Focus session · language practice · 45 min
A 45-minute block for language practice, with a train carriage, when you have just finished work
A single 45-minute block for language practice — repetition rather than novelty.
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing. The gap right after work is the easiest one to use. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.
1 Before you start
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
- Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
- Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
- Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
2 While the timer runs
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
- Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
- Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
- If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
3 When it ends
- Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
- Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
4What to put on
a train carriage — Rhythmic, low, and slightly rumbly. Many people find the motion-and-noise combination easier to work to than silence.
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 studying: 50 minutes, a fireplace, when you want to be left alone, Focus session for drawing: 45 minutes, a train carriage, when you are short on time or Deep work timer: 50 minutes of coding (a library), on a low-energy afternoon.