# Long stretch reminders

> After 90 minutes of unbroken work, PlexiDesk offers a 3-minute stretch. Take the break with a timer, or keep going and it waits 30 minutes before asking again.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/focus-long-stretch
Section: Focus and flow > Focus tools
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

Deep focus is good until it runs for hours without a pause. When you have worked in PlexiDesk for 90 minutes without a real break, a small banner appears at the top of the window: **You're on fire —** with how long you have been going. It offers a three-minute stretch, or lets you carry on.

It is the opposite of a focus session. A focus session helps you start; this reminder protects you from staying too long.

## Before you start

- Long stretch reminders are part of every plan and need no AI.
- They work everywhere in PlexiDesk, whether or not a focus session is running.
- There is nothing to set up, and no setting to change.

## How PlexiDesk counts a long stretch

- **The stretch starts** when you open PlexiDesk, and again after every break.
- **Working means clicking, typing or scrolling in PlexiDesk.** Moving the pointer on its own does not count, and neither does work in other apps.
- **A break is five minutes or more** without a click, key press or scroll in PlexiDesk. After a break, the count starts again from zero.
- **The banner appears** once the stretch reaches 90 minutes. PlexiDesk checks every 30 seconds, so it can take up to half a minute to show.

## What you see

At the top centre of the window, the banner reads **You're on fire —** followed by the length of the stretch, for example **1h 30m straight**. It has two buttons:

- **3-min stretch**
- **keep going**

## Take a stretch

1. Click **3-min stretch**. A chime sounds.
2. The banner changes to **Stretch, water, breathe**, with a countdown such as **2:59 remaining**.
3. Step away from the screen. Stand up, stretch, get some water.
4. When the three minutes are up, a chime sounds and the banner closes. To finish sooner, click **done**.

Either way, the stretch counts as a break: the count starts again from zero, and you get another full 90 minutes before the next reminder.

## Keep going

Click **keep going**. The banner closes, and PlexiDesk waits 30 minutes before it shows it again, as long as you are still working without a break. The banner then shows the new, longer stretch.

If you take a break of five minutes or more in the meantime, the count starts again from zero.

## Tips

- **Take the stretch at a natural pause.** Finish the sentence or the cell you are on, then click **3-min stretch**.
- **Pair it with a focus session.** After the stretch, a five-minute focus session is an easy way back in. See [Start a focus session](https://plexiidesk.com/help/focus-session).
- **Step away for real.** The stretch timer keeps counting while you are gone, so you can leave the screen completely.

## Common questions

### Why did the banner appear when I have only just sat down?

PlexiDesk counts from the last break of five minutes or more in PlexiDesk. If you worked in another app and kept coming back to PlexiDesk at least every five minutes, that time counts as one stretch.

### Why did the banner disappear on its own?

You went five minutes or more without a click, key press or scroll in PlexiDesk. That counts as a break, so the banner closes and the count starts again.

### Can I change 90 minutes, or turn the reminder off?

No. The reminder always appears at 90 minutes, and **keep going** always gives you 30 more minutes before it asks again.

### Does it pause my focus session?

No. The banner and a focus session are separate. A running focus session keeps counting while the banner shows. See [Start a focus session](https://plexiidesk.com/help/focus-session).

## Related tasks

- [Focus tools in Plexii](https://plexiidesk.com/help/focus-overview)
- [Start a focus session](https://plexiidesk.com/help/focus-session)
- [Welcome back: pick up where you left off](https://plexiidesk.com/help/focus-welcome-back)
- [When a desk is hard to start](https://plexiidesk.com/help/focus-hard-to-start)