Focus session · planning · 25 min
25-minute planning session with brown noise and a timer, when your attention is scattered
Sit down, press start, and decide what happens when for 25 minutes. 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.
Loosen your grip on whatever you're holding, or imagine loosening it. Scattered attention is the raw material, not an obstacle. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
- 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.
- Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
- Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
2 While the timer runs
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
- If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
3 When it ends
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
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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