Focus session · research · 90 min
90-minute research session with birds at dawn and a timer, after a long day
Sit down, press start, and follow one thread for 90 minutes. 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.
Quick check: is anything genuinely urgent in this exact minute? Usually the answer is no. Use it at the end of a long day, not at the start of one. Straight through, at a normal pace.
1 Before you start
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
- Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
- Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
- Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
- 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.
- The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
- When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
- Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
3 When it ends
- Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
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.