow can be snoozed, but it’ll break your streak.
“When he first told me the idea, I wasn’t sure if it had legs; however, as I am someone who works predominantly from home, it really helps me physically,” says Jason. “Once you get your streaks up, you don’t want to start from scratch again. That keeps you motivated – it’s simple, but it works.”
User feedback so far has been positive, and people have been telling Nile what sort of breaks they like to take, including yoga sessions, Peloton rides, push-ups and more. “Ocheeflow has appealed to people with all sorts of ways of taking breaks, and they have inspired me to try a few new ways myself,” he says.
Ocheeflow is free for the first 14 days, and thereafter, it’s £25 per annum, £389/year for 15 devices or £549 for 60. A Windows version is coming soon.
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