Focus session · design work · 45 min
45-minute focus block for design work — a fan or air conditioner, if you are tired of apps
A timer, a short prep list, and 45 minutes to make decisions.
45:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better. No account, no streak, no notification asking how you feel. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.
1 Before you start
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
- Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
2 While the timer runs
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
- When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
3 When it ends
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
- Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
4What to put on
a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.