Focus session · brainstorming · 25 min
Deep work timer: 25 minutes of brainstorming (distant thunder), after a long day
One block of brainstorming with distant thunder underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
25:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Start with the noise that is already in the room. We are not going to try to remove it yet. Use it at the end of a long day, not at the start of one. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
- Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
- Let go of the version of this task you imagined doing perfectly.
- Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
2 While the timer runs
- When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
- If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
- 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.
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.
- 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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