Focus sessions
A timer, a short prep list, and a note on what to do when you drift. 300 blocks for writing, coding, studying and the rest of the work that needs an hour.
25-minute focus session for language practice with a fan or air conditioner, when nothing else has worked today
25 minutes on language practice — repetition rather than novelty. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →45-minute focus session for studying with a washing machine, when you are on your own
45 minutes on studying — reading and notes, not highlighting. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →90-minute focus session for drawing with café murmur, if you are fitting this around other people
90 minutes on drawing — without correcting anything yet. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of reading (a library), when you have more time than usual
One block of reading with a library underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 45 minutes of thesis writing (distant traffic), when you have been putting it off
One block of thesis writing with distant traffic underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 90 minutes of design work (forest at dusk), if you are sceptical about all of this
One block of design work with forest at dusk underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →25-minute focus block for decluttering — a washing machine, when you are cold and want to be warm
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to move things out.
Start the block →50-minute focus block for admin and email — brown noise, when you only have a few minutes
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to clear the queue.
Start the block →90-minute focus block for portfolio work — a library, when you want something simple
A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to finish the pieces.
Start the block →Focus session for problem solving: 25 minutes, plain quiet, when you want to finish something
25 minutes of problem solving, with plain quiet and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Focus session for coding: 50 minutes, a train carriage, when you are doing this for the first time
50 minutes of coding, with a train carriage and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Focus session for practising an instrument: 90 minutes, birds at dawn, if you are doing this in the middle of the day
90 minutes of practising an instrument, with birds at dawn and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →45-minute exam revision session with white noise and a timer, when you need to stop thinking about work
Sit down, press start, and test yourself for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →50-minute data work session with a stream and a timer, if you are doing this instead of scrolling
Sit down, press start, and work through the numbers for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →A 25-minute block for editing, with rain on a window, when you need something unremarkable
A single 25-minute block for editing — the boring pass that makes it readable.
Start the block →A 45-minute block for brainstorming, with a train carriage, after a difficult conversation
A single 45-minute block for brainstorming — quantity before quality.
Start the block →A 50-minute block for research, with vinyl crackle, when you are somewhere noisy
A single 50-minute block for research — with a note file open beside you.
Start the block →25-minute focus session for applications and forms with white noise, before something difficult
25 minutes on applications and forms — dull but finite. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →45-minute focus session for planning with distant thunder, when the house is busy
45 minutes on planning — on paper, so you can see it. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →90-minute focus session for writing with café murmur, when the weather has kept you inside
90 minutes on writing — the first draft, not the good version. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of language practice (a fireplace), when you are short on time
One block of language practice with a fireplace underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 45 minutes of studying (distant traffic), on a day that started badly
One block of studying with distant traffic underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 90 minutes of drawing (a fan or air conditioner), when you are at home and cannot settle
One block of drawing with a fan or air conditioner underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →25-minute focus block for reading — a washing machine, after eating too much
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to read properly.
Start the block →50-minute focus block for thesis writing — café murmur, if you are tired of apps
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to add to the pile.
Start the block →90-minute focus block for design work — a library, if you have done this a hundred times
A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to make decisions.
Start the block →Focus session for decluttering: 25 minutes, distant traffic, when you have already had a long week
25 minutes of decluttering, with distant traffic and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Focus session for admin and email: 50 minutes, forest at dusk, on a low-energy afternoon
50 minutes of admin and email, with forest at dusk and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Focus session for portfolio work: 90 minutes, a washing machine, when you cannot concentrate on anything else
90 minutes of portfolio work, with a washing machine and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →45-minute problem solving session with brown noise and a timer, when you have been on screens all day
Sit down, press start, and stay with the difficulty for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →50-minute coding session with a stream and a timer, when you have woken up too early
Sit down, press start, and work through the problem for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →90-minute practising an instrument session with plain quiet and a timer, when the day has been loud
Sit down, press start, and drill the hard bars for 90 minutes. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →A 45-minute block for exam revision, with a train carriage, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
A single 45-minute block for exam revision — recall rather than re-reading.
Start the block →A 50-minute block for data work, with birds at dawn, if you have five quiet minutes
A single 50-minute block for data work — checking as you go.
Start the block →25-minute focus session for editing with white noise, after a long day
25 minutes on editing — the boring pass that makes it readable. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →45-minute focus session for brainstorming with a stream, when you are waiting for something
45 minutes on brainstorming — quantity before quality. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →90-minute focus session for research with rain on a window, when you are too tired to try hard
90 minutes on research — with a note file open beside you. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of applications and forms (a train carriage), when you are not sure this will work
One block of applications and forms with a train carriage underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 45 minutes of planning (vinyl crackle), when you are not in the mood
One block of planning with vinyl crackle underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 90 minutes of writing (a fan or air conditioner), when you are somewhere unfamiliar
One block of writing with a fan or air conditioner underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →25-minute focus block for language practice — distant thunder, when you feel restless rather than tired
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to practise out loud.
Start the block →50-minute focus block for studying — café murmur, when nothing else has worked today
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to take in the material.
Start the block →90-minute focus block for drawing — a fireplace, when you are on your own
A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to fill the page.
Start the block →Focus session for reading: 25 minutes, distant traffic, if you are fitting this around other people
25 minutes of reading, with distant traffic and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Focus session for thesis writing: 50 minutes, a fan or air conditioner, when you have more time than usual
50 minutes of thesis writing, with a fan or air conditioner and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →Focus session for design work: 90 minutes, a washing machine, when you have been putting it off
90 minutes of design work, with a washing machine and a note on what to do when you drift.
Start the block →45-minute decluttering session with café murmur and a timer, if you are sceptical about all of this
Sit down, press start, and move things out for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →50-minute admin and email session with a library and a timer, when you are cold and want to be warm
Sit down, press start, and clear the queue for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →90-minute portfolio work session with distant traffic and a timer, when you only have a few minutes
Sit down, press start, and finish the pieces for 90 minutes. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →A 45-minute block for problem solving, with forest at dusk, when you want something simple
A single 45-minute block for problem solving — before looking anything up.
Start the block →A 50-minute block for coding, with birds at dawn, when you want to finish something
A single 50-minute block for coding — one function at a time, not the whole system.
Start the block →25-minute focus session for practising an instrument with brown noise, when you have tried everything else
25 minutes on practising an instrument — slowly, with the metronome. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →45-minute focus session for exam revision with a stream, when you have just finished work
45 minutes on exam revision — recall rather than re-reading. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →50-minute focus session for data work with plain quiet, before you go back to something hard
50 minutes on data work — checking as you go. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 25 minutes of editing (a train carriage), when you want to be left alone
One block of editing with a train carriage underneath. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 45 minutes of brainstorming (birds at dawn), if you are new to this
One block of brainstorming with birds at dawn underneath. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.
Start the block →Deep work timer: 90 minutes of research (white noise), when your attention is scattered
One block of research with white noise underneath. One full ultradian cycle, for work that needs a long runway.
Start the block →25-minute focus block for applications and forms — a stream, when you have been meaning to start
A timer, a short prep list, and 25 minutes to get through the questions.
Start the block →50-minute focus block for planning — rain on a window, before something difficult
A timer, a short prep list, and 50 minutes to decide what happens when.
Start the block →90-minute focus block for writing — a fireplace, when the house is busy
A timer, a short prep list, and 90 minutes to get words down.
Start the block →Nothing is tracked here. Close the tab whenever you like — the timer is the only thing that knows.