Focus session · design work · 45 min
Focus session for design work: 45 minutes, a fireplace, when you have more time than usual
45 minutes of design work, with a fireplace 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.
If you're lying down, let the mattress hold all of you. You can stop holding yourself up. This is the longer version, for a day with some slack in it. This works better when you don't overthink it.
1 Before you start
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
- Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
- Get water now, so you do not have to get up in fifteen minutes.
- Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- When you catch yourself re-reading the same sentence, stop and write down what you were looking for.
- If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
3 When it ends
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
- Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
4What to put on
a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.
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