Why can't we set custom on/off times?!
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Hello, and thanks for f.lux. :relaxed:
I'm a night owl: I go to sleep at 3am. Yet f.lux starts dimming my screen at 5 or 6pm. Then I spend my evening repeatedly selecting "Disable for an hour."
Can we please have simple fields for entering custom on and off times?
(Ideally, those would be separate. I'd like f.lux to start dimming my screen at 2am. Then, disabling at sunrise is fine, because I'm asleep anyway. But we should at least have the option to set it to turn on and/or off whenever we like!
It's difficult to understand why this never gets implemented, despite numerous requests. :slight_frown:
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@soundsgood thanks for your thoughts.
Currently f.lux doesn't offer fields for entering custom on and off times, and the reason is because we are trying to look at light the way human bodies see it, not the way a calendar app sees it. You should be able to get what you want by ensuring your wake time and location are right, and choosing your desired color scheme from the "custom colors" menu (details here: https://justgetflux.com/news/pages/macquickstart/).
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@lorna said in Why can't we set custom on/off times?!:
@soundsgood thanks for your thoughts.
Currently f.lux doesn't offer fields for entering custom on and off times, and the reason is because we are trying to look at light the way human bodies see it, not the way a calendar app sees it.
I've read this 5 times, yet I have no idea what you're attempting to convey. What does "the way a calendar app sees light" have to do with my sleep schedule, which is 3am-9am? Would you kindly rephrase your thoughts, using common language?
@lorna said in Why can't we set custom on/off times?!:
You should be able to get what you want by ensuring your wake time and location are right, and choosing your desired color scheme from the "custom colors" menu (details here: https://justgetflux.com/news/pages/macquickstart/).
Nope. Doesn't work.
"Custom colors" merely lets the user set the time he or she wakes up. Beyond that, everything else is calculated, based upon (unfortunately incorrect) presumptions, such as (a) what time "bedtime" is and (b) how long one sleeps.
While I sincerely appreciate your willingness to help, "custom colors" doesn't remotely address my issue. Respectfully, did you understand my issue? Because if you did, and if you know how "custom colors" works, it's surprising that you'd offer "custom colors" as a solution to the specific problem I detailed.
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f.lux's aim is to help remove the colors of light that reprogram your brain into thinking it's seeing daytime. It takes about 9-10 hours on average for your body to go through a cycle of melatonin release, and this starts when you're not seeing biologically bright light anymore (this would be bright blue enriched light - you can play around with some of the charts and models at https://fluxometer.com/rainbow to get a feel for different devices, how they emit light, and how the light can be filtered).
People need different amounts of sleep, so we try to fix the lights at the right time and assume you'll go to bed when you're sleepy. That means, our focus is on trying to create good timing of light exposure, and just about everyone needs about 10 hours of biological darkness regardless of how many hours they sleep. So even for someone who wants six hours of sleep on that schedule, the best practice is to start removing bright light sometime around 11PM.
So for your case, here is how to use "Custom colors" in f.lux:
Open "Custom colors," click "Sunset" and set the slider to "Daylight" - this will remove the 5PM screen dimming issue.
In the same menu, click "Bedtime" and set the slider to the color you want. This will begin dimming your screen around 11PM. -
@lorna said in Why can't we set custom on/off times?!:
f.lux's aim is to help remove the colors of light that reprogram your brain into thinking it's seeing daytime. It takes about 9-10 hours on average for your body to go through a cycle of melatonin release, and this starts when you're not seeing biologically bright light anymore (this would be bright blue enriched light - you can play around with some of the charts and models at https://fluxometer.com/rainbow to get a feel for different devices, how they emit light, and how the light can be filtered).
People need different amounts of sleep, so we try to fix the lights at the right time and assume you'll go to bed when you're sleepy. That means, our focus is on trying to create good timing of light exposure, and just about everyone needs about 10 hours of biological darkness regardless of how many hours they sleep. So even for someone who wants six hours of sleep on that schedule, the best practice is to start removing bright light sometime around 11PM.
So for your case, here is how to use "Custom colors" in f.lux:
Open "Custom colors," click "Sunset" and set the slider to "Daylight" - this will remove the 5PM screen dimming issue.
In the same menu, click "Bedtime" and set the slider to the color you want. This will begin dimming your screen around 11PM.Thanks for the reply.
I don't want my screen to begin dimming at 11pm.
I want it to begin dimming at 2am.
f.lux doesn't let me do that.Some people have needs that are different from what you think they need. Why not give people the option to use f.lux in a way that works best for them?
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Thanks for letting us know about your use case. It sounds like f.lux might not be the right program for you. The research on melatonin and light timing / circadian rhythms is pretty solid, but if you want to program your own timing, you'll want to use one of the built in color tinting options available now on most operating systems. They are programmable like a calendar and you can pick whatever timing you believe is right for you.
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@lorna said in Why can't we set custom on/off times?!:
Thanks for letting us know about your use case. It sounds like f.lux might not be the right program for you. The research on melatonin and light timing / circadian rhythms is pretty solid, but if you want to program your own timing, you'll want to use one of the built in color tinting options available now on most operating systems. They are programmable like a calendar and you can pick whatever timing you believe is right for you.
Translation: "We think we know what's best for you, so we're not giving you options."
I'm fully aware of the science. But you seem incapable of comprehending the idea that not everyone wants to use f.lux for the reasons it was originally developed. All we're are asking for is the option to use it differently.
But no. Instead, you offer pretentious replies and condescension.
Thanks. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
Best of luck.
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Good point. Locking topic for pretentious replies and condescension.
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