Focus session · editing · 45 min
Focus session for editing: 45 minutes, a stream, when you have tried everything else
45 minutes of editing, with a stream 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.
Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing. This assumes you have already tried the obvious things. Keep it simple: breath in, breath out, notice.
1 Before you start
- Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.
- Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
- Dim the screen slightly. Bright screens make long sessions harder than they need to be.
- Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
2 While the timer runs
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
- If you feel restless, change your posture rather than your task.
- If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
- If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
3 When it ends
- Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
- Roll your shoulders and your neck before the next block.
- Look out of a window for thirty seconds. Your eyes have been at one distance for a while.
4What to put on
a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.
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