As 2024 comes to a close, we want to wish you a joyful holiday season filled with rest, productivity, and maybe a few fun data points. From our small team—Martijn, James, and Ash—thank you for being part of the WhatPulse community. Your support drives everything we do, and we couldn't be more grateful.

Highlights of 2024​

This year was one for the books! Here's a quick look back at what we achieved together:

• Celebrated 20 years of WhatPulse with our amazing community.
• Launched Profiles for tracking your time across work, play, and everything in between.
• Reopened the merch shop to let you show off your WhatPulse pride.
• Delivered tons of updates packed with features to keep you tracking smarter.

A big thanks to you​

Our community continues to be the heart of WhatPulse. From competing on leaderboards to sharing feedback and ideas, you've made this year unforgettable. Your enthusiasm pushes us to improve and reminds us why we do what we do.

Looking ahead​

As we plan for 2025, we're excited to build on this year's momentum with even more tools to help you understand and optimize your digital habits. Stay tuned—there's more to come!

Thank you for being part of our journey. Wishing you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and an amazing start to the new year.

Warm regards,

Martijn, James, and Ash

WhatPulse

For our Chinese 🇨🇳 WhatPulsers; you've asked for it, and we're thrilled to announce that Alipay is now a supported payment option for WhatPulse Premium subscriptions. Whether you're tracking your productivity, monitoring your network, or climbing the leaderboards, upgrading to Premium just got easier.

Even better, if you act quickly, you can still grab a 35% discount on Premium as part of our Cyber Monday and holiday promotion. This offer ends Friday, December 6th, so don't miss the chance to level up your WhatPulse experience at a good time!

What you get with WhatPulse Premium​

WhatPulse Premium unlocks the full potential of your data tracking, making it more insightful, fun, and effective. Here's what you'll enjoy as a Premium subscriber:

• Advanced analytics: Dive deeper into your productivity metrics with detailed graphs and breakdowns.
• Time tracking: Monitor and report on custom projects to optimize your day for maximum productivity.
• Cloud backup: Never lose your WhatPulse data—sync your stats across multiple devices effortlessly.
• Customizable insights: Tailor your analytics dashboard to focus on what matters most to you.

Whether you're a gamer looking to optimize playtime or a remote worker aiming for better focus, Premium gives you the tools to make smarter decisions about your digital habits.

How to subscribe with Alipay & Claim your discount​

Getting started with Alipay for WhatPulse Premium is simple:

1. Visit the WhatPulse Premium page.
2. Click the Subscribe button on the yearly plan.
3. Click the Add discount link and enter code HOLIDAYS24 to save 35% on your subscription.
4. Choose Alipay at checkout and follow the prompts to complete your payment.

Once you're set up, you'll unlock all the benefits of Premium and join a growing global community of productivity enthusiasts.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here, and I'm excited to offer 35% off the yearly WhatPulse Premium subscription. Whether you're exploring WhatPulse for the first time or ready to upgrade, this is the perfect time to unlock more powerful tools and insights.

Why choose WhatPulse Premium?​

If you're already using the free version of WhatPulse, you know how much insight you get into your digital life. Upgrading to Premium takes that experience to the next level, offering more powerful features and detailed analytics:

• Per-application tracking: See how much time and effort you spend in each application.
• Time tracking: Monitor and report on how you spend your time and optimize your day for maximum productivity.
• Unlimited historical data: Track your activity for as long as you want and see how your habits evolve.
• Customizable dashboard: Tailor your data to focus on what matters most, whether it's application usage, network traffic, or time tracking.

For anyone who values in-depth insights into their digital habits—whether you're a gamer, a content creator, or someone optimizing your work-from-home routine—Premium unlocks the full potential of WhatPulse.

How to claim your discount​

Visit the WhatPulse Premium page and use code HOLIDAYS24 at checkout. The offer is valid until December 6th. Don't miss your chance to save big!

This is a guest post by Santhosh Sundararaman.

Upgrading to a new keyboard, especially one with thumb clusters, can feel like a leap into the unknown. The appeal of customizing your setup for comfort and efficiency is strong, but the challenge lies in striking the right balance without disrupting your muscle memory. That's where data—and a little help from WhatPulse—comes into play.

In this post, I'll share how I used WhatPulse to track my keystroke habits and combined that with ChatGPT to design a keyboard layout tailored to my typing style. If you're a gamer, knowledge worker, or someone who simply loves geeking out over optimal setups, you'll find this approach both relatable and inspiring.

Just in case you're unfamiliar with thumb clusters, here's a quick visual:

Step 1: Understanding my keystroke habits​

Before diving into layout customization, I needed a clear view of how I actually type. Enter WhatPulse, the ultimate tool for tracking keystrokes, key combinations, clicks, and more. Over a few weeks, WhatPulse silently logged my key usage and combinations, uncovering patterns I'd never considered before.

For example, I discovered my frequent reliance on key combinations like Alt + Backspace, Ctrl + W, and Command + Tab. Even more eye-opening was how heavily I leaned on the left-hand side for modifiers like Ctrl, Cmd, Shift, and Alt.

These insights provided a concrete starting point—data that could guide my keyboard customization instead of leaving me guessing.

Step 2: Exporting data from WhatPulse​

WhatPulse offers a simple way to export any type of data, making it easy to analyze and share. I exported my key combination data as a CSV file, which I then fed into ChatGPT for further analysis. Here's more on how to export your data from WhatPulse: https://whatpulse.org/help/docs/software/general/exporting-data-from-whatpulse

Step 3: Collaborating with AI for smarter layouts​

Armed with WhatPulse's keystroke data, I turned to ChatGPT for assistance in designing a thumb cluster layout. My goal was to keep essential keys like Space and Enter in familiar places while distributing frequently used modifiers more evenly across both hands.

Here's the prompt I used:

I'm switching to a new keyboard with a thumbcluster. I'm attaching an image of the current keymap in the thumbcluster. I prefer not to move the space and enter keys. Below are the 50 most frequent key combinations I have recorded from my previous standard keyboard. I predominantly use the left side of the keyboard for ctrl, cmd, shift and alt keys. I am ok with moving some of these to the right side, specifically ones that are used less frequently. Based on this info, suggest a few thumb cluster config that will help me transition slowly to the new keyboard. Also make sure that the config avoid the chance of multiple keys in a key combination being in the same side of the cluster.

[Paste WhatPulse export data here]

i.e., alt + Backspace 24659

...etc.

ChatGPT analyzed the data and suggested several configurations:

• One layout balanced high-use modifiers (Ctrl, Shift, etc.) between the left and right thumbs.
• Another kept a traditional feel while positioning keys for faster access during common tasks.
• A third introduced small but meaningful changes to ease strain on my dominant hand.

These suggestions felt less like arbitrary layouts and more like cheat sheets tailored to my typing style.

Step 4: Testing and fine-tuning the layouts​

Putting these layouts into practice was the next step. I spent a week with each configuration, gauging how it affected my typing speed and comfort.

Here's a snapshot of the final layout I tested, and settled on:

The results were striking. By redistributing key combinations to opposite sides, I reduced finger fatigue and improved flow. Tasks like coding, gaming, and even casual browsing felt more natural. Keys I once reached for instinctively were now placed more intuitively, thanks to the data-driven approach.

Why this approach matters​

This experiment was more than a simple keyboard upgrade—it was an exercise in self-optimization. Here's why it worked:

1. Data-backed decisions: WhatPulse gave me a clear view of my actual typing habits, turning guesswork into informed adjustments.
2. Personalization: ChatGPT's suggestions weren't generic; they were crafted based on my unique keystroke patterns.
3. Ease of transition: Instead of starting from scratch, I built on my existing habits, making the change easier to adopt.

For gamers, knowledge workers, and anyone who spends hours at a keyboard, this approach offers a smarter way to customize your setup.

Conclusion: Designing your perfect keyboard​

Customizing a keyboard doesn't have to feel like an overwhelming challenge. By combining WhatPulse's insights with AI tools like ChatGPT, you can create a layout that matches your habits and boosts your efficiency.

Whether you're upgrading to a keyboard with thumb clusters or simply tweaking your current setup, let your data guide you. After all, your typing style is uniquely yours—why not design a layout that works just as uniquely well?

It’s easy to get lost in the endless scroll. Apps and websites are designed to keep us engaged, but sometimes, that engagement turns into doomscrolling—a seemingly bottomless dive into content that ends only when we realize we’ve spent hours watching, reading, or simply consuming.

A little downtime is healthy. Scrolling through a few posts or watching a couple of videos can be relaxing. But when that scroll becomes a priority over more important tasks, it becomes an issue. Here’s how to balance your online habits with the help of productivity techniques and tools like WhatPulse, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds without sacrificing your time.

Why doomscrolling is designed to hook you​

Social media platforms and content-driven sites are built with one main goal: keeping users engaged. Every like, comment, and endless feed refresh is a hook, a nudge to keep you scrolling for just a little longer. In reality, this approach prioritizes the success of those platforms over your productivity. Who benefits from your time—the developers behind the app, or you?

If you often find yourself mindlessly scrolling during work hours, you’re not alone. Many professionals and remote workers lose track of time due to social media, and that can leave you with a sense of dread by the end of the day. You might even end up working late to meet deadlines, cutting into your personal time.

The impact on work-life balance​

When we give into doomscrolling during work, it doesn’t just hurt our productivity—it can also seep into our personal lives. Logging off at the end of the day with unfinished work can lead to a sense of dread. For remote workers, it’s even easier to blur the lines, finding yourself back at the computer after hours to catch up on what you missed.

In the long run, these habits can lead to burnout, reducing the quality time you have with family and friends. It’s a vicious cycle: the more you scroll, the more you put off important tasks, and the more you’ll feel overwhelmed.

Social media isn’t the enemy—it’s about finding the right balance​

Social media has its perks. It connects us, entertains us, and even informs us. But to make it work for you, find a balance that fits your schedule. Set aside dedicated times for scrolling—maybe during lunch or a quick five-minute break after a productive session. This way, you can enjoy social media without it intruding on important tasks.

One helpful approach is WhatPulse’s tracking capabilities. With insights into your activity, you can see where your time is going. Are you using social media as a quick distraction, or is it taking up hours you could use elsewhere? By analyzing your usage, WhatPulse helps you identify and manage distractions.

Using the Pomodoro technique to stay focused​

The Pomodoro Technique is a popular productivity hack that might be just what you need to manage your scrolling habits. Here’s how it works:

1. Work for a set amount of time, like 25 minutes.
2. Take a 5-minute break.
3. Repeat.

You can even customize it to fit your needs. Try working for 50 minutes with a 10-minute break, or adapt the timing based on your personal rhythm. Set these breaks as your dedicated “scroll time,” giving you a chance to check in online without losing focus on work.

How WhatPulse can help you track and improve your habits​

WhatPulse tracks more than just your hours—it offers insights into your keystrokes, mouse clicks, and time spent on specific applications. This gives you a clear view of where your efforts go and whether they’re aligned with your goals.

With WhatPulse, you can see exactly how much time is spent on productive apps versus time-consuming platforms. You might discover that your “quick break” on social media actually takes longer than you realized. By regularly checking in with your WhatPulse data, you’ll be able to make conscious adjustments, reducing distractions and staying focused on what matters.

Ending the day with a sense of accomplishment​

Imagine the satisfaction of wrapping up your workday knowing you were productive. By setting boundaries with social media, using WhatPulse to monitor your habits, and balancing work with planned breaks, you can end the day with confidence.

Whether you’re commuting home or closing your laptop at the end of the day, you’ll know that your priorities were handled. And once the work is done, feel free to scroll, watch, and enjoy your downtime. After all, you’ve earned it.