Focus session · design work · 45 min
Focus session for design work: 45 minutes, distant thunder, when you are not sure this will work
45 minutes of design work, with distant thunder and a note on what to do when you drift.
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Begin with the simple fact that you got here. That already happened. Not being sure it will work is a perfectly good reason to try it once. 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.
- Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
- Set the timer where you can see it, or where you can deliberately not see it.
- Plan to leave the last two minutes for writing down where to pick up next time.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
2 While the timer runs
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- 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.
- If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
3 When it ends
- 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.
- Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
4What to put on
distant thunder — Low rumbles with long gaps. Suits people who find sudden noises more distracting than constant ones.
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 Focus session for editing: 90 minutes, white noise, when you have woken up too early, A 25-minute block for design work, with a train carriage, when you feel restless rather than tired or 90-minute focus session for drawing with a fan or air conditioner, when you are too tired to try hard.