Focus session · portfolio work · 50 min
50-minute focus block for portfolio work — a train carriage, when you cannot concentrate on anything else
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to finish the pieces.
50:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Take one breath that is slightly slower than the last one. That is enough to start. When concentration is gone, work with what is left. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
- If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
- 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.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
2 While the timer runs
- If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
- When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
- When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
3 When it ends
- Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
- Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
- Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
4What to put on
a train carriage — Rhythmic, low, and slightly rumbly. Many people find the motion-and-noise combination easier to work to than silence.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.