Focus session · brainstorming · 90 min
90-minute focus session for brainstorming
90 minutes on brainstorming — quantity before quality. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing. Nothing here asks anything of you socially. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.
1 Before you start
- Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
- 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.
- Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
2 While the timer runs
- If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
- Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
- If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
3 When it ends
- Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
- Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
4What to put on
a library — Almost nothing: distant footsteps, a chair, a page turning. Useful if you want the feeling of a room where work is normal.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.
If this block does not fit, try Focus session for decluttering: 50 minutes, A 25-minute block for language practice, with a stream, when you want to be left alone or 45-minute focus session for coding.