Focus session · research · 90 min
Focus session for research: 90 minutes, a fan or air conditioner, after a difficult conversation
90 minutes of research, with a fan or air conditioner and a note on what to do when you drift.
90:00
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. Difficult conversations leave a residue. This is for the residue. This is a short one, so let's use the time properly.
1 Before you start
- Clear the surface in front of you down to the thing you are working on.
- Tell yourself the goal is time spent, not output produced.
- Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
- Give yourself permission to stop when the timer ends, even mid-sentence.
- Close every tab that is not needed for this one task. Not minimised — closed.
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.
- If the task suddenly feels impossible, make it smaller rather than stopping. One paragraph. One function. One row.
- If you start tidying your desk, that is avoidance. Sit back down.
- If you are stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
3 When it ends
- Stand up and move for at least two minutes. The break is part of the method, not a reward.
- Resist the urge to review the work straight away. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
- Note what you actually got done, not what you meant to get done.
4What to put on
a fan or air conditioner — A constant mechanical hum with no variation. The lack of change is the point — nothing in it asks for your attention.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.