Focus session · research · 90 min
Focus session for research: 90 minutes, a stream, if you are new to this
90 minutes of research, with a stream 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 the floor take your weight through your feet, and stop holding yourself up for a second. Nothing here assumes you have done this before. We'll be efficient and then you can get on with your day.
1 Before you start
- Close the door, or put headphones on, whichever signals "working" to the people around you.
- Decide that today's session does not have to be good. It has to happen.
- Go to the toilet first. It sounds trivial until you are mid-sentence.
- Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
- Take one slow breath before you press start, so the session has a beginning.
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 stuck, say the problem out loud. It changes what you can see.
- If nothing is working, write badly on purpose for two minutes.
- If your attention keeps sliding, shorten the next block rather than abandoning this one.
3 When it ends
- Write one line about where to start next time. Future you will be grateful.
- Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
- Have a drink of water before you check anything.
4What to put on
a stream — Running water with small variation. Softer than rain and less repetitive than a fan.
This page is a tool, not a course. Nothing is tracked, nothing is saved, and nobody is told whether you finished.