Focus session · studying · 90 min

A 90-minute block for studying, with a fireplace, before something difficult

A single 90-minute block for studying — reading and notes, not highlighting.

90:00

Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.

Notice the heaviest part of your body right now. Let it be heavy. It works best in the hour before something difficult. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.

1 Before you start

  • Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
  • Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
  • Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
  • Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
  • Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.

2 While the timer runs

  • Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
  • The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
  • If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
  • When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.

3 When it ends

  • Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
  • Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
  • Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.

This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.