Focus session · thesis writing · 45 min
Focus session for thesis writing: 45 minutes, brown noise, after eating too much
45 minutes of thesis writing, with brown noise 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.
Unclench your jaw. You were probably holding it without noticing. Do this sitting up, not lying down, if you have just eaten. Follow the instructions and let the rest look after itself.
1 Before you start
- Put the thing you keep reaching for out of arm's reach.
- Choose one question to answer in this block, rather than a whole subject to cover.
- Decide now what you will do when the timer ends. Otherwise the decision will eat the first five minutes.
- Decide what you will do if you get stuck: write the problem out, then move on.
- Put your phone in another room, or in a drawer you cannot reach without standing up.
2 While the timer runs
- It is fine to stare at the wall for a minute. That is often where the answer is.
- When you get an idea for something else, park it. Do not follow it.
- Notice the moment your hand moves toward your phone. That moment is the whole skill.
- If you are bored, the boredom is usually the last thing before something clicks.
3 When it ends
- Leave the desk tidier than you found it. Two minutes now saves ten later.
- Decide whether the next block is the same task or a different one. Do not drift into it.
- Do not immediately open the thing you were avoiding. Give the block a proper end.
4What to put on
brown noise — Lower and softer than white noise, closer to a waterfall heard from a distance. Good if white noise feels too hissy.
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