Focus session · thesis writing · 45 min
A 45-minute block for thesis writing, with a library, when you are at home and cannot settle
A single 45-minute block for thesis writing — sections, not the whole thing.
45:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Let your eyes soften. Not closed, just less busy. Being at home and unable to settle is a very specific problem. This works better when you don't overthink it.
1 Before you start
- Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
- If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
- Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
- Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
2 While the timer runs
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
3 When it ends
- Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
- Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
4What to put on
a library — Almost nothing: distant footsteps, a chair, a page turning. Useful if you want the feeling of a room where work is normal.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.