Focus session · thesis writing · 50 min
A 50-minute block for thesis writing, with distant thunder, if you are fitting this around other people
A single 50-minute block for thesis writing — sections, not the whole thing.
50:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Let your shoulders drop about a centimetre. That is roughly where most of us keep the day. It is designed to fit around other people’s schedules. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
- Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
- Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
- Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
- Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
2 While the timer runs
- If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- 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 suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
3 When it ends
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
- Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
- Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
4What to put on
distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.
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