Focus session · editing · 90 min
Deep work timer: 90 minutes of editing (a fireplace), before you go back to something hard
One block of editing with a fireplace 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.
Begin with the simple fact that you got here. That already happened. Five minutes here is cheaper than an hour of grinding. Keep it simple: breath in, breath out, notice.
1 Before you start
- Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
- Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
2 While the timer runs
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
- 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.
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
- Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
4What to put on
a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.