Prevent RSI injuries with RSIBreak
On Kubuntu (and other distros), there is a program called RSIBreak. It works like a screensaver, monitoring how much you type or use the mouse. If you don’t stop for a break occasionally, per a schedule of breaks, then it reminds you to relax for 20-60 seconds. As a result, the breaks are not based on a fixed times, such as every 10 minutes, but are dynamic and depend on your natural usage.
It really works well, and stays out of the way more than I expected. It turns out that I take a lot of breaks anyways, usually while reading a webpage, so it only needs to remind me when I’m deep in coding or typing a long email. Usually when it tells me to stop, I can tell that I need a break anyways.
If you don’t observe the popup, it optionally dims the screen and gives you the option to cancel or lock. Often, if I’m “in the flow” while coding, I won’t notice the popup, and the dim screen is actually useful. If you cancel, you can go back to working. If you press ‘lock’, it locks you out for the prescribed number of seconds. I believe you can also configure it to forcibly lock the desktop for every break without a cancel option, if you need the extra persuasion.