Focus session · practising an instrument · 90 min
90-minute practising an instrument session with rain on a window and a timer, when you have more time than usual
Sit down, press start, and drill the hard bars for 90 minutes. 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.
Rest your hands somewhere they don't have to do anything. This is the longer version, for a day with some slack in it. Follow the instructions and let the rest look after itself.
1 Before you start
- Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
- Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
- Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
- 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.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
3 When it ends
- Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
- Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
- Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
4What to put on
rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.
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 language practice: 50 minutes, a fireplace, when your attention is scattered, 90-minute drawing session with white noise and a timer, when you are too tired to try hard or 50-minute drawing session with distant traffic and a timer, when you want to be left alone.