FlowlyHow to block Reddit (and still use it on purpose)
One thread turns into twenty. Here is how to block Reddit on Chrome during work, keep it for your breaks, and stop opening it on autopilot.
Reddit is useful. It answers questions no search engine can, and some communities are genuinely great. It is also one of the easiest places to lose an hour: there is always one more thread, one more comment chain, one more “top of all time”.
You don't have to delete your account to fix this. You just need Reddit closed when you are supposed to be working.
Why Reddit is so hard to close
- Infinite feed. The home page never ends, so there is no natural stopping point.
- Variable rewards. Most posts are boring, a few are great. Not knowing which comes next keeps you scrolling.
- It feels like research. Reading about productivity or your field feels like work, which makes it easy to justify.
How to block Reddit on Chrome
- Install Flowly from the Chrome Web Store.
- Open the popup and make sure Reddit is ticked in the list of sites.
- Start a 25, 45 or 60 minute focus session, or set a focus schedule for your work hours.
- Try opening Reddit. Instead of the feed, you get a short pause that asks why.
If you need one specific thread for work, you can allow yourself 5 minutes from the pause screen. The point isn't to forbid Reddit. It is to open it on purpose.
Block it during work, keep it for breaks
A total ban rarely lasts. A better rule is “Reddit after lunch” or “Reddit after 18:00”. With a focus schedule, Reddit is closed during your focus hours and open the rest of the time. You get the useful part without the lost afternoons.
Small changes that help
- Log out on your work computer, so every visit takes an extra step.
- Unsubscribe from communities you scroll but never learn from.
- Bookmark the few subreddits you actually need instead of opening the home feed.
- Search with a question in mind, then close the tab when you have the answer.
Notice when you reach for it
Most Reddit visits start with a tiny trigger: a hard paragraph, a slow build, a boring email. Flowly counts how many times you tried to open a blocked site and shows the reasons you picked in your daily report. After a few days you will see your pattern, and that is usually the moment the habit starts to loosen.
If Reddit isn't your only problem, the same approach works for endless feeds in general. Here is a guide on how to stop doomscrolling.