Focus session · portfolio work · 25 min
25-minute focus block for portfolio work — brown noise, on a low-energy afternoon
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to finish the pieces.
25:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better. Low-energy afternoons are what this was written for. Straight through, at a normal pace.
1 Before you start
- Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
- Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
2 While the timer runs
- When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
- When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
3 When it ends
- Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
- Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
- Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
4What to put on
brown noise — Lower and softer than white noise, closer to a waterfall heard from a distance. Good if white noise feels too hissy.
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