Focus session · design work · 90 min
Deep work timer: 90 minutes of design work (forest at dusk), if you are sceptical about all of this
One block of design work with forest at dusk 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.
Rest your hands somewhere they don't have to do anything. Scepticism is welcome. You do not have to believe anything for this to work. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- 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.
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
- Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
2 While the timer runs
- It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
- When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
- When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
3 When it ends
- Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
- 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
forest at dusk — Birds settling, leaves moving, nothing sudden. It works because it sounds like a place you can safely ignore.
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