Focus session · practising an instrument · 25 min
25-minute focus block for practising an instrument — white noise, when you are doing this for the first time
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to drill the hard bars.
25:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Let the floor take your weight through your feet, and stop holding yourself up for a second. If this is your first go, stay with the plainest version of the instructions. Straight through, at a normal pace.
1 Before you start
- Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
- Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
- Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
- Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
- If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
- If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
- When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
3 When it ends
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
- Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
- Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
4What to put on
white noise — Flat across all frequencies and very effective at covering speech. Some people find it harsh after an hour; keep the volume low.
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