Focus session · drawing · 45 min

45-minute drawing session with a stream and a timer, when you feel restless rather than tired

Sit down, press start, and fill the page for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.

45:00

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

Nothing needs to be decided in the next few minutes. Park the decisions. Restless is different from tired, and it needs a different approach. This works better when you don't overthink it.

1 Before you start

  • Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
  • Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
  • Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
  • Decide in advance that a bad sentence is still progress.
  • Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

  • When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
  • It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
  • Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
  • If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.

3 When it ends

  • Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
  • Have a drink of water before you check anything.
  • If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.

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.