Focus session · writing · 50 min
A 50-minute block for writing, with distant traffic, when you have been meaning to start
A single 50-minute block for writing — the first draft, not the good version.
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. You have been meaning to start. This is the least intimidating way in. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.
1 Before you start
- Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
- If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
- If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
3 When it ends
- Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
- Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
4What to put on
distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.