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Focus session · planning · 90 min

Deep work timer: 90 minutes of planning (brown noise), when you have just finished work

One block of planning 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.

Turn your phone face down if it's within reach. If it's in another room, even better. The gap right after work is the easiest one to use. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.

1 Before you start

  • Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
  • Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
  • Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
  • Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
  • Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.

2 While the timer runs

  • When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
  • If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
  • When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
  • If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.

3 When it ends

  • Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
  • Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
  • Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.

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.

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

If this block does not fit, try 25-minute data work session with forest at dusk and a timer, when you need to stop thinking about work, Deep work timer: 90 minutes of drawing (birds at dawn), when you are not in the mood or A 45-minute block for applications and forms, with plain quiet, when you are somewhere noisy.