Ask HN: How do you force yourself to take breaks while coding?

Re:Ask HN: How do you force yourself to take breaks while co... by WheelsAtLarge on Friday January 30, 2026 @12:27AM (#46820856)

I wrote a script that set an X countdown time to shutdown. The script gave a warning at five minutes and 1 minute until shutdown. Once I set it I could not stop it. It would load automatically at boot time. It worked rather well until I decided to stop using it. I don't have a solution for giving up. :)

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Re:Ask HN: How do you force yourself to take breaks while co... by glidea on Friday January 30, 2026 @05:22AM (#46822685)

Yeah I don't think any tool can fully solve this – it's ultimately a willpower thing.

the tool's job is to add friction, not to be unbreakable. Even if you bypass it sometimes, if it stops you from staying up late a few more times per month, that's a win

Curious – what made you stop using your script?

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Re:Ask HN: How do you force yourself to take breaks while co... by WheelsAtLarge on Friday January 30, 2026 @01:38PM (#46828139)

I had a deadline to meet. I took it off "for a bit" but never put it back.

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Re:Ask HN: How do you force yourself to take breaks while co... by glidea on Sunday February 01, 2026 @05:46AM (#46845186)

Haha, obviously this needs a "skip today only" option.

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