Focus session · exam revision · 45 min
Deep work timer: 45 minutes of exam revision (a fireplace), when you feel fine and want to stay that way
One block of exam revision with a fireplace underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
45:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Let your tongue rest down, away from the roof of your mouth. Feeling fine is a good reason to do this, not a reason to skip it. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
- Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
2 While the timer runs
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
- When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
3 When it ends
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
- 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.
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.