Browse HN on "Past":
https://news.ycombinator.com/front1. It's yesterday's news. You've probably got some contextualisation for the story as you've likely already caught wind of it from some other channel. Much of the compulsion of HN comes from the too-brief and decontextualised subject lines. They are, ultimately, a Dark Pattern.
2. The Machine Stops^W^WScroll Ends. Typically there are ~60--100 or so items. That's ... more than you can comfortably read, but it is finite.
3. Skip the comments. I'm increasingly finding they're less worthwhile than the post(s) themselves, usually. With some exceptions.
3.0 Those exceptions are rarely in more-active discussions. Or political ones. Or business-oriented ones.
3.1 Definitely skip comments dominated by drama or cheap shots. Utterly not worth it.
3.2 If you must read comments, do so logged out, and collapse as you go.
4. The front page has had a day to sort out its rankings. Typically, the top few items are reasonably significant or interesting, and that likelihood falls as you go down the list. HN ranking is arbitrary enough that there can be quite good content far down the queue, but be discerning.
5. Browsing day-olds seems to help ease the urge to scroll and check often.
6. If you're feeling adventurous, go back a year or five or ten and see what's being discussed. You may discover a ... sameness. Which might make you question the value of aggressively pursuing the latest all that much more.
7. Close the tab and go on a dandilion break.