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You might want to look into Pomodoro. It helped me get rid of the tic you describe.

The diet is to try getting rid of something deeper :)

Pomodoro (or something similar to it) worked for a while, but I found myself gradually putting off getting started.

Same exact prob. The 25-minute counter is there on the desktop. I just haven't pressed play yet. Instead, there is HN to go through.

Perhaps a second timer, then, to limit your breaks?