Focus session · data work · 90 min
90-minute focus session for data work with birds at dawn, when you have tried everything else
90 minutes on data work — checking as you go. 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.
Let your belly be soft. Not sucked in. Just soft. This assumes you have already tried the obvious things. We'll go through it in order, without much decoration.
1 Before you start
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
- Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
- Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
- Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
2 While the timer runs
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
- The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
- It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
3 When it ends
- Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
- Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
4What to put on
birds at dawn — Bright but not sharp. Better for early sessions than for late ones.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.