Focus session · reading · 50 min
50-minute focus block for reading — distant thunder, when you are on your own
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to read properly.
50:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Let the floor take your weight through your feet, and stop holding yourself up for a second. Being on your own is not required, but it does make this simpler. Keep it simple: breath in, breath out, notice.
1 Before you start
- Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
- Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
- Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
2 While the timer runs
- 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.
- If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
- When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
3 When it ends
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
- Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
- Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
4What to put on
distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.
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