Breathing for deep work: 7 minutes, in the hour before an interview

About this practice

7 minutes to meet deep work with less of a fight. A breathing practice, in the hour before an interview. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: deep work

Deep work requires a low distraction floor. Modern work rarely provides one, so the transition into it has to be manufactured.

It tends to show up as:

• Getting interrupted every few minutes
• Starting five things and finishing none
• Feeling busy but not productive

A short deliberate transition tells the body the next stretch is different. Without one, the previous meeting follows you in.

Doing this before an interview

• Do it where you will not be interrupted, even if that is a stairwell
• Have the first sentence of your answer ready afterwards
• Keep it short — there is no time for a long session

Nerves before an interview are normal and not something to eliminate. You need access to what you know, nothing more.

How breathing works

A breathing practice uses the breath as the object of attention and as the control lever. Because exhaling slows the heart through the vagus nerve, it acts on the nervous system directly rather than through thinking.

• Keep the exhale longer than the inhale — that is the active ingredient
• Count the exhales and start again whenever you lose count
• Do not force depth; let the breath find its own level

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Let the first out-breath be longer than the in-breath. Nothing dramatic, just longer.
2. 0:13Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
3. 0:27Settle into the fact that for the next few minutes, nothing is required of you.
4. 0:41For the next few minutes, the only job is to notice what's already happening.
5. 0:55Notice that you don't have to start a breath. It arrives by itself.
6. 1:08Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
7. 1:20Notice your wrists. They bend a lot in a day.
8. 1:32Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
9. 1:44Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
10. 1:55If the task that needs a clear head has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
11. 2:14Feel the weight of the open tabs of your attention somewhere specific, then let the floor take a share of it.
12. 2:31Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
13. 2:42Stay a moment longer than is comfortable.
14. 2:52Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
15. 3:06Notice the exact moment your attention left. You probably won't catch it. That's normal.
16. 3:20A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
17. 3:31There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
18. 3:46Your mind will leave about a hundred times. Come back about a hundred times.
19. 4:00Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
20. 4:12Silence. Let your shoulders drop again if they've crept up.
21. 4:24You do not have to win against the pull of notifications. You only have to breathe until the next moment arrives.
22. 4:41Imagine softening the edges of the task that needs a clear head. Not erasing it, just letting the sharp parts go a degree softer.
23. 5:00Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
24. 5:11If nothing much is happening, that's not a problem. Nothing much is often the point.
25. 5:25If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
26. 5:39Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
27. 5:51If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
28. 6:07Stand up when you're ready. The list hasn't grown while you were here.
29. 6:20Let the last of the stillness stay with you for a few more seconds.
30. 6:34Let your body keep settling.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.