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Work · August 30, 2022

IM

I made a macOS tool to prevent me from working late hours

Hey HN, I used to be the poster child "10x" engineer. I always went far beyond the job description, actively involving myself in everything and having no issue working late hours/weekends/vacations if necessary to achieve my goals. I did this because I love engineering and it brought me a lot of career success, but it wasn't until recently that I realized this was actively destroying my life and leading me to an early death. Putting work above my own life completely ruined my social life, and eventually made me so stressed and anxious that it became impossible for me to relax and…

I made a macOS tool to prevent me from working late hours launched on August 30, 2022 with 25 votes, #848 of 3,307 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches.

In plain words

This macOS tool helps users prevent working during late hours by setting boundaries on work time. It targets engineers and knowledge workers who struggle to disconnect from their jobs and work beyond reasonable hours. The tool addresses work-life balance by enforcing limits on when work can occur, helping users protect their personal time and mental health from the effects of overwork.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

In the maker’s words, at launch

Hey HN, I used to be the poster child "10x" engineer. I always went far beyond the job description, actively involving myself in everything and having no issue working late hours/weekends/vacations if necessary to achieve my goals. I did this because I love engineering and it brought me a lot of career…

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