Focus session · research · 25 min
Deep work timer: 25 minutes of research
One block of research with plain quiet underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
If you're sitting, let the chair do the work of holding you upright. Nothing here assumes you have done this before. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
- If your mind is already racing, write down the three loudest thoughts before you begin.
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
2 While the timer runs
- When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
- 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 nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
3 When it ends
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
- Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
4What to put on
plain quiet — No added sound at all. If you have a quiet room, that is usually better than any recording of one.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.
If this block does not fit, try Deep work timer: 45 minutes of problem solving, 45-minute focus session for admin and email or A 25-minute block for design work.