https://minibreaks.app/ Writing about stopping one thing at a time: the situations it happens in, what to do there instead, and choosing an app. en-GB Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/choosing/an-app-that-doesnt-count-days https://minibreaks.app/choosing/an-app-that-doesnt-count-days Almost every app for stopping something is built on a total that can go back to zero. What the alternatives are, and what to look for instead. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/choosing/apps-to-stop-scrolling https://minibreaks.app/choosing/apps-to-stop-scrolling Blockers, pauses and plans do three different jobs. Which one you want depends on whether the problem is access, momentum, or not knowing where the hours go. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/choosing/i-am-sober-alternative https://minibreaks.app/choosing/i-am-sober-alternative I Am Sober is built around a day counter, a daily pledge and a community. If those are the parts not working for you, here is a different model. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/choosing/quit-smoking-app-without-a-counter https://minibreaks.app/choosing/quit-smoking-app-without-a-counter Most quit-smoking apps are built around a quit date and the time since it. What the alternative looks like, and why the counter is worth avoiding for some people. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/notes/how-to-find-the-situations-it-happens-in https://minibreaks.app/notes/how-to-find-the-situations-it-happens-in Most people can name the thing and cannot name the situations, and the situations are what a plan attaches to. A method that takes about four days. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/notes/if-then-plans-for-stopping-something https://minibreaks.app/notes/if-then-plans-for-stopping-something Implementation intentions are among the better-evidenced findings in behaviour change, and the version for stopping is written differently. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/notes/is-it-better-to-quit-or-cut-down https://minibreaks.app/notes/is-it-better-to-quit-or-cut-down The one large trial that tested both found stopping outright worked better than reducing first. What that does and does not tell you. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/notes/what-to-do-after-it-happens-again https://minibreaks.app/notes/what-to-do-after-it-happens-again The first occurrence is not the problem. What the relapse-prevention literature identifies as the risk is the reaction to it. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/notes/why-a-day-counter-makes-it-harder https://minibreaks.app/notes/why-a-day-counter-makes-it-harder A number that only goes up is a number that can be lost, and the day it is lost is the day you most needed the tool to be useful. What to use instead. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/stop/biting-your-nails https://minibreaks.app/stop/biting-your-nails You are already doing it before you notice, so a plan aimed at the decision has nothing to act on. Give the hand something else to do. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/stop/drinking-in-the-evening https://minibreaks.app/stop/drinking-in-the-evening The evening drink is usually attached to a transition rather than to a craving for it. Find the transition, put something in it, and change what is in the house. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/stop/online-shopping https://minibreaks.app/stop/online-shopping Every purchase arrives with a reason attached, which is what makes this one hard to argue with in the moment. Put the friction in the payment, not in the browsing. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/stop/scrolling https://minibreaks.app/stop/scrolling Scrolling has no natural end, so a time limit is the wrong shape for it. A rule about places works better, and the reason is in how the sessions start. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/stop/smoking-or-vaping https://minibreaks.app/stop/smoking-or-vaping Smoking has many short occasions a day rather than one, so the plan has to work in ninety seconds outside a building. What that changes. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/stop/snacking https://minibreaks.app/stop/snacking The kitchen is a corridor, so you pass the cue twenty times a day. What to change about the room, and why the replacement has to take effort rather than be easy. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000 https://minibreaks.app/stop/the-phone-at-night https://minibreaks.app/stop/the-phone-at-night The decision has to be made an hour before the problem, because by the time you are in bed with it there is no decision left to make. Where to put the plan instead. Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:28:45 +0000