Focus session · design work · 25 min
25-minute focus session for design work with a stream, if you are fitting this around other people
25 minutes on design work — rough versions first. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Keep your eyes open if you like, resting on one point of the floor a metre or two ahead. It is designed to fit around other people’s schedules. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
- Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
- Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
3 When it ends
- Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
4What to put on
a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.
If this block does not fit, try 45-minute brainstorming session with white noise and a timer, before you go back to something hard, 25-minute focus block for exam revision — a library, when the day has been loud or Deep work timer: 50 minutes of exam revision (a stream), when you need to stop thinking about work.