Popular for removing blue light from your screens, the app has managed to garner a worldwide following among computer professionals. In this article, we’ll go over the best ways you can make the most out of f.lux. But before that, let’s quickly go over the rationale of using a blue light filter in the first place.
5 Tips to Make the Most Out of f.lux
The theory behind the f.lux—or any blue light-filtering app for that matter—is that they work by blocking out the blue light emitted by all modern electronic machines. Put briefly, blue light is a type of light that we get from the sun, which is responsible for keeping us up and active during the day. As the day progresses and turns into night, the blue light gradually starts decreasing as well. This is what signals our bodies to slow down and, in turn, makes us sleepy.
But now that most people have access to their screens well into the evening, our bodies have become vulnerable to get tricked too. The excess of blue light from screens can suppress the secretion of melatonin, a hormone responsible for regulating your wake-sleep cycle.
Thankfully, though, with time we’ve developed useful tools to tackle this issue. At present, the most popular ones include using smart glasses, a blue light filtering app, and sometimes, a combination of both. One of the most popular blue light filter apps is f.lux. But there are some pointers you should keep in mind, to make the most out of f.lux. Let’s go over them one by one.
1. Don’t Turn on f.lux During the Day
While this sounds obvious to some, it still needs to be said. Blue light is not the enemy. It keeps you alert and active during the daytime, and therefore, is essential for you to have a productive day.
Just as being exposed to blue light late into the evenings is not beneficial for your long-term health, neither is doing the opposite, i.e., blocking it out from your screens entirely. Doing so might very well result in your sleep cycle getting disrupted and make you sleepy even during the day. So, keep your blue lights on during the day.
2. Set Your Location Right
As soon as you download and launch the application, you’ll be asked for your zip code or location in the initial setup.
This is to make sure that f.lux settings are set up according to your local time zone. You can either enter your pin code, or if that doesn’t work (like in my case), you can just enter your city.
3. Set Your Wake Time
Everyone is different. Some people like to get up at five and strike off important task from their check-lists early on, while others like to take things a bit more gradually.
Whatever your inclination, to make the most out of f.lux, you have to ensure that you align the f.lux settings with your daily schedule. You can do this right from the earliest wake time section in the bottom-right corner of your app.
To change the time settings, launch the app from the system tray in the bottom-right corner, and click on the f.lux icon. Now use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the time as you see fit.
4. Adjust Your Color Settings
When you install the app for the first time, it will come with a default setting where the color setting is set to Recommended Colors.
Click in the top-right corner at Recommended Colors option, and you’ll get a drop-down list with a dearth of options. It will have options like Reduce Eyestrain, Classic f.lux, Working Late, and more.
We’d suggest you give all the settings a go. Get a quick feel. Or simply use something that’s more relevant for you at the moment. For instance, whenever I have to work late till night, I always make it a point to set the display settings to Reduce Eyestrain, which in turn lets me work more without hurting my eyes or disrupting my cardiac routine.
If you’d like to take a more hands-on approach, you can also slide the blob to set the screen according to your custom settings.
You can also go the extra mile with your changes. Here’s how: click on the menu (three dashes) from the top-left corner in the app, and select the Change current color option and choose from a battery of display options that are available there.
Similarly, there’s also the Effects and extra colors option. Here, you can choose from Movie Mode, Grayscale, Dark mode, and other similar color effects.
5. Use the Backwards Alarm Clock
Another useful feature that caught our attention was the Backwards Alarm Clock. We believe an alarm clock of this sort is great for reminding us to slow down and wrap up our work for the day as we approach the day end.
To set it up, click on the menu (three dashes) and select Options and Smart Lighting.
On the Features and Notifications tab, check the Backwards Alarm Clock option if it’s not checked already. With this option enabled, you’ll be reminded as soon as you approach bedtime.
f.lux vs Night Light: Do We Have a Winner?
With the popularity of blue-light emission software soaring high, even Microsoft came in with their solution. With the Creator’s update in 2017, Microsoft added the in-built blue filter called Night Light.
To access Night Light, go to the Start menu search bar, type in “Night light” and select the Best match. When you’re in the System settings, select Turn on now to enable it. You can also adjust the display color by moving the slider. It also has a scheduling feature that lets you manipulate the light settings. All you need to do is toggle it on. It lets you set an auto-schedule as per your required timings; just enter the Turn on and Turn off time, and you’re all set.
An alternate option is to schedule through the Location settings option. When you enable that, the Windows will turn on the location services and pick the timings from your current location.
While Microsoft has certainly done well with Night Light, we believe f.lux edges out in this one—It offers far more features than Night Light, gives more control to the user, and is available in multiple operating systems like Android, iOS, Mac, etc.
f.lux All the Way!
Due to the gradual increase in our screen times, there has been a rapid rise in issues related to eyes and sleeping patterns. For Windows power users, we’ve found f.lux to be a handy utility to have in your toolkit—and doubly so if your job involves plenty of screen time.
