Letting go for deep work: 7 minutes, on the way in

About this practice

Slow, spoken guidance for deep work. A letting go session you can do on the way in. 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 on your commute

• Headphones on, eyes open or closed depending on your comfort
• Keep one part of your attention on your stop
• Do it standing if sitting is not possible — nobody is watching

Commuting time is already dead time. Nothing is being given up.

How letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

• Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
• Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
• Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Loosen your grip on whatever you're holding, or imagine loosening it.
2. 0:12If you only manage half of it, that's half more than nothing.
3. 0:25Imagine your thoughts as traffic on a road you're standing beside. You don't have to flag any of it down.
4. 0:42Let your sense of the room shrink down to just your body and the surface you're on.
5. 0:57Let the breath be shallow if shallow is what your body wants.
6. 1:10If you're holding your breath at the top, stop. There's no need to hold anything.
7. 1:24Feel your knees. They're just hinges, but they've worked hard.
8. 1:36Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
9. 1:48Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
10. 1:59If the task that needs a clear head is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
11. 2:17You do not have to solve the open tabs of your attention in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
12. 2:37Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
13. 2:50Let your body keep settling.
14. 2:59Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
15. 3:14Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
16. 3:25If you're counting the minutes, that's fine. Count them and come back.
17. 3:38A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
18. 3:49There's no need to try harder than this.
19. 4:00Notice how quickly your mind labels things: good, bad, boring, nice.
20. 4:12Notice the small gap after each exhale. Rest there for half a second.
21. 4:25Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
22. 4:35Notice the space around the pull of notifications. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
23. 4:53If the task that needs a clear head shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
24. 5:14Notice your breathing getting quieter on its own, without you deciding anything.
25. 5:27If you're sleepy, sit up a little. Or let the sleepiness be there.
26. 5:40Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
27. 5:52I'll step back. You stay here.
28. 6:02Let this be easy, if easy is available.
29. 6:13If you're going straight back to work, take ten seconds at the doorway first.
30. 6:27Notice the room again: the sounds, the temperature, the light.

Questions people ask

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