Hey everyone! I wanted to share something a bit different today - a productivity tool that I've been quietly using for months to keep myself focused and motivated. It's called Deep Work Streaks, and after several WhatPulse users asked if they could use it too, I decided to polish it up and make it available at whatpulse.org/deepworkstreaks.

The story behind it​

Like many, I struggle with staying focused with so many distractions. I've tried countless productivity apps, but they all seemed to be missing something - that satisfying feeling of maintaining a streak, that little dopamine hit you get when you see your progress visualized over time. Sound familiar? That's because it's the same principle that makes WhatPulse so fun!

So I built something for myself: a simple app that combines focused work sessions with streak tracking. I've been using it daily for months now, and honestly, it's become an essential part of my routine. The visual feedback of seeing my streak grow has been incredibly motivating.

What is Deep Work Streaks?​

At its core, the app is built around Cal Newport's concept of "deep work" - the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks. But I've made it flexible enough to work however you prefer:

The timer​

• Classic Pomodoro: 25-minute focus sessions with 5-minute breaks (fully customizable)
• Extended Deep Work: Crank up the timer to 2-3 hours if you're in the zone
• Flexible Breaks: Short breaks for quick sessions, longer breaks for extended work

The tasks​

• Simple task list to keep track of what you're working on today
• Task templates for common workflows (I have templates for "Writing content," "Feature building," "Planning the month," etc.)
• Complete tasks to extend your streak

The beautiful part: Streaks​

Both completing tasks AND finishing timer sessions extend your streak. You can use them together or separately - whatever works for your workflow. The app even includes weekend grace periods, so you won't break your streak if you choose to take weekends off.

Privacy and simplicity​

It's completely separate from WhatPulse accounts. No login required, no data sent anywhere - everything is stored locally in your browser. Your data stays on your device, period. Just you, your tasks, and your focus time.

How I use it (and how you might too)​

My typical workflow looks like this:

1. Start my day by reviewing my task templates and adding specific tasks
2. Fire up a 90-minute deep work session for coding or writing
3. Take a proper break (I actually step away from the computer)
4. Maybe do a few 25-minute Pomodoros for smaller tasks throughout the rest of the day
5. Glee at the streak visualization as it grows

But the beauty is in its flexibility. Some days I just use the timer without any tasks - perfect for reading or research where I don't have specific deliverables. Other days I focus purely on task completion without timing myself. Both approaches maintain the streak.

What's next?​

Right now, this is a standalone tool that has zero connection to WhatPulse accounts. There's a small possibility we might add optional WhatPulse integration in the future - imagine seeing your deep work streaks alongside your keystroke and click stats! But that's very much a "maybe someday" feature, and it depends entirely on how much people enjoy using the current version.

The app works perfectly as-is, and honestly, there's something pure about keeping it simple and local.

Try it out!​

Head over to whatpulse.org/deepworkstreaks and give it a spin. No account creation, no commitments - just open the page and start your first session. I'm curious to hear what you think and how you end up using it.

Will it work for everyone? Probably not. But if you're someone who gets motivated by streaks, enjoys the satisfaction of completing tasks, and wants to build better focus habits, it might just become as essential to your routine as it has become to mine.

Let me know on Discord how it goes - I'd love to hear about your workflows and whether the streak visualization gives you the same little dopamine hit that it gives me!

Happy focusing!

Martijn

It's time to say goodbye (gradually) to some very old parts of the website. Over the coming months, you might notice a few visual changes as you browse different parts of whatpulse.org. That's not your browser playing tricks—it's us, starting the process of moving to a brand-new website framework.

This new framework is designed to be faster, more flexible, and improve the website's overall performance. It'll work much better on mobile devices, is more accessible, and looks a lot more awesome.

This transition won't happen all at once. Parts of the site will look a little different before everything matches up again. But under the hood, the real change is already making a big difference.

Why change the framework now?​

The previous website framework was built over 12 years ago. And while it's been a solid workhorse, it's also been a bit... stubborn. Adding modern features, fixing bugs, or even making small UI updates often meant fighting with legacy code. That slows everything down—not ideal when we have a huge list of things we want to add and improve.

The new framework is built for speed, flexibility, and modern features. It's going to let us roll out new features faster and iterate much more easily. From better user dashboards to smoother onboarding, there's a lot we've been wanting to bring to life—and now we can.

You've already been using it (kind of)​

Fun fact: this new framework has been quietly powering the communication between the WhatPulse app and the website for the past few months. That's how we were able to roll out new features to the app more quickly. It's been battle-tested behind the scenes, and now it's time for the rest of the website to catch up.

What to expect during the transition​

• You might see pages that look slightly different from one another—that's temporary.
• Some things might move or be renamed as we streamline and modernize navigation.
• All your data, settings, and stats will continue to work as usual.

Once the full transition is complete, you can expect a more cohesive experience that's easier to use—and much easier for us to improve over time.

What's next?​

After the framework rollout, we'll start diving into our backlog of wishlist items for the website. Some of these requests have been around for years, and we're excited to finally have the tools to make them happen.

As always, if you spot anything strange or want to share feedback, we're listening. Just drop us a note through the contact page, or reach out on Discord.

Thanks for being part of the WhatPulse community—we can't wait to show you what's next.

Button presses on your gamepads now count toward your click stats in WhatPulse, thanks to brand-new 🎮 gamepad support!

With this update, you can track your usage of individual gamepad buttons—whether you're button-mashing X to strike in FIFA or carefully controlling the throttle in Forza using the R2 and L2 triggers.

On top of that, WhatPulse now distinguishes between multiple mouse buttons, and a new input engine for Windows improves tracking for devices like gamepads, ensuring more reliable stats even in games like Grand Theft Auto V.

Let's dive into the details!

🎮 What does Gamepad support do?​

As soon as your controller is connected to your PC, WhatPulse starts tracking your button presses. Almost any controller will work, whether it connects via Bluetooth, USB, or RF signal. Every button is tracked individually—whether you're using a PS5 DualSense, an Xbox 360 controller, or anything in between.

WhatPulse intercepts the signals sent to your computer when you press a button, counts them, and logs them just like mouse clicks.

📊 How do I see the new Gamepad data in WhatPulse?​

You can find your gamepad stats under the Mouse Input section of the WhatPulse app:

1. Click the Input button at the top of the app window.
2. Select the Mouse tab.
3. Select the Details at the top right dropdown.
4. You'll see a breakdown of both your mouse clicks and gamepad button presses.

The Button Clicks section shows you each individual button you've pressed on your gamepads and indicate how many times it was pressed, counting as a Click for WhatPulse statistic purposes.

Every button is counted individually, and you'll be able to not only see the common buttons like A, B, R1 and R2, but even buttons like Gamepad Down or additional triggers on more advanced controllers.

This means your gamepad presses can now count towards your overall click statistics, helping you climb those leaderboards even quicker if you tend to game more with a gamepad versus a keyboard and mouse.

It also means in games like Tekken, you'll finally be rewarded for remembering all those button mashing combos.

See it in action​

If you'd like to see this awesome new feature in action, you can check out this snippet from our recent video announcing all the new things in WhatPulse 5.9.

We're excited to finally launch gamepad support, and we can't wait to see the most popular games among our users.

What will you play first?

After an extensive beta period, during which we received invaluable feedback from you - our trusted users - we're excited to release WhatPulse 5.9 to everyone!

A huge thank you to all our beta testers—your insights and reports helped shape this update. WhatPulse 5.9 is packed with major improvements, new features, and an even smoother user experience. Whether you're a long-time user or just getting started, this update brings something for everyone.

Let's put on our goggles and dive into what's new!

🎉 New features​

🎮 Gamepad support​

Gaming clicks just leveled up! WhatPulse now tracks button presses on gamepads, meaning your gaming activity is fully counted in your click stats. You can see the usage of individual gamepad buttons (A, B, L1, etc.) in the details section of your mouse stats.

Additionally, WhatPulse now provides more detailed tracking for multiple mouse buttons. While left, middle, right, and "other" are still logged, you'll now see "Button x" labels for any additional buttons that can be identified. This means deeper insights into your input habits, especially for gaming and productivity setups.

⚙️ A new input engine for Windows​

We've completely revamped our input engine on Windows, making it faster, more secure, and more efficient. This overhaul improves compatibility with a wider range of devices, including gamepads, and ensures WhatPulse can accurately track input even in stubborn applications.

Previously, some "greedy" apps and games (like GTA) could block WhatPulse from detecting inputs, meaning your gaming session wasn't counted. Not anymore! With this update, input tracking remains consistent across all applications.

🆕 Other Exciting Features​

• Redesigned submenu: Navigation is now clearer, making it more obvious when a tab has multiple pages.
• New titlebar: The main window features an updated titlebar displaying useful information, including your WhatPulse Premium status.
• Keyboard shortcuts: You can now close the main window using Cmd + W (macOS) or Ctrl + W (Windows & Linux) for quicker navigation.
• Total column for network tables: Easily see the total data sent and received at a glance.

🚀 Performance & stability improvements​

• The WhatPulse app interface is now 1200% faster (yes, we tested it), thanks to extensive optimizations. Opening the app and interacting with it is significantly smoother.
• Auto-pulsing has been reworked to handle internet disconnects more gracefully. It now retries exponentially (2 min, 4 min, 8 min, etc.), continuing hourly instead of disabling auto-pulse.
• A new stats collector monitor ensures continuous data collection, even after online backups, computer sleep, or other interruptions.
• Windows sleep/wake event handling improved, ensuring data collection resumes properly after waking up.
• Windows watchdog service enhanced for more consistent performance across Windows versions.

 macOS specific enhancements​

• Tracking for applications in /Library, where many modern helper apps reside, and special support for Cryptex volumes - the place where apps like Safari live these days. This also means Safari stats are now counted on the website.
• Full support for Apple's latest macOS (Sequoia) release, and WhatPulse now recognizes the 2024 line-up of new Macs (i.e. the Mac Mini M4).
• Improved macOS app vendor identification, now used on the website.
• Corrected app icons for certain macOS applications.
• Improved network interface detection, preventing misidentification of Wi-Fi adapters as Ethernet.

🛠️ General improvements​

• Advanced Raw Input Toggle: Older computers experiencing latency with raw input can now disable it, switching to a lower-precision method.
• GeoIP.dat file updates optimized to download only when necessary.
• Improved Windows version detection for better accuracy.
• Higher-resolution app icons now uploaded to the website.
• Gradual reduction of authorization checks for smoother logins.
• If NPCAP wasn't installed, updates won't nag you about it anymore.
• WhatPulse Professional now disables auto-updates so organizations have full update control.

🐛 Bug fixes​

• Fixed a crash on quick navigation after launching the app.
• Fixed application paths longer than 129 characters.
• Geek Window settings no longer save excessively when moving labels.
• Improved error handling for WhatPulseMaintenanceTool issues.
• Translated tray icon tooltips.
• Profiles toggle removed from tray menu for non-Premium users.

YouTube video​

If you'd rather watch a video covering this release, we've got you covered! Check out our WhatPulse 5.9 release video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9Tfq-q-gQU

Conclusion​

We hope you'll agree that this is a massive release, with exciting new features and improvements across the board. Whether you're a gamer, developer, or power user, WhatPulse 5.9 brings better tracking, performance, and usability.

So, what game will you be tracking first? Let us know in the Discord server or on social media!

We're excited to unveil the Thumb Cluster Advisor, a free web app that changes how you design your split-keyboard layout. This tool harnesses the power of AI to generate personalized recommendations for your thumb cluster layout, prioritizing comfort and efficiency without disrupting your muscle memory.

Thumb clusters?​

Thumb clusters are a key feature of split keyboards, offering a more ergonomic typing experience by moving frequently used keys closer to your thumbs. By optimizing the thumb cluster layout, you can reduce finger strain and improve typing speed and accuracy.

How the Thumb Cluster Advisor works​

The Thumb Cluster Advisor uses exported data from WhatPulse, feeds that into an AI to analyze your key combinations and generate a tailored thumb cluster layout. You'll need to install the WhatPulse app to track your key combinations and export the data for analysis. Rest assured, no personal information is sent to the AI—only key combinations are considered.

Curious about an example recommendation? Check it out here.

Steps to get your layout recommendation​

1. Collect your data: Use WhatPulse to track your keystroke habits over a week or two.
2. Access the Thumb Cluster Advisor: Visit our web app and upload the collected key combination summary.
3. Receive your recommendation: The AI generates a beautifully visualized thumb cluster layout based on your key usage patterns.

The recommendation includes a reasoning behind each key's placement, helping you understand the rationale behind the layout. You can then apply these changes to your split keyboard and experience the difference in your typing comfort and efficiency.

Get started today​

Ready to optimize your split-keyboard layout? Try the Thumb Cluster Advisor now and experience the difference in your productivity.