[yodon]

Two things that changed my life:

(1) Use https://serializer.io/ to read HN.

Serializer shows the HN top list in a serialized way that lets you mark all as read. No more doom-scrolling a randomly reordered list or constantly re-reading read threads. Syncs read state across all your browsers/devices, no user registration required. Shows a few other sites as well but you can turn those off. Simple and brilliant. I'm not affiliated with the app but I'm a huge fan.

(2) Add an iOS Automation Shortcut timer that starts when opening twitter or Instagram.

The automation system also puts up a toast popup telling me about the timer when I open the app. Free, built into iOS, and the popup alone helps me realize I'm wasting time, then the timer reminds me to close the app. For me, a 9 minute timer is a magic threshold as I've learned I have a pair of natural session lengths which are about 7 minutes or forever. Huge amounts of time recovered this way.