How to stop doomscrolling
Put a pause between you and the feed. Most scrolling starts on autopilot, and a few seconds of friction (a breath, a short wait) is usually enough to break it. Block the endless parts, like Shorts, Reels and front pages, instead of whole sites.
What actually works
- Notice where you scroll. Pawse counts how often it stops you each week, which is often a surprise.
- Add friction, not a wall. A 10-second breathing pause stops the autopilot without making you want to switch the blocker off.
- Block the feed, keep the useful part. Block YouTube Shorts but keep search; block Reddit's front page but keep the subreddits you need.
- Set a budget instead of a ban, like 30 minutes of Instagram a day. When it's used up, it's gone until tomorrow.
- Have a replacement ready: a book, a walk, a message to a friend. The urge passes in a few minutes.
Why it's so hard to stop
Feeds are endless on purpose: there's no natural stopping point, and every refresh might show something good. Willpower alone loses against that. A small speed bump gives you back the moment to choose.
Questions
Is it better to block sites completely?
Full blocks work for some people, but many turn them off after a few days. Gentle friction and time budgets tend to last longer.
How long does it take to break the habit?
Most people notice the urge getting weaker within one or two weeks of consistent friction.
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