Focus session · admin and email · 45 min
Focus session for admin and email: 45 minutes, white noise, when you are cold and want to be warm
45 minutes of admin and email, with white noise and a note on what to do when you drift.
45:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Feel your ribs move. That is all the machinery you need to pay attention to right now. Get a blanket first. Being cold defeats the point. We'll go through it in order, without much decoration.
1 Before you start
- Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
- Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
- Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
- Accept that the first five minutes will feel like wading. Wading counts.
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
2 While the timer runs
- When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
3 When it ends
- Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
- Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
4What to put on
white noise — Flat across all frequencies and very effective at covering speech. Some people find it harsh after an hour; keep the volume low.
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