Focus session · writing · 25 min
25-minute focus block for writing — café murmur, when you are not sure this will work
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to get words down.
25:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Let your tongue rest down, away from the roof of your mouth. Not being sure it will work is a perfectly good reason to try it once. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
- Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
- Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
- Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
3 When it ends
- Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
- Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
4What to put on
café murmur — The blur of other people talking, with none of the words close enough to follow. Some people concentrate better with a low level of company.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.