A bedtime boundary for adult night owls.
Lights Out gives you time to wrap up, then hibernates your Windows laptop without closing your work.
Windows Task Scheduler wakes the project. LightsOut.ps1 checks the time, then
either shows the countdown or asks Windows to hibernate. Microsoft Family
Safety is an optional harder boundary; the script does not call it.
The editable tldraw architecture board remains available as a technical reference.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Monday-Friday, 11:30 AM | Lunch countdown begins |
| 11:45 AM | Laptop hibernates |
| 1:30 PM | Lunch boundary ends |
| Sunday-Thursday, 9:30 PM | Countdown begins |
| 9:44 PM | Screen turns amber |
| 9:54 PM | Screen turns red |
| 9:59 PM | Laptop hibernates |
| 6:00 AM | Boundary ends |
| Friday-Saturday | Unrestricted |
If the laptop is used during either Lights Out boundary, the boundary guard hibernates it again within five minutes.
If the laptop was asleep or closed when a boundary began, its first use inside that boundary gets one visible three-minute wrap-up countdown. It cannot be renewed by reopening the laptop. This is time to save urgent work or reach your chosen support path, not a daily skip button.
The guard runs only from 11:45 AM to 1:30 PM on weekdays and from 9:59 PM to 6:00 AM on weeknights. It does not poll outside those windows.
- Download or clone this repository.
- Open Windows PowerShell in the project folder.
- Run:
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Install-LightsOut.ps1Preview the countdown without hibernating:
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\LightsOut.ps1 -Mode PreviewDo not move the project folder after installation. If you move it, run the
installer again from its new location with -Force.
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Uninstall-LightsOut.ps1This removes the two scheduled tasks. It does not touch open work or personal files.
Lights Out creates a firm interruption, not an unbreakable lock. An administrator can disable the scheduled tasks or change the system clock.
For a harder boundary:
- Use a standard Windows account day to day.
- Set the same schedule in Microsoft Family Safety.
- Let someone trusted control the organizer credentials.
- Keep a separate administrator account for recovery.
- Save important work normally; hibernation is not a backup.
- Verify that hibernation works before relying on the schedule.
- Keep disk-encryption recovery information accessible.
Implementation and verification status is tracked in ACCEPTANCE.md.