Focus session · design work · 90 min
90-minute design work session with a stream and a timer, when you are on your own
Sit down, press start, and make decisions for 90 minutes. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
90:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Notice the heaviest part of your body right now. Let it be heavy. Being on your own is not required, but it does make this simpler. This works better when you don't overthink it.
1 Before you start
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
- If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
- Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
- When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
3 When it ends
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
- Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
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.