Name it, then leave the verdict alone
Doomscrolling is continuing through an endless feed after you meant to stop. It is common. Treating it as a moral failure usually makes the next session longer, not shorter.
1. Catch the extra swipe
The useful moment is early: the first extra item, the “just one more,” the point where checking becomes staying. Ask a plain question: did I get what I opened this for? If yes, the next swipe is optional.
You will miss that moment sometimes. That is expected. The aim is to notice it more often, not to be perfect.
2. Put a gap in front of the next item
Impulse, pause, choice. Two minutes is long enough for the automatic hand to notice itself, and short enough that you can still continue if you want to.
You can do this without an app: phone face down, stand up, leave the room. If the same apps keep winning, put the gap on the phone. Pause 2 Mins watches the Android apps you choose and interrupts when they stay open. Then you decide. See how it works.
3. Make the feed slightly harder to reopen
Turn off the alerts that only exist to bring you back. Move the icon off the first home screen if you keep opening it by habit. Charge the phone outside the bed if nights are the hard part. None of that replaces the pause. It makes the pause easier to keep.
4. Be specific about the app
A vague plan — “I should scroll less” — has nowhere to land. If Instagram is the room, start there. If Shorts eats the evening, start there. See how to stop scrolling on Instagram or how to stop getting stuck in YouTube Shorts.
The broader version of this practice, without the heavier word, is how to stop scrolling.
5. Continue on purpose, or don’t
A pause is not a locked door. After the gap, going back is still allowed. The point is that the next move is chosen. Pause 2 Mins is not a complete app blocker, and it does not treat anyone.
Join the early access list if you want that interruption on Android.