Focus session · thesis writing · 90 min
90-minute thesis writing session with birds at dawn and a timer, when you are not sure this will work
Sit down, press start, and add to the pile 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.
Take a moment to notice the room behind you, without turning around. Not being sure it will work is a perfectly good reason to try it once. We'll go through it in order, without much decoration.
1 Before you start
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
- Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
- 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 your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
- Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
- If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
3 When it ends
- Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
- Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
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.
If this block does not fit, try Focus session for language practice: 45 minutes, forest at dusk, when you are waiting for something, 90-minute exam revision session with distant thunder and a timer, when you are cold and want to be warm or Focus session for problem solving: 25 minutes, forest at dusk, when you have been putting it off.