Focus session · portfolio work · 45 min

Focus session for portfolio work: 45 minutes, a fireplace, on a low-energy afternoon

45 minutes of portfolio 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.

Let your tongue rest down, away from the roof of your mouth. Low-energy afternoons are what this was written for. Follow the instructions and let the rest look after itself.

1 Before you start

  • Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
  • Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
  • Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
  • Expect to want to stop at about the eight-minute mark. That is normal and it passes.
  • Write down the one thing you are going to do, in a single sentence, before you start.

2 While the timer runs

  • If a thought will not leave, give it one line on the page and return to the task.
  • If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
  • If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
  • It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.

3 When it ends

  • Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
  • Take the break away from the screen, even if it is just the other side of the room.
  • If it went badly, note one thing that worked anyway. There is usually one.

4What to put on

a fireplace — Crackles and a low roar underneath. Warm, irregular, and undemanding.

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