This free tool is a doomscrolling escape hatch

We all have that one app or website that wastes too much time. Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, or something else entirely, it’s easy to get sucked in—even when you only intend to kill a spare minute or two. You might even find yourself opening a certain social media app purely out of habit, only to realize that 15 or 30 minutes have gone by with nothing of substance to show for it. Next time you fall into that unhealthy pattern, maybe what you need is a little nudge to reflect on what you ought to be doing instead. Today’s tool is an especially effective way to handle that—with some smart touches that set it apart from the standard options in this area. This tip originally appeared in the free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. Get the next issue in your inbox and get ready to discover all sorts of awesome tech treasures! Your new digital intervention specialist For a thoughtful way to break up your unhealthy app usage, try Minded . ➜ Minded is a free Android app and Chrome extension that discourages you from wasting time on specific apps or websites. Instead of blocking apps and websites outright, Minded urges you to pause with a thoughtful prompt (and, in some …