Focus session · decluttering · 45 min

Focus session for decluttering: 45 minutes, a washing machine, if you are tired of apps

45 minutes of decluttering, with a washing machine 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.

Drop your attention from your head into your chest for a second. No account, no streak, no notification asking how you feel. No preamble. We start with the body.

1 Before you start

  • Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
  • If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
  • 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.
  • Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.

2 While the timer runs

  • When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
  • When you have drifted for the fifth time, that is still four returns. Keep going.
  • When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
  • When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.

3 When it ends

  • Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
  • Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
  • Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.

4What to put on

a washing machine — Domestic, mechanical, and oddly steadying. The sound of something else being dealt with.

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