Focus session · studying · 90 min
90-minute focus session for studying with distant thunder, when you are short on time
90 minutes on studying — reading and notes, not highlighting. 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.
You don't have to empty your mind. Nobody has ever managed that, including the people who wrote the instructions. Pick this one when you are short on time. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.
1 Before you start
- Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
- Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
2 While the timer runs
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
- When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
3 When it ends
- Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
- Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
- 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.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.