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