Focus session · drawing · 90 min

Deep work timer: 90 minutes of drawing (a fan or air conditioner), when you are at home and cannot settle

One block of drawing with a fan or air conditioner 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.

Let your forehead smooth out. Most of us hold a small frown there all day. Being at home and unable to settle is a very specific problem. No preamble. We start with the body.

1 Before you start

  • Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
  • Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
  • Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
  • Remind yourself that you are allowed to produce something mediocre in the first pass.
  • Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

  • If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
  • When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
  • It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
  • If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.

3 When it ends

  • If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
  • Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
  • Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.

4What to put on

a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.

This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.