A Prosthetic for Willpower: Combating Doomscrolling on Desktop

The author shares their personal experience in combating doomscrolling on desktop devices. Unlike mobile platforms, where effective parental control tools exist, it is harder to restrict access to distracting websites on PCs due to the ease of bypassing existing extensions. Inspired by the habit-forming principles from the book 'Atomic Habits,' the author decided to create a system that makes bypassing restrictions as inconvenient as possible, using laziness as a tool for self-control. The solution is Curfew, a browser extension that allows users to set strict daily limits on specific websites. The article explores a structural approach to limiting screen time, focusing not on willpower, but on creating technical barriers that make violating established rules impractical. This approach helps users be more productive and reduce digital stress, turning the browser into a more manageable tool.