Focus session · studying · 45 min
45-minute studying session with forest at dusk and a timer, when the weather has kept you inside
Sit down, press start, and take in the material 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.
Let your belly be soft. Not sucked in. Just soft. Bad weather is a decent excuse to stay in and do this. Follow the instructions and let the rest look after itself.
1 Before you start
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
- 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.
- Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
- Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
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.
- Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
3 When it ends
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
- Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
4What to put on
forest at dusk — Birds settling, leaves moving, nothing sudden. It works because it sounds like a place you can safely ignore.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.