Focus session · design work · 50 min
Focus session for design work: 50 minutes, a stream, if you are tired of apps
50 minutes of design work, with a stream and a note on what to do when you drift.
50:00
Press start. The timer keeps time so you do not have to look at a clock.
Put both feet flat on the floor and let them take some of the weight. No account, no streak, no notification asking how you feel. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
- If you are dreading it, make the first action physical: open the file, sharpen the pencil.
- Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
2 While the timer runs
- If you feel the urge to check something, write it on the paper beside you and keep going. Deal with the list afterwards.
- When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
3 When it ends
- Write down the question you could not answer, so it has somewhere to live.
- Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
- If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.
4What to put on
a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.
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