Time to drink some water
Free · macOS · Apple Silicon

Hangabout

A companion on a thread at the top of your screen. It waits until you are actually there, then refuses to be missed.

Latest version · what's new

1The problem

You never see the reminder.

A notification slides in while you are mid-sentence, waits five seconds, and leaves. You were not looking. Neither was anyone.

0reminders missed
while you read this
2It waits for you

The clock only runs while you're there.

Habits like "drink water" count working seconds. Step away and the clock pauses instead of firing at an empty chair.

0:00
Hangabout
Ordinary

Move your mouse over the pad to "work".

Wiggle here to work · stop to step away
3Two kinds

Habits repeat.
Reminders keep time.

Habits nudge you while you work and count what you actually did. Reminders go off at a set day and time — once, or every weekday — and can keep chiming until you answer.

Habits

By time at the keyboard. Today's count, no targets.

Drink some waterevery 30m · 5 done, 2 skipped
Stand up and stretchevery 45m · 1 done, 0 skipped
Look away for 20 secondsevery 20m · 3 done, 1 skipped

Reminders

By the clock. Pick a date and time — tap one to hear it.

repeats
keeps chiming
repeats
4Then it holds on

It drops down and stays put.

It swings to catch your eye and keeps the message up until you answer Done or Later. Or just tell it what you need — everything is heard on your Mac, never sent anywhere.

⌃⌥⌘Nhold and say…
5And gets out of the way

Type, and it's gone.

Start typing anywhere and it slips out of sight, then drops back when you stop. A focus session mutes the habits; reminders still arrive.

25:00
6The cast

Pick who hangs about.

Some hang from a thread. Others stand on the floor. Click one and it takes over this page.

Get it.
It's free.

  1. 1Download and open Hangabout.dmg.
  2. 2Drag Hangabout onto the Applications folder, following the arrow.
  3. 3First launch, macOS refuses. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. Once only.

Latest version · what's new

After that it updates itself — no download, no drag, no warning. Needs an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later.

✓Download started

Four steps and Hangabout is hanging about on your Mac.

  1. 1Open the download

    Find Hangabout.dmg in your Downloads folder and double-click it.

    Hangabout.dmg
    The window it opens
  2. 2Drag it to Applications

    Drag Hangabout onto the Applications folder, following the arrow. Don't open it from the download window.

    The Hangabout download window: the app on the left, an arrow, and the Applications folder on the right
  3. 3Allow it, once

    The first open, macOS says it can't verify the app. Click Done, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.

    System Settings, Privacy & Security: “Hangabout” was blocked to protect your Mac, with the Open Anyway button circled
  4. 4Find the menu

    Click the spider in your menu bar, or right-click the character itself. Characters, reminders, habits and settings all live there.

    The menu bar at the top right of the screen, with the Hangabout spider circled
    The Hangabout menu: character, Expand, habits, reminders, focus, notes and behaviour settings

    Click the spider (circled) at the top right of your screen.

    Or right-click the character wherever it is hanging about: the same menu opens right there.

    No Dock icon, on purpose. Quit is at the bottom of this menu.

Download didn't start? Try again. After this, Hangabout updates itself.