Focus session · writing · 90 min
90-minute focus session for writing with café murmur, when the weather has kept you inside
90 minutes on writing — the first draft, not the good version. 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.
Then find the nearest sound. It's probably your own breathing. Bad weather is a decent excuse to stay in and do this. Straight through, at a normal pace.
1 Before you start
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
- Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
2 While the timer runs
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
- When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
- Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
3 When it ends
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
- Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
4What to put on
café murmur — The blur of other people talking, with none of the words close enough to follow. Some people concentrate better with a low level of company.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.