Focus session · brainstorming · 45 min
Focus session for brainstorming: 45 minutes, vinyl crackle, when you need something unremarkable
45 minutes of brainstorming, with vinyl crackle 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.
Let the floor take your weight through your feet, and stop holding yourself up for a second. Nothing dramatic happens here, and that is deliberate. No preamble. We start with the body.
1 Before you start
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
- Promise yourself you will not check anything until the timer ends, including "just quickly".
- Have a piece of paper beside you for the thoughts that will try to interrupt.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
- If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
- When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
- If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
3 When it ends
- Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
4What to put on
vinyl crackle — A thin layer of surface noise over nothing much. Just enough texture to stop the room feeling empty.
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