how i cut my scrolling without blocking a single app

i cut my scrolling without blocking a single app. i need instagram, x and linkedin for work, so blocking them is not an option. a small interruption did the job instead. it's a popup that shows up after i've been scrolling a while and asks if i want to keep going. that one question is usually enough to stop me.

i used an intervention app called One Sec for 9 months. here's why an intervention app might be worth it for you, and why i ended up making my own: kokopi.

kastella beach, where everything started.

a year ago i was at the kastella beach in larnaca, cyprus, working out at the calisthenics park (picture). i met a german-speaking guy from brazil, a successful entrepreneur living there. he used social media all day for work. we talked about focus and phones. then he showed me the app he used to avoid being distracted while using social media. it's called One Sec. it doesn't block your apps. it interrupts you after you've been in it a while.

i tried it that day on linkedin and instagram. it worked immediately.

why i stopped using One Sec after 9 months

i bought a year and used One Sec on all my apps for 9 months. it saved me hours. i could still check what i needed, but i stopped falling into the 30 minute scrolling sessions.

two things bothered me though.

besides the intervention, One Sec adds an extra layer of friction with a breathing exercise. it worked for the first few days. then i stopped breathing with it and just clicked through. the extra breathing step didn't add much though. it just made me frustrated i couldn't get to my post quickly.

and it was another subscription. we already have many subscriptions. paying $19.99 every year for such a product was not something i was aligned with.

why i built my own

so i looked for another app that interrupts instead of blocks. i couldn't find one. everything out there either fully blocks your apps, or wraps itself in wellness language and charges a lot for it. still true as far as i know.

i'm a developer. i've been building for 10 years. with AI, the coding part of an app like this is mostly solved now. so i built the thing i wanted.

it wasn't only for me. my girlfriend scrolls too much. so does my dad. i remember being with my parents, rare moments together, and watching my dad disappear into his phone. that one hurts.

how kokopi actually works

kokopi's mascot is a little bird called koko. you scroll too long, he shows up and stares at you. he's a bit unhinged, and he asks if you want to close the app or keep going. you decide. he never blocks anything.

social media apps keep you in with variable rewards. you never know what the next post will be, and that uncertainty is what triggers the dopamine and puts you on autopilot. you can't leave that state on your own, because you don't feel it happening. koko shows up at the right moment and makes you feel it.

does interrupting yourself actually work

there's research on this. a 2023 study in pnas found people opened their apps about 57% less when this kind of interruption was added. it lines up with what i felt during those 9 months.

kokopi does the same job, with koko instead of a breathing exercise. you test it for a week, then you pay $7.99 once, no subscription. you pick the apps and the limits.

i believe intervention apps are really helpful because they make you aware you're scrolling mindlessly. just enough friction when it matters, and over time you start noticing when you're scrolling for no reason.

it's not a silver bullet though. i still keep a few simple rules for myself. phone out of sight until noon. never in bed. no screen 1 hour before bed. grayscale mode in the evening. focus mode with most of notifications off.

if blocking never stuck for you either, try any intervention app. it builds the habit of opening your phone less, without cutting you off from what you actually need.

that's what kokopi does.