Focus session · data work · 90 min
Deep work timer: 90 minutes of data work (brown noise), after a difficult conversation
One block of data work with brown noise underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
90:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Loosen your grip on whatever you're holding, or imagine loosening it. Difficult conversations leave a residue. This is for the residue. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
- Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
- Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
- Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
- Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
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 you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- Notice whether you are working or performing work. They look similar from the outside.
3 When it ends
- Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
- Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
4What to put on
brown noise — Lower and softer than white noise, closer to a waterfall heard from a distance. Good if white noise feels too hissy.
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