Focus session · writing · 45 min
Deep work timer: 45 minutes of writing (rain on a window), when you are not in the mood
One block of writing with rain on a window 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.
Keep your eyes open if you like, resting on one point of the floor a metre or two ahead. Not being in the mood is a normal starting point. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
- Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
- Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
- 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.
- When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
- If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
3 When it ends
- Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
- Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
4What to put on
rain on a window — Steady rain is broadband noise with a slow natural rhythm. It masks speech and keyboard clatter without being interesting enough to listen to.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.