Focus session · practising an instrument · 50 min
Focus session for practising an instrument: 50 minutes, distant thunder, when the day has been loud
50 minutes of practising an instrument, with distant thunder 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.
There is nothing to get right here. Nothing is being scored. For days that were loud from the moment they started. Keep it simple: breath in, breath out, notice.
1 Before you start
- Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
- Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
- Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
- Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
2 While the timer runs
- When you notice you have drifted, do not restart the block. Just come back and carry on counting from where the timer is.
- When you finish a piece, pause for three seconds before starting the next. It keeps the pace honest.
- When the timer feels too long, look at it less. The clock is not the task.
- If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
3 When it ends
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
- Put the notes you made where you will find them next time.
- Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
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.