Focus session · problem solving · 50 min
Focus session for problem solving: 50 minutes, distant traffic, when you cannot concentrate on anything else
50 minutes of problem solving, with distant traffic 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.
Let your next exhale be a sigh, if a sigh is what's waiting there. When concentration is gone, work with what is left. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.
1 Before you start
- Decide what counts as done for this block. "Two pages" is better than "make progress".
- Remember that motivation usually arrives after starting, not before.
- Turn off notifications for the next block, not just to silent.
- Lower the bar until starting feels almost silly, then start.
- Make sure your chair is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor.
2 While the timer runs
- If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
- The first urge to stop usually arrives early. Sit through it once and the second one is quieter.
- If you are suddenly sleepy, stand up for ten seconds and sit back down.
3 When it ends
- Say the session is finished, out loud if you can. It marks the boundary.
- Leave the file open if you are coming back. Closing it makes restarting harder.
- Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
4What to put on
distant traffic — A low continuous wash from a road you are not on. Familiar and easy to stop hearing.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.