Focus session · coding · 25 min

25-minute focus session for coding with a washing machine, if you are doing this in the middle of the day

25 minutes on coding — one function at a time, not the whole system. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

25:00

Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.

Rest your hands somewhere they don't have to do anything. Midday is an underrated time for this. Keep it simple: breath in, breath out, notice.

1 Before you start

  • Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
  • If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
  • Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
  • Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
  • Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.

2 While the timer runs

  • 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.
  • Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
  • When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.

3 When it ends

  • If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
  • Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
  • Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.

This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.