Focus session · studying · 50 min
Deep work timer: 50 minutes of studying (a washing machine), when the weather has kept you inside
One block of studying with a washing machine underneath. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
50:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Drop your attention from your head into your chest for a second. Bad weather is a decent excuse to stay in and do this. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
- Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
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.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
- If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
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.
- Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
4What to put on
a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.