Focus session · practising an instrument · 25 min
A 25-minute block for practising an instrument, with birds at dawn, when you have been on screens all day
A single 25-minute block for practising an instrument — slowly, with the metronome.
25:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Let your belly be soft. Not sucked in. Just soft. After a day of screens, the eyes and the shoulders need this first. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
- Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
- Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
2 While the timer runs
- It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
3 When it ends
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
- Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
4What to put on
birds at dawn — Bright but not sharp. Better for early sessions than for late ones.
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